Unusual finish?

[clevolver]

A few years ago, I was just starting to get into revolvers. While attending a local gun show, I happened upon a Model 25 that I was smitten with, but could not afford due to the recent purchase of a 686. Unfortunately I also did not take pictures. I noted that it had an unusual finish, which looked grey - - I'd say it looked like graphite. It was polished, not matte like a parkerized finish. It was very striking to behold. It's hard to remember, but I do not recall it having a dash in the model number, and it didn't have the internal lock. It had a 8 3/8 or 6 inch barrel, and either a ramp or patridge front sight. Despite the no dash, I believed at the time that it was of recent make, perhaps from the Classics line. But to this day I have never seen another like it. I'm curious if anyone on the forum has ever seen a gun like this, or might have any info about such a model, particularly the finish.

[Dave]

If it was a factory finish, maybe a glass bead finished 625?

There are also a number of aftermarket finishes that might fit the description.

[Kernel Crittenden]

Impossible to say without pictures. They clue many be the word "grey". I've seen a number of stainless S&W that have been sandblasted with real sand (not glass beads), and they all have that flat matte grey look. Almost like pewter. Sounds like the gun you saw was not original.

S&W's "vapor hone" bead blasted finish doesn't look gray. It still looks like stainless steel. S&W began using it more frequently in the late '80's. Now days many Smiths, including most Performance Center guns, have this vapor hone finish. The S&W box code for it is "ZM".

[dfariswheel]

In the early days, hard chrome was usually only available in an "orange peel" light bead blasted finish that had a gray color.
It was a sort of pearl-gray but still had a slight luster.

[GunarSailors]

What are the chances you're talking about maybe a factory polished blue finish that appeared to have a smoked chrome look? Carbonia Bluing?

[Nemo288]

I think the bead blast finish does look kind of "grey".
It could also be that my deck IS grey and is coloring the gun some

===
Nemo

[clevolver]

Thanks for the replies. I don't think I'll ever know for sure what it was, but it didn't look at all blue in color to me. It was a polished, not matte, grey, and looked like graphite to me, although that's a very unlikely candidate for a finish. I don't know if pewter takes well to polishing, but I've also never heard of a pewter finish before. It also was not a silvery color like stainless steel or nickel plate. It was a dark grey. If it was aftermarket, it was amazingly well done. If I ever see one like it again, I'll be sure to get a few pics and as much information as I can about it.

[Kernel Crittenden]

Originally Posted by clevolver

I don't know if pewter takes well to polishing, but I've also never heard of a pewter finish before.

What I wrote was, "Almost like pewter." ALMOST LIKE. Pewter is not a handgun finish. In this instance, it's SIMILAIR to the color that results from SANDBLASTING a stainless revolver. If you've ever seen a pewter mug, or something, it looks nothing like the vapor hone stainless steel used by S&W.

[clevolver]

Originally Posted by GunarSailors

What are the chances you're talking about maybe a factory polished blue finish that appeared to have a smoked chrome look? Carbonia Bluing?

I have a REALLY hard time telling the true color of a polished gun, because so much of the color that's in the gun is reflection, not the true color of the metal. It's so hard to take a decent photo of a gun in a high state of polish. I could probably tell if the photo was taken in a setting where the light was perfectly white balanced and there were no colorful objects nearby for the surface of the metal to reflect into the camera. I'm certain I would recognize it if I could see it in person, of course.

[clevolver]

Originally Posted by Kernel Crittenden

What I wrote was, "Almost like pewter." ALMOST LIKE. Pewter is not a handgun finish. In this instance, it's SIMILAIR to the color that results from SANDBLASTING a stainless revolver. If you've ever seen a pewter mug, or something, it looks nothing like the vapor hone stainless steel used by S&W.

Well, OK, yeah. I would say that the grey I recall in the finish of this Model 25 was close to a pewter grey. Thing is, it did not have a sandblasted look to it. It was a glossy, polished thing, almost looked like it was glazed, to be honest.

[2K7]

I recall a finish Ruger used on a select few of their DA Redhawks that was a pewter grey, gloss finish like you describe. Certainly not a sandblasted or polished stainless finish. Very distinctly diffferent.

Are you sure it wasn't a Ruger you are speaking of?

[Fishinfool]

Sounds like the Ruger finish...

Larry

[Goblin]

There are some hard chrome finishes that are pretty smooth if the guns were polished. Look at Metalloy's website and see if that looks familiar.

[clevolver]

It definitely was not a Ruger. It was a model 25, and not a 625, either.

[X Ring Ranch]

Check out Armoloy finish. Ft. Worth Texas. It was just starting in the early 1970's. Hard chrome - dull gray which can be polished to look like stainless - 70 Rockwell hard - and self lubricating. Great finish

[clevolver]

Originally Posted by X Ring Ranch

Check out Armoloy finish. Ft. Worth Texas. It was just starting in the early 1970's. Hard chrome - dull gray which can be polished to look like stainless - 70 Rockwell hard - and self lubricating. Great finish

Interesting... I think what they have pictured is a bit too light grey to be what I saw, though.