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Originally Posted by handejector
Back to #15-
What do you know of the gun?
I assume you bought it in the US and did not import it. Is any history available, even recent?
I was hoping someone else might broach the subject, not wishing to be indelicate. No one has, and it is such a significant gun, I have to raise the discussion-
I'm reasonably sure the gun is reblued, and I wondered if you knew it. Being familiar as you are with Brit sporting arms, I'm sure you're aware of their fetish for 'freshening' guns when they show wear. Do you think one of the English houses did it? I think that may be the most likely possibility since it is such a high quality job.
No offense intended, and I hope you were already aware of it.
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Lee, thanks for your comments about the double rifles. I can go on-and-on about them, but not here.
No, you have not offended in the least. It does not embarrass me to discuss the condition of a firearm. They are machines, not family relations. I have no trouble being objective about them.
And yes, I was aware the finish has been freshened, certainly following application of the proof stamps, as they are blackened. There are areas of the gun that have been polished lightly while other areas don't appear to have been polished and seem to have original finish underlying. The "reblue" clearly is rust blue and not a hot dipped caustic finish. All lines of the gun are preserved.
You mention the British penchant for "freshening up" their guns, and that is exactly what came to my mind when I received this gun. My theory is that there was a bit of "freshening up" after the application of the proof stamps, and not because it was down in condition.
I have had the pleasure to correspond with David Wilson about this gun on several occasions, both before and since acquisition. What follows is a passage from an email message I sent him the day after I received it:
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Yesterday evening I took it home, cleaned it inside and out, and closely inspected it. The refinish truly is "light". On most surfaces I can still detect the original underlying factory polish marks. I would conjecture that the finish was touched up in 1952 after it was imported to England and submitted for proof. The Brits pretty well know how to do such restorations, and this is well done. One of my "litmus tests" of yesterday evening was to put the .44 beside my 2nd Model that unquestionably has original finish to see how they compare. The .44 is refinished, but it didn't fail this test.
I have never seen higher quality wood on the handle of a pistol. The stocks are marblecake English walnut of outstanding quality and they are in pristine condition. I thought the stocks on my 2nd Model were nice, but these put them to shame.
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Incidentally, it was after cleaning the TL and comparing side-by-side the two revolvers referred to, that I took the photo with which I started the other thread with my play on words about "placing 1st and 2nd".
My "guts" photos from that evening aren't very good. I took them hand-held under the bright glaring lights of my workbench. Nevertheless, I'll post them for what it's worth:
There is slight evidence of light pitting, assumably from storage in a holster, in very limited areas of the gun. What little polishing was done in the "freshening up" was not heavy enough to undermine this very light pitting. This can be seen most prominently on either side of the barrel, just behind the muzzle.
The revolver is absolutely pristine on the inside, and its bore and chambers are flawless: like new. You can see that almost all the color hardening remains on the hammer and trigger. The locking cam on the yoke is darkened somewhat from the "freshening" but it still retains colors and was not polished.
I don't know anything of the history and hope somehow to find more on it myself. I just recently bought the gun from a dealer in Louisiana. He didn't seem to have any background on it either. I do intend to request a factory letter. I've not done that and would appreciate any pointers on how it's done and how to get the most information. My last factory letter was from Purdey's about a .303 double rifle.
1897 Purdey .303 British
(Ha ha! I ended up with a double rifle after all!)
Please keep the comments and information coming.