Spotted a post the other day by Hawg Rider where he described a basically NIB Model 12-3 that really looked good and most of the comments were about possible frame cracks. Some of the posts had pics of members Model 12's and they looked good too.
What was the factory finish on these guns? It does not look like traditional bluing to me, rather more like my old Ruger Mk III that was some sort of black anodizing.
I did see a gun for sale about a year ago that I had no interest in, at any price, because of the severe wear on the frame, to the point that it looked to be massively "flame cut", but in areas that made no sense (behind the recoil shield, by the release latch).
Take a look at the pics. It is a Model 12-2 but whatever finish was ever on it looks to be completely gone. What would cause this severe erosion like gouges? Heavy abrasive sandblasting?
I'm basically just curious, I wouldn't buy this one like I said at any price even for a parts gun.
Some pics are attached