Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing

[Bat Guano]

I have a weakness for quality guns that have had a hard life and deserved better. Sort of like bedraggled puppies...I know they have a lot left to give with some TLC.

I've brought a few back from the brink and personally I'm very fond of them. The most recent was a somewhat scruffy 19-3. I let S&W attend to the mechanicals; it shot so well that I sent it off to Ford's. It took a while, but it looks just as good as those above.

I think God smiles when we "create" something beautiful. I know I like looking at it...

 

[Igiveup]

I, too, just bought a "scruffy" 19-3 last weekend. It has a 6 inch barrel. I shot it yesterday for 12 rounds (was in a hurry) and it printed about two inches at 25 yds. from rest. It shot high, left with 158gr. loads. I will try tomorrow to adjust sights and see if I can't get it centered. If I'm successful I wouldn't mind sending it to Smith for an overhaul mechanically. What is a ballpark fee for something like this?

 

[Bat Guano]

Mine had some endshake, a little bit of rotational play in the cylinder. Nothing too serious. I just thought it was worth having it looked over by the pros who might be able to address that plus any other issues they might find...I know my way around the innards of S&Ws but also have a keen sense of my limitations.

What I did not expect was that they would also address the moderate erosion in the forcing cone. Apparently replacement barrels for the M19 and 66s are no longer available; so I didn't even think to ask. Well, they turned the barrel back two full turns and recut the forcing cone to spec, giving me the equivalent of a NEW barrel. My cost was about $110 or so, which I thought was a darn good deal.

After that I HAD to go all the way and ship it off to Ford's. As of now I have about $600 into the gun and would do it again.

 

[jrandyh]

I try to buy the nicest guns I can. I took care of even my LE gun with 50K through it. Still looks good. Would never refinish it unless it just got ruined. I don't believe it hurts a shooter quality gun like a 19 etc to reblued. In fact you could make a few. I know I would pay more for it. I see all of these pre 27's that look like new. You can't tell me that most of them aren't refinished. I just bought my first 26-2 3.5 and it's like new from 72. It's original and prefer it that way. I am getting a pre 36 today that might be a little rough I would consider refinishing. Is Fords that much better than S&W. Hard to tell much from pics. I have a classic 29 4 inch that had some issues. Smith looked like they dropped it in the floor. I sent it back and with the repolish and reblue one of the nicest blued guns I have and I have a few. So what makes Fords better?
JR

 

[Waveform]

I don't think of Ford's as automatically being better than S&W but I do agree the Ford's Master Blue is different than the factory bluing I've seen. I've never had the factory refinish a gun so I can't speak from personal experience or ever held an example of each at the same time for comparison. Certainly the factory can turn out some beautiful work as well. In my case it wasn't a decision to choose Ford's over S&W for refinishing because it's hands down better. Rather I simply love their work, their prices are very reasonable, they're within driving distance so I don't have to pay high shipping to send off a gun and I can handle the turn around time. As a bonus they're very nice folks and have an interesting shop filled with all kinds of wonderful things (if you're a gun nut.)

As an aside, the last time I had two guns in getting refinished and I asked Larna if they would hold the first until the second was done and I would come pick up both. No problem. My schedule got busy and when the second was finished I couldn't break free on a week day to drive there and back (3.5 hours each way) so Larna offered to meet me there on a Saturday morning when they're normally closed to let me pick up the guns. We took our time looking everything over, chatted and I even got a tour of the place and was shown where all the steps were done and got to see all the different parts that were in various stages of work. Very cool.

Some things I didn't know - they do the nickel plating for the Cimmaron SA revolvers. They also do the the plating for Magnum Research's Desert Eagle pistols. So it's not just RE-finishing going on but also some original "factory" finishing too.

 

[sw282]

Rumor is they also do work for the US NAVY at the Sub Base too..

 

[Laketime]

I don't think of Ford's as automatically being better than S&W but I do agree the Ford's Master Blue is different than the factory bluing I've seen. I've never had the factory refinish a gun so I can't speak from personal experience or ever held an example of each at the same time for comparison. Certainly the factory can turn out some beautiful work as well. In my case it wasn't a decision to choose Ford's over S&W for refinishing because it's hands down better. Rather I simply love their work, their prices are very reasonable, they're within driving distance so I don't have to pay high shipping to send off a gun and I can handle the turn around time. As a bonus they're very nice folks and have an interesting shop filled with all kinds of wonderful things (if you're a gun nut.)

As an aside, the last time I had two guns in getting refinished and I asked Larna if they would hold the first until the second was done and I would come pick up both. No problem. My schedule got busy and when the second was finished I couldn't break free on a week day to drive there and back (3.5 hours each way) so Larna offered to meet me there on a Saturday morning when they're normally closed to let me pick up the guns. We took our time looking everything over, chatted and I even got a tour of the place and was shown where all the steps were done and got to see all the different parts that were in various stages of work. Very cool.

Some things I didn't know - they do the nickel plating for the Cimmaron SA revolvers. They also do the the plating for Magnum Research's Desert Eagle pistols. So it's not just RE-finishing going on but also some original "factory" finishing too.

Part of adding to their wait time is their contract with Magnum Research to do all the Desert Eagle finishes except the gold tiger stripe/nitrate gold.My nickel Eagle is by far better than any Smith or colt that I have owned or seen.

 

[zainyD]

I just picked up my Colt Police Positive Special from them this week. I am very pleased with the work they did on it. The turn around was exactly four (4) months to the day. Very good folks to deal with and they will definitely get my business again if I need something refinished.

 

[Kinman]

I appreciate your pictures, especially the before and after shots. I have a hard time rebluing a piece that just has honest wear but when it comes to something rode hard and put away wet with less than 50% of the bluing left on it...I can see a good reason. I have a nickle plated 32-20 that has some pitting at least as bad as the .22, I was considering sending it off to be reblued, the Pinto thing kinda got my interest. Its collectibility factor is very low so I feel I am harming nothing in any historical sense.
One of the things I learned while restoring a couple of old trucks is that there are some amazing things being done by machinists that really have their act together and are up on the latest welding techniques. One of the things I was shown by a local guy was "spray" welding, he could actually build up a severely worn original piece and then turn it down to its original specs. I wondered if this technique could be applied to some heavily pitted handguns, granted you would loose all of the original roll marking and stampings but from what I understand many of those can be redone. Its possible that is the kind of techniques a place like Turnbull uses to bring stuff back from the very dead. It is a very expensive treatment but in many respects well worth the money. It is used on very rare automotive pieces much the way folks have been restoring old brake wheel and master cylinders by removing all of the pitting and then hard chroming to bring it back to proper specs, once that process is done you are not going to have to fool with them again, ever. Show us more before and after shots...