He wrote that good, old fashioned natural wear isn't the problem that amateur gunsmithing, polishing and rebluing can be. His caliber conversions include a polish and refinish that is probably the equal of any blue finish leaving any gun maker today. Just because a person charged money to "refinish" or "modify" a gun in the past doesn't mean the work was done properly.

If you were going to spend money on building a custom car, you wouldn't want to start with a rusted, bondo-ed, Earl Scheib-painted car if you planned to use the existing body panels. You would probably spend the extra for a solid, original body car with as little rust and repairs as possible, knowing your final results will be superior. I believe that is what Bowen refers to.

If you plan on replacing a barrel, it probably wouldn't matter that the original barrel is already cut and a funky sight has been installed. It is the condition of the parts that you want to use that matters.

Bowen is duely proud of his reputation, which has been established by the quality of his work. A workman tries to obtain the best raw materials he can when he seeks to do his best work. A nice gun makes a nicer finished product and is usually less expensive than by starting with a lesser gun that needs a lot of draw filing, polishing and welding and cutting to get it back to "nice" condition even before the conversion work begins.

I can't speak for him, just relate what he communicated to me. I am sure that he makes his decisions on a gun-by-gun basis. Your 5 incher in this thread is a very, very nice sixgun, not what we often see when "old, reblued" guns are discussed. It was obviously redone by someone who knew his craft. It is a much higher level of quality than the average, say, police department contract armorer could/would turn out. A gun like yours would likely convert nicely, in my mind, and need a darn sight less work than a beater would to make it the eye candy that Bowen turns out.

I was a bit hesitant to use a really nice .38-44 as a base gun, too. It all depends on how badly you want what Bowen can turn out. There were only a dozen Heavy Duty S&W's made in .45 Colt at the factory. I will never ever see one, let alone get an opportunity to buy one. So, I had one made. I am happy with the choice I made.

I doubt I would go the same route to obtain what is essentially a 1926/3rd Model in .44 Special, though. S&W made, reatively, quite a few of those, and for the $2,000-plus I have tied up in my Bowen .45 Colt, I could probably some day purchase a fairly nice ORIGINAL .44 Special.

Others have differing opinions. None are more valid than another's. It is your gun, your money, your hobby, your desires. Do whatever will make you the happiest.