Factory Re-Blue

[mrpendleton]

Should I have my model 19 re-blued? It's not in terrible shape, but there is nothing better than a nicely blued revolver. Does S & W do a good job refinishing guns? Do they look like they did in the 70's? I would appreciate your input.

 

[murphydog]

There are two schools of thought on this - refinishing makes it look new but the gun then has 0% original finish. The factory does a nice job but it will look different from the original, darker and often not quite as shiny. Personally, short of major metal damage (pitting) or absence of any original finish I tend to leave honestly worn guns alone. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Laketime]

If you want perfection use Ford's.They polish like Smith use to in the very old days.As far as refinishing goes, I personally would pay more for a beautiful dazzleing highly finished blue gun that has been re blued then an original finish that is blah to look at.I also prefer a custom Candy Apple paint job over the factory paint on classic cars.

 

[s3dcor]

S&W will do a beautiful job on your 19. I had a M34 done last year that had been carried in someone's tackle box for a few years. It was rusted and pitted but mechanically good. It took Smith 7 full months to return it. It cost $200 to have it reblued and returned. It had to be shipped overnight and that cost $85. It has a deep blue and looks probably better than when it was factory new. I now have $500 in it and while it is very nice I likely could have purchased another one for about the same money.

 

[Doc44]

S&W does a great job of refinishing their firearms. However, the company switched to a liquid blue process in 1980 in place of the carbona blue process. The liquid blue produces a slightly different color than the old process, but it is still very nice.

I had a 44 Magnum from 1957 refinished in blue in 2003 and am very satisfied with the result.

Bill

 

[326MOD10]

I have had 2 revolvers redone by Smith and Wesson when I had Combat Action packages done on them. The finish for those is different so I cannot speak to the new bluing process.

I can tell you that the last one I had done, about 2 months ago, got back to me in about 2 months. It appears they have caught up on their work and returning work quicker than the previous time. I can also tell you I am very happy with the work done.

On the last one I called Smith and Wesson, told them what I wanted, and asked for a shipping label. That was after learning the cost of shipping the handgun at my rate instead of the corporate rate. S&W was very happy to do this and in the long run saved me some money.

Good luck whichever way you go.

 

[Golphin]

This place here in Central Florida is suppose to be as good as they get. I have not used them yet but they have a very good reputation. You may want to check them out as far as price ect. Here is the web site.

http://www.fordsguns.com/

 

[Hapworth]

Good answers in this thread already; I'll add that OP might want to run a search -- this question gets asked almost daily and there's even a current thread on it going in The Lounge. Plenty of good reading on the pros and cons awaits.

 

[mrpendleton]

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[MajorD]

Working guns you actually use are going to get wear so rebluing them makes little sense to me.
A blue worn gun you buy for 300 and then spend 200 to reblue will not be worth 500, only less than your investment. A great condition gun bought for 500 will always be worth that or more with time as long as it does not get worn heavily from carry a use or neglect.
I can not see putting money into a gun you will never get back out of it.
Everyone feels different about this obviously.
I tend to like to buy guns as bargains that are mechanically sound but blue worn. I am going to put wear on it anyway

 

[chief38]

Here are my thoughts:

If the gun were a museum piece, a valuable collectible, a piece of history, a family heirloom, etc you would be better off leaving the gun in its original state. If this is just a run of the mill Smith (as it sounds like it is) and the finish bothers you then go ahead and have it refinished. I truly think most would pay about the same or even more for a quality Factory re-bled gun as they would for a clunker. If it is going to be in your possession for a long time and you don't want to look at an ugly gun, then I see no reason not to get the job done. Most of us don't mind looking at nicks, dents and scratches we've put on our newly purchased guns over the years but some who buy a used gun that is a bit shabby want to start off with a nice clean one and know that the scratches and nicks are their own.

Just make sure you sent it to the S&W Factory or a reputable Company that stands behind their work if you decide to do it.

 

[chief38]

I've had two long guns re-blued by Mid West Gun Works and I have been thoroughly pleased - (and I am one picky gun owner). They did EXCELLENT quality work, had a reasonable 8 week turn around, and the price was fair & reasonable. The best part is they answer their phones, answer your questions, and keep you apprised as to the guns progress.

I can't deal with some of the Prima-Donna Refinishers who don't call you back, make you send in a gun and wait 16 or so months to get it back, charge you an arm and a leg for their work and are downright rude!

I do not know if MGW does Smiths but it might be worth calling them. They are pleasant, knowledgeable and for the two times I've used them I can only highly praise their work.