I hate to see this start happening.

[reddog81]

I guarantee it's not people in their 20's and 30's causing the price of Pythons to jump to $3,000…

Each generation has their way of customizing - Roper stocks, Fitz trigger cut out, trigger shoes, jeweling on the hammer, etc. I'm part of the millennial generation and I think all of those old school modifications are just as ridiculous.

As far as youtube videos review that do not provide any useful information I find that terribly annoying also, and I'm not sure why half the videos out there exist.

 

[Laketime]

Time to rant a little. I am so tired of watching a series of gun videos,only to find some 8 yr olds hand made paper gun mixed in with the real gun videos. Rant over.

 

[raylan007]

vintage S&W's with color filled roll marks

Me too.....I bought an M29 last year with gold colored fill, and I've tried everything I can think of and can't get it to budge.

Perhaps it is a wax base filler and may require being heated up before you go to work, You might also then try using a plastic dental pic. When in doubt there is always acetone although I have never used it on a blued surface but it is my last go to product for removal of practically anything, If not acetone maybe wrap the effected areas with a damp cloth with mineral spirits for a half hour or so. I still think heating with a hair dryer before working might get it done.
I use Renaissance Wax because you get the protectiveness of a wax product without the glitz and it is easy to work with. They recommend there Pre-Lim product to prep the surface which is a tan color, the Reconnaissance wax is white in the tin but goes on clear, I had real issues removing the Pre-Lim's tan color from the barrel roll until I started using a hard bristle toothbrush with some of the Ren Wax applied to it and some elbow grease working the brush in all directions. I have ceased using the Pre-lin and now opt for Frog Lube Degreaser so I can work indoors. The results are just what I desire and there isn't the constant oil residue to leave fingerprints everywhere. It cuts the clean up in half. I am a beliver in Renaissance Wax and your best bet for finding it is , you guessed it AMAZON as it is imported from England. Don't let the $18 for a 3 oz. tin scare you off if you want to try it as it will do many many revolvers. I usually put on a couple of THIN coats using a gun patch to apply the wax and a cotton towel to buff it up. It doesn't get much easier. You can see what Pre-Lim I missed in the top and back strap until I down loaded these photos.

As far as controlling the younger set from ruining all those beloved Smith's with the likes of Mothers it seems you are taking on a rather insurmountable task. Let it be, you will be happier in the end.

 

[Rick_A]

As far as youtube videos review that do not provide any useful information I find that terribly annoying also, and I'm not sure why half the videos out there exist.

On the other side of the coin sometimes is just cool to see the gun in action and not listen to thirty minutes of droning over the obvious or rambling of a repetitive nature.

To each their own. I clean 'em up and throw a set of grips on.

It's pretty popular to polish stainless Ruger revolvers and bubba gunsmith the actions. Perhaps suggest the Rugers to these young lads to spare the Smiths?

 

[MN2944]

Since the S&W 19/66 were as common as Glocks in their time, perhaps we should all be buying up dozens of G19s and putting them away NIB for future collectors to buy.

 

[reddog81]

It's pretty popular to polish stainless Ruger revolvers and bubba gunsmith the actions. Perhaps suggest the Rugers to these young lads to spare the Smiths?

LOL - I bought a new gp100 and polished it up a bit... Also replaced the mainspring and hammerstrut. The trigger is much smoother now and accuracy has improved. Of course the original hammer strut has so many burrs I have no idea how it made it through QC.

 

[Tom_R]

OK - here is the thing, I have a 629-1 that had scratches on it, and I just got a 686-1 that was in good shape, but well carried.

The 629-1 really looked like a beater, again, scratches, and a set of Pachs.

I polished it multiple times with Mothers and put a good set of proper Stocks on it, Kuracs no less, and I think it is beautiful.

I am not worried about selling it, and if I ever have to bring it back to a non-polished finish, then there are ways to do that.

I also have a 629 no dash, Pinned and Recessed, that I went over very lightly one time with Flits to give a mild cleaning, and all I do is Wax that one.

Here is the 629-1 with Kuracs and shined up:







And I think it is just beautiful with the polish job I have done on it, and with those stocks.

And here is the 629 No dash that has been cleaned, waxed, but not polished.







I think they are both beautiful, and I think they both have their virtues.

If I were going to sell them, I think I'd ask at least $850 for the 629-1, and at least $1200 for the 629 No-Dash, Pinned/recessed w/ Box and Papers. And I'd get it too I think.

 

[Art Doc]

I've never done it but I have bought a couple of revolvers with the letters filled in with colorful paint and it didn't bother me. I particularly don't give a damn if somebody else does it to his own gun. As for polishing stainless guns to look shiny I have done that because I don't particularly care for the look of stainless while I think shiny is pretty. Apparently you don't like that but guess what, I didn't do it to please you.

You seem to spend a lot of time worrying about what other people do with their guns.

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

I bought a 629 no dash 4 inch last year from a local guy who had polished it almost to a nickel look. I understand these guns are scarce because of only a 4 month manufacture period in the 4 inch version before the -. This gun shoots wonderfully and for $550 I'll take all I can find!

 

[Lobster Picnic]

I've got a scratched up M67 ND if I want to get o/c about polishing. It's coming around pretty good but still will require many hours of Mothering. The other stainless guns I leave alone.

 

[Goblin]

Since the S&W 19/66 were as common as Glocks in their time, perhaps we should all be buying up dozens of G19s and putting them away NIB for future collectors to buy.

You're way off base here. You need to buy two dozen of the LEAST produced Glocks and put them away for huge future profits.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

First, younger people will become more knowledgeable as they gain experience and information from books, websites and especially older shooters. Every one of us was likely on a learning curve in our early firearms years. So don't be too harsh on them, but help guide them. And pass on your knowledge. Hollywood and the anti's won't. And some of the gun magazine writers lack knowledge themselves and pontificate too much.

As for purtyin' up a gun, generally I prefer to keep them simple and as original as possible. Exceptions being when grips fit poorly, perhaps a sight upgrade, and I do like to fill in the lettering on blued guns, mainly for photos. I use white tire marking crayon for filler, white stands out well without looking gaudy like gold, is easy to reply, and more importantly, is easy to remove with Hoppes or similar solvents and a stiff nylon toothbrush.

 

[manderson]

The other thing that's carrying over is polishing the whole gun or cylinder. If it's a new gun or one in poor condition I don't care what you do with it. But to take a 686 or 66 no dash and do it that's just a travesty. I saw a young lady post a like NIB unfired 66-2 she had just bought and was really proud of. One of these jokers told her to get some Flitz and Mothers Mag if she really wanted it to shine.

I couldn't agree more. Happens a lot with the Colts too. Why these guys take a beautiful brushed stainless Anaconda and Filtz it to BS (pun intended) I will never understand.

If brushed stainless is in bad shape, the Scotch Brite pads work great. I use the fine 07448 pad. Don't use brand new pads. They have to be a little worn. I just refinished an Anaconda that is mechanically like new, but the original owner left it in the blue box without any protection. It was pretty scratched up from being moved around in the box over the years. Now it looks damn near new from the factory.

 

[sigp220.45]

I am unapologetically guilty. I like 'em shiny. (And I'm an old fart)



No-dash 66, used to be the personal gun of one of the founding members of the FBI HRT.

 

[k22fan]

If you ever want to sell it you can advertise that buying your 66 will save the buyer the hours required to obtain such a, ahem, wonderful shine. The forum is so badly infected with polishers that it might sell quickly here. Hmm, I wonder if Handejector could take the forum in to the county health clinic for a vaccination.

 

[sigp220.45]

If you ever want to sell it you can advertise that buying your 66 will save the buyer the hours required to obtain such a, ahem, wonderful shine. The forum is so badly infected with polishers that it might sell quickly here. Hmm, I wonder if Handejector could take the forum in to the county health clinic for a vaccination.

I'm an equal opportunity polisher:



Even so shamefully abused, this one sold quickly!

Don't worry, though - I won't tempt you with my 66. Its not for sale (besides that if you look closely you'll see its been Magnaported. The horror!)

 

[Tom_R]

If you ever want to sell it you can advertise that buying your 66 will save the buyer the hours required to obtain such a, ahem, wonderful shine. The forum is so badly infected with polishers that it might sell quickly here. Hmm, I wonder if Handejector could take the forum in to the county health clinic for a vaccination.

I'd buy that 66 in a heartbeat and pay good money for it.

It amazes me people get bent about modifying cars and guns and other items.

They are just things.

A model 66, a 686 or a 629 is not a .45 caliber Luger that is a holy Grail gun. They are nice yet, available guns.

Polishing up a revolver that can later be scotch guarded back to its original type finish is really not a big deal.

 

[Blackbarry]

Sometimes we just can't help ourselves. We don't quite know why we start the polishing project, but as we get involved, it takes on a life all its own. I think the perfect grain of the brushed SS gets marred and something simply must be done. That's how it happened with me:

 

[Tom_R]

Sometimes we just can't help ourselves. We don't quite know why we start the polishing project, but as we get involved, it takes on a life all its own. I think the perfect grain of the brushed SS gets marred and something simply must be done. That's how it happened with me:

To me, this is one of the ways a firearm can reach its highest form.

I loved blued guns, I have more blued guns then I have stainless, your fine revolver here, and my 629 shown above show how you can take a utilitarian form, like a big bore revolver that was probably wearing Pachs, or Hougue Grippers, and you clean it and polish it, and BOOM! You have something as beautiful (in a totally different way) as a 27 or a Python.

This revolver does it for me, and if I saw it in a LGS, and I had the funds, it would come home with me.

 

[k22fan]

I'd buy that 66 in a heartbeat and pay good money for it. {and a police revolver collector might out bid you}

[…] A model 66, a 686 or a 629 is not a .45 caliber Luger that is a holy Grail gun. They are nice yet, available guns.

Polishing up a revolver that can later be scotch guarded back to its original type finish is really not a big deal.

No dash 66s are now all around 45 to 50 years old. (Pardon me for not checking dates in the SCSW.) Every time an additional one is modified the supply is further diminished. True it is not as big a loss as polishing a no dash 610 but it is a loss just the same. Mine will remain lightly scuffed and with signs of having been in a holster. In other words, original.

In theory, a polished gun could be Scotch Brited back to a factory like surface, but I've never seen it turn out that way. Does it matter? You read the threads in the 1896 -1961 sub-forum debating whether old revolvers were refinished and the effect on their value. It is only a matter of time before similar threads will discuss whether old stainless revolvers have their factory finish.

If a feller wants to polish metal in front of the TV he'd be wiser to polish candle holders from garage sales.