Refinish

[DARE]

Trying to learn how to spot a refinish. Here are some pics of my .44 HE 2nd model from 1926. Have been told that this gun is definitely refinished.
1. Side plate fit. Not very good on this gun and am told that no original finish gun has a side plate that fits like this one.
2. Pins polished flat. One I was told to check is the one under the left grip. This one does not look flat to me. Does not protrude as much as my .357 Magnum from 1935. The two pins forward of that, over the trigger do look flat. My .357 Magnum I only see one pin there and it is flat. Is the most forward pin on the .44 not there on the .357? No other pins on the gun look flat.
3. Fit between the yoke and the frame. That looks okay to me but I see a little blue difference. The blue is a little darker on the yoke than on the right side of the frame. Is the difference in blue a refinish indication?
Hope my photography is good enough to illustrate the problems.

If you can see other signs of a refinish in the photos would like to hear about those. If you need photos of other areas of the gun please ask.

 

[Ameshawki]

Side plate fit is off. All the sharp edges are rounded off. Trademark stamp shows rounded lines. I vote refinish, tho not a bad one. Certainly not the worst I've seen.

 

[Frieda's Boss]

To my very novice eye, the lack of sharp edges on the logo and "made in USA" stamps tell me it is a refinish, in addition to the things mentioned in the OP.

 

[Fullmetaljacket]

Looks like some faint pitting between the "M" in Made in USA and the sideplate, a little bumpy under the blue. The side plate almost looks like it was replaced as it is a little undersized, the seam is too large but it is uniform. Honestly an old refinish like this with some honest wear on top of it bothers me much less than mirror buffed obvious re-blue. Yeah, I'm re-blued, so what, let's go shooting. I mean, you know, if guns could speak.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

David, would you post a picture of the left side of the grip frame with the stocks off? The side plate seam is a little wider than optimal but could be that way from repeated removal and reinstallation. I don't see any dishing of the screw holes or polishing down of the pins. Some of the stamps are a little soft but this is a 100 year old gun, after all. Hard to say...

 

[gmborkovic]

David, from pics, tough call to be absolute. The end of the hammer stud still looks domed, not flat. Still a nice looking old shooter.

 

[DARE]

Thanks, Guy. Here is the pic.

Fullmetaljacket, sideplate not replaced. Same assembly number as the other parts.

 

[Truckman]

To my untrained eye the S&W logo looks a tad soft...But I'm far from anyone's expert......Ben

 

[Walter Rego]

Poor sideplate edge fit. Also the edges of the cylinder flutes look a bit soft and the hammer looks blued rather than the original color case hardened finish. Not sure about the trigger.

 

[Mbrgr1]

It sure looks....

like it has been worked on, also the trigger guard looks like it was smashed in a bit, the oval is off somehow, if the mechanics are good, should be a fun shooter!

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Well, there's nothing under the left grip panel that might help. What I see is a decent condition shooter that shows its character. Whether or not it has been refinished won't affect its value, IMO.

 

[glowe]

Absolutely no doubt that it was refinished for all the reasons noted above. For me, looking at the closeup of the "MADE" shows the effects of a buffing wheel. Faded edges are not what the factory did, and dished sideplate edges were NEVER done at the factory.

Here is a known factory original and an image of your revolver. Best thing to do is always compare to other examples. Look for high condition guns on auction sites like Rock Island or Amoskeag for those examples.

 

[DARE]

Not worried about value, just trying to learn. The gun was a project in my dad's desk. Found the frame with a few parts installed and later found a zip-lock bag with most of the other parts. Had to buy a few. The trigger guard was bent to the point that the trigger would not function.
I sent the pieces of the gun to Mbrgr1 in Oklahoma. He kindly assembled and repaired it. He got the trigger guard so that the trigger could be pulled, but it is still a little out of shape.
Because the gun belonged to my dad and has law enforcement provenance it will not be sold as long as I am above ground.
Shipped in June of 1926 to Frank Gamblin, Deputy Sheriff in Potter County, Texas.

 

[DARE]

Thanks, Gary. That comparison makes it pretty clear.

 

[Mbrgr1]

The trigger guard was bent to the point that the trigger would not function.
I sent the pieces of the gun to Mbrgr1 in Oklahoma. He kindly assembled and repaired it. He got the trigger guard so that the trigger could be pulled, but it is still a little out of shape.
Because the gun belonged to my dad and has law enforcement provenance it will not be sold as long as I am above ground.
Shipped in June of 1926 to Frank Gamblin, Deputy Sheriff in Potter County, Texas.

Now that! is funny! I didn't even recognize my own work.


I wish I could have pulled that trigger guard out a little more, but we got it working anyway, that metal is stout and any more push/pulling may have ended not so well.

 

[DARE]

Mark,
You might remember it better with these grips. I acquired the correct grips after you worked on it.

 

[Mbrgr1]

Mark,
You might remember it better with these grips. I acquired the correct grips after you worked on it.

There she is! That was a fun project.

 

[AC Man]

Trying to learn how to spot a refinish. Here are some pics of my .44 HE 2nd model from 1926. Have been told that this gun is definitely refinished.
1. Side plate fit. Not very good on this gun and am told that no original finish gun has a side plate that fits like this one.
2. Pins polished flat. One I was told to check is the one under the left grip. This one does not look flat to me. Does not protrude as much as my .357 Magnum from 1935. The two pins forward of that, over the trigger do look flat. My .357 Magnum I only see one pin there and it is flat. Is the most forward pin on the .44 not there on the .357? No other pins on the gun look flat.
3. Fit between the yoke and the frame. That looks okay to me but I see a little blue difference. The blue is a little darker on the yoke than on the right side of the frame. Is the difference in blue a refinish indication?
Hope my photography is good enough to illustrate the problems.

If you can see other signs of a refinish in the photos would like to hear about those. If you need photos of other areas of the gun please ask.

I have a couple 1926 pre model 10 that look like the day they were manufactured. All original. If this firearm is refinished, why does it look really worn???

 

[Muley Gil]

I have a couple 1926 pre model 10 that look like the day they were manufactured. All original. If this firearm is refinished, why does it look really worn???

It was probably refinished a long time ago and then carried a lot afterwards.

 

[TheTinMan]

Absolutely no doubt that it was refinished for all the reasons noted above. For me, looking at the closeup of the "MADE" shows the effects of a buffing wheel. Faded edges are not what the factory did, and dished sideplate edges were NEVER done at the factory.

Here is a known factory original and an image of your revolver. Best thing to do is always compare to other examples. Look for high condition guns on auction sites like Rock Island or Amoskeag for those examples.

A word of warning: even the best auctioneers make mistakes. Based on visual analysis here recently, Amoskeag had a refinished Model 1917 with no mention of that in the description. I like Amoskeag and bought more than 1 firearm at their most recent auction, but they do miss things sometimes.