At what point does scarcity override condition ?

[DWalt]

As another example of scarcity trumping condition, last week I was watching an older episode of Pawn Stars on the History Channel. A man had brought into the shop a Colt Patterson revolver which looked like a basket case. If it is possible for a gun to have less than zero cosmetic condition, this one would qualify. It also had indications of some later parts replacement. As usual, Rick called in his "Expert" gun buddy for an assessment. The expert felt it would easily bring $22,000.

 

[bruce5781]

Hi
I have the twin to your gun. Mine was shipped to a foreman at the factory.
A little more blue but the same sights.Grips are numbered to the gun.
The 4 inch guns with target sights are not seen very offten.
The serial number on mine is 113217.
Jim Fisher

That's a nice one , Jim.
This is my first with less than a 6" barrel.

Bruce

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[bruce5781]

An example of scarcity over condition, a 1916 .44 HE 1st Model, original finish, matching numbers, unbuggered screws.
TL's are not especially scarce but, except for the easily replaced 1920's era stocks, the originality makes it scarce in my estimation.
Note the excellent internal condition after a _little_ cleanup.

I would have jumped on that one. I have yet to remove my sideplate but I should soon. The timing and lock-up is great, but it does seem a little sluggish.

Bruce

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[The Gila Bender]

Bruce5781, the action of the gun was super sluggish and it was easy to tell that it was caked with decades of gooey grime.
I couldn't see the numbers on the yoke until it was dismantled and cleaned:


This pivot pin was loose, too. Easily tightened.


This TL is going to be a shooter, so it is getting all the attention it needs.

 

[bruce5781]

As another example of scarcity trumping condition, last week I was watching an older episode of Pawn Stars on the History Channel. A man had brought into the shop a Colt Patterson revolver which looked like a basket case. If it is possible for a gun to have less than zero cosmetic condition, this one would qualify. It also had indications of some later parts replacement. As usual, Rick called in his "Expert" gun buddy for an assessment. The expert felt it would easily bring $22,000.

The lack of finish on this one confounds me. What appears to be a minimum of finish in the photos is patina. It does not appear to have been buffed or scrubbed, so I would expect to find remnants of blue in the protected areas. But aside from the screwheads looking like they may have been blued and the tiniest bit on the thumblatch, there is no blue. When I cock the hammer and look down into the frame - you guessed it, no blue. Is it possible to dip a gun in some solution and remove the blue ?

Thanks,
Bruce

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[RKmesa]

Bruce:

Great photos of a great gun. For under $500, I would have scooped up that beauty in a heartbeat!

Thanks for sharing,

 

[bruce5781]

Bruce:

Great photos of a great gun. For under $500, I would have scooped up that beauty in a heartbeat!

Thanks for sharing,

Thank you, the 6" you posted left me speachless. What a great package.


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[mikepriwer]

Bruce

Blood will remove the bluing. Typically one would not dip a gun in blood, but sometimes it happens when hunting, or an accident, or some kind of shoot-out. I think, but am not sure, that grapefruit juice will remove the bluing.

Regards, Mike

 

[RKmesa]

Vinegar will remove the bluing - that is what my engraver friend uses to strip blued guns before they are engraved... They look just like your gun once they are stripped. Since there is no original finish on that beauty, it is now a perfect candidate for an Oscar Young pattern engraving project. If it were mine, it would be on the way over to Phil Quigley as we speak with photos of Oscar's work as an example of the engraving pattern I would like cut.

From the RIA Auction: Cased Documented Special Order Factory Engraved By Oscar Young Gold Smith & Wesson New Model 3 Single Action Target Revolver with Factory Letter

...

 

[bruce5781]

Hmmmmm....food for thought.

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[DWalt]

Most anything acidic will damage or remove bluing. As bluing is essentially a form of rust, anything which attacks rust (Iron Oxide) will damage it. Naval Jelly certainly will, and NJ is a sort of thickened Phosphoric Acid. I have used weak hydrochloric acid to remove bluing. Blood will definitely damage bluing. A long time ago I had a cop friend who used his revolver to bludgeon a BGs head, and got blood all over it. He had to send it back to S&W for a re-blue job. I also saw a Colt OP revolver used in a suicide that had lots of speckled bluing damage from the blood. I could have bought it very cheaply from the owner, but it creeped me out, and I passed.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Most anything acidic will damage or remove bluing. As bluing is essentially a form of rust, anything which attacks rust (Iron Oxide) will damage it. Naval Jelly certainly will, and NJ is a sort of thickened Phosphoric Acid. I have used weak hydrochloric acid to remove bluing. Blood will definitely damage bluing. A long time ago I had a cop friend who used his revolver to bludgeon a BGs head, and got blood all over it. He had to send it back to S&W for a re-blue job. I also saw a Colt OP revolver used in a suicide that had lots of speckled bluing damage from the blood. I could have bought it very cheaply from the owner, but it creeped me out, and I passed.

".....from the owner...."

Wow...... always knew you had connections ..........but that's one big step beyond!!!!

 

[DWalt]

He was a later owner, and a next-door neighbor, not the decedent. One of his relatives used it to escape the human condition. I have run across several known suicide guns, have always passed them by.

 

[Muley Gil]

A friend of mine had a new blue M29 in 1978. His girlfriend got Coca-Cola on it. Took the blue right off.

I bought a M27 that was used in a suicide. Converted it to .44 Special. It's never bothered me a bit.

 

[les.b]

Bruce,

you made an excellent decision. That is a splendid buy, and I always like to get a combination of an unusual gun with not feeling bad about shooting it. Yours is perfect for that. You can shoot it without worrying about its pristine finish, and do what it was intended to do: shoot. Of course if it were mine, I would take into account its vintage, and craft some handloads that mimic what it was designed to shoot.

That's why I haven't shot my 1877 Colt "Lighting" yet, even though I have a couple of boxes of empty .38 colt cartrige cases... I just haven't taken the time to work up a period load for it yet. One of these days, though.

Congratulations on a cool gun at a decent price!!!

Best Regards, Les

 

[bruce5781]

Bruce,

you made an excellent decision. That is a splendid buy, and I always like to get a combination of an unusual gun with not feeling bad about shooting it. Yours is perfect for that. You can shoot it without worrying about its pristine finish, and do what it was intended to do: shoot. Of course if it were mine, I would take into account its vintage, and craft some handloads that mimic what it was designed to shoot.

That's why I haven't shot my 1877 Colt "Lighting" yet, even though I have a couple of boxes of empty .38 colt cartrige cases... I just haven't taken the time to work up a period load for it yet. One of these days, though.

Congratulations on a cool gun at a decent price!!!

Best Regards, Les

Thanks Les,
It does suit my fancy, I must say. My first Target is so nice that I seldom shoot it, but the others I shoot as often as I can. I guess I enjoy the ones that I get to shoot more than the pristine example.
I don't have a Lightening, but I do have a Thunderer storekeeper that I shoot on occasion. It has about as much blue as this one, but no pits and is mechanicaly excellent.

Thanks,
Bruce

 

[les.b]

Bruce:

Glad to hear from someone who has actually shot one. I have read that they are delicate, an using one risks breaking the "delicate" mechanism. That's something else that has stopped me. Knowing that you have shot yours gives me a desire to get it out of the safe, and maybe finally work up a load for it. I'll let you know how I make out.

It was just sort of an impulse buy, guy brought it in to the barber shop and needed some money, and I had some money, and after having the slick little six shooter in my hand, and looking at the condition, and never having seen one in the flesh before, well, it followed me home.


Best Regards, Les

 

[les.b]

".....from the owner...."

Wow...... always knew you had connections ..........but that's one big step beyond!!!!

BAM-BAM:

Ha!!! I think he meant the person who inherited it. That's pretty good.

Best Regards, Les

 

[bruce5781]

Finally broke down and got a letter on this little jewel.

Regards,
Bruce

 

[paplinker]

Finally broke down and got a letter on this little jewel.

Regards,
Bruce

Maybe it shipped to West Virginia