36 Pinto - Painted?

[quinn]

I almost hate to admit I bought this 36 no dash...on the internet, of course. SN: J5959xx. In the pictures, it sure looked like a Pinto. What I think it might be is a nickel gun (no signs that it was refinished) that has had portions painted with a blue translucent paint. The cylinder and barrel are nickel. The frame is mostly blue with a nickel finish top strap and lower trigger guard. The flutes on the cylinder are blue as is the goove in the topstrap. The inside of the trigger guard is blue.

I am planning on taking this to the next gun show (also, my local pawn shop has generously offered to buy it) and take my lumps. Can anybody tell me anything about this gem that would cause me to rethink that this is an autobody shop customized pinto? Thanks in advance. Please hold your laughter until I've left the room.

 

[IraIII]

I am pretty sure that I had that on my watch list on one of the auction sites. The seller stated that he "called S&W and they verified a manufacture date around 1977 and to my surprise said that it showed as two-tone!" The pictures were not great, but it had my interest also.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Looks like a perfectly good (is it?) SB Chief with a tastefully shortened hammer spur. All you've lost is a little money, if you paid more than it is worth. Why unload it, if you wanted a Chief? You might consider some factory grips and a Tyler or BK, unless you like the Pachmayrs. You may have lost money buying it - you will surely lose money selling it, won't you?

Please ignore this post if you have a collector's viewpoint and have (rightly) determined that my post demonstrates complete ignorance of your outlook.

 

[phubai8]

Could be worse. At least it should make a good shooter, unless I'm missing something in the photos. Unless you are a serious collector, clean it and shoot it.

 

[Maximumbob54]

From the pictures, it looks like someone polished off the bluing and then polished the steel. Wouldn't a nickel frame have the big N stamp on the side of the grip frame? Is that even the right thumb latch for that era? It makes me think someone did some polishing and then added a nickel plated thumb latch from a later era. I'm talking like I know these things... It's just guesses from having looked at a whole bunch of pics here...

 

[quinn]

Both Iraiii and Model520fan provide meaningful comments. Yes, Ira, I think this is the gun on your GB watch list. I'm suspecting that when the seller told the factory about it's color scheme, they said that that was called "two tone". I suspect no one looked up the history for him.
And, M520fan, you have a very valid point. I did not own a 36 before... I've been more of a 40, 340, 640 person. But, the 36 is a really neat, tight little gun. I might be more interested in finding an unbobbed hammer for it. The grips are OK but I do have a set of J frame SB magnas in my junk drawer that don't currently belong to any gun. We'll just see.
Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[quinn]

MaxBob: The blue is almost irridescent or translucent--like metalflake paint without the flakes. Looking at the cylinder and top strap, I'm pretty sure it is nickel. I don't know how to tell for sure.

 

[iam4uk24]

If I may set this straight. This gun stared life as an all blue gun and the parts you think is "nickel" are in the white (or with no finish). If you will look closely you can see reminisce of blue on the barrel close to the frame where they could not get the wheel to buff it off, also in the knurled part of the ejector rod. The cylinder still has bluing in the flutes and the catches. The latch is correct for the era gun as well.

Not trying to run the gun down but just stating what I see to be the case. I think the two-tone story was a stretch if that is the same gun IraIII seen.