Good morning all. Another of so many questions I'm going to post... How does having the factory nickel plate an older revolver effect the value or collectability?

If you are referring to the factory refinishing a blued gun with nickel I'm not sure there is a valid answer with all the other variables. I have one gun in my collection that was shipped blue and a number of years later the factory refinished it in nickel. What I can tell you about that one is that it is one of the most valuable (in my opinion) guns that I own...simply because what it is (a Red Mag) ans who owned it. Good luck with your quest.

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Randy
Provenance nerd

You will get many different answers to this question. Things to consider are, a factory refinish would be preferred to an aftermarket refinish. If your handgun is in bad finish condition or just mildly worn condition? Model and age of your handgun would affect value - such as a model 10 or model 29? Do you realize you could end up with an investment twice the value of the handgun? Is the gun a keepsake or just another model of which many were produced? Lots to consider here or just sell what you have and buy what you want.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

If I pull the trigger on this it may be my worst purchase! LOL

Not so sure the OP is referring to refinish, but could be referring to a factory nickel gun and collectability or value?? The answer runs the gambit, with some collectors loving nickel and others will not buy a nickel gun. A vintage high condition nickel gun is harder to find than a high condition blue in my opinion. While nickel protects from rust and stands up to more abuse, the finish is somewhat delicate with regards to peeling and flaking.

An interesting fact is that nickel guns are graded differently than blued guns in some grading systems. SCSW4 shows this well. It means that nickel guns need a higher percent finish than blue to enter a condition category. An example is the Fine rating. Looking at vintage guns, a pre-1920 gun has to have 70% original finish and a nickel gun needs to be 80% to enter the Fine category. Lower condition ratings do not differentiate between the two finishes.

All this probably means that nickel guns with the same percentage of finish as blued guns are valued slightly lower, but other factors like rarity, numbers of a specific model made, and just plain personal opinion all make a difference.

If you are looking at a refinished gun, SCSW4 states that a factory refinish can rate no higher than Very Good, so values are reduced from original factory finish. Factory refinish needs to be 98% to be rated Very Good, while vintage original finish guns only need to be 60% to qualify as VG.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Is this a gun you are considering purchasing? If so, is it a normal routinely produces item, or is it a scarce/rare item? In general a refinish on a "collectable" firearm may reduce the value by half. If it was done by S&W maybe only 20-25%. If it is a scarce/rare item, the numbers could be all over the map.

Only you can determine if the value "to you" is worth the price of the gun.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

You posted "an older revolver", how old is the gun? Recognize that the factory will no longer work on or refinish anything older than 1957.

Depends very much on what model your considering having refinished.

Basically the rarer and/or more desirable the gun is, the greater the hit on value! Originality is everything for that class of gun.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Old time collector here said "100% factory refinish is Zero original finish." Kept me from buying the nicest looking .44 Russian I ever saw.

I think a documented factory "change of finish" would be worth having.
But will they still do it?

dont think factory is nickel plating anymore

The gun in question is a pre 29 5 screw. I made the decision to walk away.

A very knowledgable friend of mine told me a while ago "most" guns refinished by anyone including the factory loose substantial value. I have to stick with my blue magnums.

He also told me and i quote, "Don't buy a gun for a collection you will have to replace or upgrade"..

I think he's a wise man.

THAT IS NOT OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Easy big guy.. LOL It's as old as I'm buying! ;-)

Who owned it?

It's old enough that the factory will not work on it.

For original factory finish, as others have said, it depends on the model. The best way to determine if a factory nickel finish adds a "premium" to a S&W revolver is to consult the SCSW 4th edition. for each model there is a listing of "pricing variations" or "variations". Here are two examples quaoted directly:

Model 10
-"Nickel worth premium"
-"2" barrel 20% premium"

Model 15
-"20% premium for factory nickel finish"
-"20% premium for 2" barrel"