I have recently found a 681-1 with a matte or bead blast stainless finish. I have never seen this finish on another. Is this more rare or valuable than the basic stainless finish?

A picture of this revolver would be a great addition to this post!

I'll have to figure out how to put one up

681 pics posted for cavdude.

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Gone but not forgotten-RIP Dad

I'm skeptical that's the original finish. Your pictures aren't very good, but (1) it has that "gray" look that aftermarket blasted guns often have, and the edges look slightly rounded. Could be due to the poor picture quality. (2) S&W's matte finish was not in common use when you gun was made. (3) When it was used, it was reserved for premium product. M681's are great guns, but they were targeted at the law enforcement mass-market, not the upscale market. (4) I've never seen one before (though I don't claim to "know-it-all").

When you talked to S&W did you get the product code? That can be real helpful tracking down details on a gun, or comparing it to other guns with the same code. Maybe your gun was sent back to S&W, at some point, and re-finished with the matte finish. That is very possible.

From my observations there seem to be four broad categories of stainless finish.

Bright - highly polished, looks like nickel, no brush marks, rare on factory guns. Can be touched-upped with polish (Mother's, Flitz, Iosso) and a soft cotton cloth.

Satin - low gloss, brush marks not obviously visible but can be seen on close inspection, lightly buffed. Common on J-frames, K-frames, N-frames, service revolvers, most standard product. Used exclusivity on all stainless guns pre-1980. Can be repaired with very fine Scotch Brite pad.

Brushed - no gloss, visible and obvious brush marks, has a definite "grain" and "direction", seen on a lot L-frames from introduction, could be found on any frame from mid-80's forward. Common, but not as common IMO as the satin. Probably a cost saving measure. Can be touched-up with fine Scotch Brite pad.

Matte - Looks like a subtle glass bead blast (not "sandblasted"), entirely uniform, no brush marks of any kind. Common on Performance Center guns, but can be found on others. First ones I saw were on the Model of 1988 & 1989 guns, and from 1991 on some low production K-frame **Specials** (runs of 200 or less). Used on stainless J-frames with an aluminum frame mid-90's forward (the frame being coated silver). All edges are sharp and nothing dished or rounded. Gun still looks stainless, not "gray" like an aftermarket sandblasted gun - which may also be dished and rounded. Can NOT be fixed with Scotch Brite - has to be reblasted.

Even within these four categories there are variations. Not saying any of this is written in stone. I hope the OP's gun is a rare one-of-a-kind matte finish M681-1. If original, and not a re-finish, it would be more valuable due to rarity. But the OP would have to document it with a Factory Letter because I can find nothing in the SCSW about it. Would like to hear other's views on stainless finishes.

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~ S&W aficionado in training ~

I had one that looked like that and it was a factory trade-in that was refurbished and sent out in a plain cardboard box with end label.

My vote also goes in the skeptical column.

Sorry, after looking into this further, I misunderstood the S&W customer service rep. It didn't come with this finish, somewhere along the way it was done. Thank you for the input