Information on "Shames"

[AudieMurphy]

Need more info on "shame" guns....Seems there quite a few that pop up every so often. Is this a catagory? condition? or just an opinion? for example OP shows their latest find and others chime in with the usual posts. You know the drill...."shoot it!" "give us a range report,later" BUT then there's that one poster...."Its been reblued, whats a SHAME". why is it a Shame? seems a frequent dig on someones property....

 

[THE PILGRIM]

That's usually because the poster thinks that gun with original finish is more desirable as a collectible than it is reblued.
And quite often the reblue is often less than well done.
Did you ever see a 100 year old gun with a new looking shiny finish and badly worn grips?
Wow! A sock drawer gun , barely shot or carried, but the grips wore out!
Here's a reblue where previous people apparently decided the original grips looked so shabby it would be appropriate to just thrown on some new ones.
And that 4 inch Pre 29? Pretty rare gun. I don't think I've ever seen one!
Need Cokes? No problemo! Plenty of those around.
Throw down some Benjamin's!

 

[Doug M.]

The people who say that are collectors, not what I would consider serious users. A firearm is first and foremost a tool. It might be a tool for defense (the use I value most of the time) or hunting; maybe some kind of competition. I bought a used K38 from a member some years back; while it could be used for defense or hunting, it really exists in my world to make me look like a decent shot.

 

[LVSteve]

It's a big deal in milsurp collector circles. Steaming out the dings in a stock and slapping on the Tru-Oil are seen as destroying the history. Then there are those who believe polyurethane or yacht varnish are the ideal fix to make a gun look "nice". Reblueing is a major blasphemy.

 

[Bullet Bob]

I must not get out enough, I've never seen that term used on a firearm forum. Of course there is some evidence that I'm a little "slow".

 

[30-30remchester]

People are odd about things. I have seen people abandon a firearm because it has a scratch and others do a complete refinish should a small imperfection is detected (visit my brother as an example). Other like the Japanese culture where damage is highlighted. If a jade object has cracks, they highlight the cracks with gold inlay. I like these types of people. A friend was a mountain lion guide and carried a 6" model 19 for so many years during his career that it was virtually bluing free and the grips worn smooth. He said it was never out of arm's length. All evidence of a fabulous adventurous lifetime. His brother sneaked it out of the house and had it re-blued and threw away the grips and put brand new ones on, then returned the gun as a Christmas present. Completely destroyed its storied life. My friend has never shot the gun again and last time I asked, he didn't even know where it was.

 

[LVSteve]

People are odd about things. I have seen people abandon a firearm because it has a scratch and others do a complete refinish should a small imperfection is detected (visit my brother as an example). Other like the Japanese culture where damage is highlighted. If a jade object has cracks, the highlight the cracks with gold inlay. I like these types of people. A friend was a mountain lion guide and carried a 6" model 19 for so many years during his career that it was virtually bluing free and the grips worn smooth. He said it was never out of arm's length. All evidence of a fabulous adventurous lifetime. His brother sneaked it out of the house and had it re-blued and threw away the grips and put brand new ones on, then returned the gun as a Christmas present. Completely destroyed its storied life. My friend has never shot the gun again and last time I asked, he didn't even know where it was.

That's right up there with cleaning the gunk out of the bosun's coffee cup.