Target Triple Lock .44

[moosedog]

That is a very cool gun from a historic time and the wear is part of its history. Not much to be gained by another refinish except to make it shiny.
It doesn't matter who does your refinish, it is still going to look like a refinished gun. I vote to leave it as is.

 

[50 target]

I called Turnbull many years ago about a 2nd Model HE Target that needed mechanical work and a refinish. Spoke to their lead guy and explained what I needed. With a heavy dose of contempt/disdain he replied "we don't work on them guns". Alrighty then.

 

[murphydog]

I called Turnbull many years ago about a 2nd Model HE Target that needed mechanical work and a refinish. Spoke to their lead guy and explained what I needed. With a heavy dose of contempt/disdain he replied "we don't work on them guns". Alrighty then.

The explanation I heard was - too many complex curves and surfaces to get right in polishing, and therefore not doable at any reasonable cost. Now if you offered them 3-4 times what they charge for a gun that they will restore, like an SAA or 1911...

 

[Ferret56]

After considering everyone's input I've decided to just have the gun professionally cleaned and have a mechanical restoration performed where needed. I greatly appreciate all of the input from everyone! I also greatly appreciate how amicable everyone has been in thier replies. Thank you all so much! Final question, who would you recommend to have go over the internals of this gun?

 

[mrcvs]

After considering everyone's input I've decided to just have the gun professionally cleaned and have a mechanical restoration performed where needed. I greatly appreciate all of the input from everyone! I also greatly appreciate how amicable everyone has been in thier replies. Thank you all so much! Final question, who would you recommend to have go over the internals of this gun?

I would recommend (drumroll)…YOU!

Why pay someone to do that? Just remove the sideplate and see what you have. It might not be that dirty inside. You can just spray copiously with Kroil and let it drip out and then dab with rags and it then should be no dirtier than had you fired it a few times. You can further disassemble, if desired, but the risk vs reward isn’t worth it.

Paying someone else to clean thoroughly…cost vs reward…isn’t worth it.

 

[The Gila Bender]

After considering everyone's input I've decided to just have the gun professionally cleaned and have a mechanical restoration performed where needed. Final question, who would you recommend to have go over the internals of this gun?

If you have the resources and knowledge to remove the sideplate and inspect/service the internals then go for it. I don't, so I take my old irons and rescues to Nelson Ford, "The Gunsmith" in Phoenix AZ. He de-gunked and serviced my well-worn El Paso TL, pictured here:

 

[lamarw]

Below are pictures of mine (before & after) which is a different situation than yours. Mine is a later serial number and probably of less provenance than yours. It is an original nickel finish and was in rough condition with rust and pitting. I chose to clean it up and save as much of the original finish as possible.

It is your choice, but I would choose to leave it as is. In my eyes, it tells a story that would be lost if refinished.

 

[2152hq]

If this one pic doesn't
show you that the gun had a loosing battle with a buffer at some point in it's life, then I wouldn't know how else to explian it.



Yes it could be brought back to factory condition.
It's one of those that you could measure the difference in some specs betw an orig and this one when you were done.

Turnbull has always been cold toward DA revolver restoration work as it just doesn't generate any profit from their standpoint.
Not when I worked there in the prior century,,not now.
Just always been his 'business model'. I think one of his daughters runs the biz now. FWIW.
SAA's and 1911's are a quick polish project. DA revolvers are not. They are difficult to get correct. As are some other firearms.
I ended up doing a swiss cheesed Mannlicher Schoenauer for a customer after he went to DT and got turned away with the words: We are a Cadillac restoration shop,,we don't work on Chevys.

Oh well everyone has their own way of doing things.

I'd leave the TL as-is for now other than a good cleaning inside and any repair needed to mechanicly put it into shooting shape.
Use it, enjoy it.
You can always decide later if the bug bites you and you want to get it 'restored'.
Most don't always do this stuff for profit cause most times it's a loosing bet anyway.
Kind of like buying a boat.