Does re-bluing de-value a 1950's gun?

[Hawg Rider]

Shoot it and admire it

A couple of years ago I purchased this beautiful nickel 6" bbl. 29-2 (ca. 1980) at a local gun show for what I thought was a very fair price. After I got home, I was disappointed to find out (after removing the stocks) that the revolver had been re-nickeled by S&W (frame stamped "R N 1/89"). However, it was an excellent factory re-nickel job, so I don't think it affects the value very much. In your case however, a non-factory re-blue of your much rarer '57 (4-screw ?) .44 Magnum may significantly affect its value. I would leave it alone, shoot it, and admire it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[first-model]

I'll join in with the chorus of "don't refinish it."

A gun will only ever have its original finish once. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

There's an attitude among some that "it's your gun and you should do with it as you please." That's true in the legal sense of the word ... but having a gun refinished also means that you deny everyone else down the line the pleasure of enjoying that gun with its original finish.

About a month ago the owner of a local gun shop (with whom I am good friends) showed me a mint nickel Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket. It took me about 10 seconds to ascertain that the gun had been refinished. Ford's had done the replating job and they did a excellent job of it, but I've handled enough guns to know when I'm looking at a forgery.

Mike

 

[ultra45]

Thanks for your responses. I was quite sure that it would decrease the value by about 1/3, but I wasn't sure if there might also be a market for people who see a Concours restoration as a plus, much like they do with Corvettes and other classic cars.

Thanks for all of your input. I have learned to NEVER re-blue!

In the condition it's in now, I wouldn't touch it. However, if I had to have it done, I'd send it right back to the factory for the restoration, and document the work.

I sent my father in laws off duty, '65 Chief, back to S&W for a re-blue. It was a mess, came back, as it was in 1965. Nice work.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Don't even bother contacting the factory. They won't work on it because it is "obsolete."

 

[Modified]

What do you mean replace it???

Have you got no heart?

Just have both. Show them to your friends and say:

This is what they look like when they left the factory. And this! Is what they look like if you actually enjoy them.

This is really the correct answer.

If you want one that is shiny and nice to look at, just take the money you would put into a really good reblue, plus some more, buy a high condition example to look at next to this "shooter". You will come out ahead in the end financially and be more pleased with not only owning two great guns, but also in that you will have you high condition gun to look at.

The other thing I want to just reinforce is that if you send the gun off to get reblued, and whoever does the job slips up with the buffing wheel, the gun will be permanently screwed up as surely as if it had been deeply pitted by rust. Outside of some very expensive places you aren't guaranteed to get a good finish back, and even then no one actually reproduces the factory finish.

If you send it off for a $400-$500 reblue, you are probably going to get back a gun that now has new issues, not with the blue on it, but with the buffing. There are many here who say they were happy with their refinish, there is an equal amount who are very unhappy with their refinish.

 

[delcrossv]

Well used, well cared for, well loved. Just leave yours as is.

 

[2152hq]

If it was really abused and beat up,,a 'project gun' as I call them where you can't hurt them because there's no original finish left or they've already been reblued,,,then I say go for it.
Those are the types of guns I use for my projects.

But it's hard to improve upon a 90% original factory finish. I don't care who's doing the work.

If it really bothers you, save the refinishing cost as it'll be money just thrown away. You'll have a re-blued gun and everyone will point that out to you as soon as they look at it.
If you go to sell it after a refinish, your ad will state 'reblued' and instantly the price will have to reflect that at a well reduced amt.

Take that $$, sell the 90%'r and buy a better condition gun.
Yes it'll cost more, but that's the game.
If you want better condition, pay for better condition.
Then don't handle it or shoot it cause you'll end up with what you sold off to get it.

There aren't many if any real revolver (DA) restoration folks around anymore. At least not that advertise and do the work full time.
The DA revolver frame and bbl assembly is just too complicated a piece of architecture to polish correctly and make any money at.
Correctly polished in restoration means factory look, not custom look. Those are two different ways of doing polishing in the firearms world.

Turnbull won't touch them, he never did even back in the late 80's and early 90's when I did work for him and later worked in his shop.
They took too long to do and even then didn't have that factory look.
S/A revolvers are a different animal. About 4 hrs gets one done, sometimes less depending on how bad it is too start.
That's using a belt grinder mostly, something you can't do on a DA frame and bbl. Features are too complex.
Easy way out of that is too simply refuse to take them in.

Slab sided Semiauto pistols are a couple hr job in most cases with the right belts at your disposal.

Dave Chicoine was one of the few who could repolish a S&W DA to factory look at one time. There were others but most were part time 'smiths that did it for the love of the trade and the classic guns.
Not for the money so much as their prices were usually quite fair when compared to big name Restoration shops. They usually got back logged quickly and stopped taking in work after a time.

There's so much more to it that just a shiny polish and re-blue.

 

[Waveski]

A re-blue is not undetectable.

So true. In fact , it all too often jumps out at you.

 

[dsf]

Hi,
I am looking at a 1957 pre-Model 29.
It is about 90%, with a healthy turn ring and average handling marks for a gun that has been used a fair amount.
Still a very pretty gun, just looks used - definitely not abused. The grips are proper and in very fine shape.

So ... I know of a shop that does the best bluing in the country (albeit a 6 month waiting list).

If I were to have it blued, would it make the price go up or down? Let's say the gun cost $2,000 and the bluing is $500. Would I end up with a gun that is worth less than the $2,000 I paid for it?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

A refinished Model 29 is to a 90% original finish 29 as Howard Johnson clam strips are to whole belly fried clams at Park Lunch.