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I know this has come up many times here and on other forums - specifically to refinish or not and what doing so will add or take away from value. Here is my take and I would be interested to see what others feel.
If one owns a "valuable" or "collectible" S&W Revolver such as a Registered Magnum, a rare variant, experimental or hard to find model, a gun that belonged to a historical figure etc. then for the most part I would not recommend refinishing such a gun as true collectors who are likely to shell out big bucks for them would surely frown upon that. You just want to keep an important part of "history" as true to original as possible.
On the other hand if one has a common model (cosmetically challenged) that is in excellent mechanical condition but has gotten dinged, dented, scratched and suffers from massive finish loss that is another story. Most models such as a common M10, M15, M36, M60, M18 etc. are readily available and would never command a large amount of money anyway. Yes - we all know that today all models are ridiculously priced, but a run of the mill model 10 or 15 would never bring 3, 4, or $5,000.00 unless it belonged to a celebrity or was a part of history somehow.
It would bother me to no end to own and shoot a run of the mill butt-ugly gun and constantly have to worry about rusting & pitting - especially if it were a gun I would never sell anyway. I have had experience with a gun like that. I inherited a Marlin 39A from my Dad that was his when he purchased it in 1946. Over the years it was his most fired Rifle and while in excellent mechanical condition, the bluing was 60% worn off and I was constantly touching it up with Cold Blue and removing rust and always concerned that it was always getting worse. The original stock and fore arm was also in really good shape however the actual lacquer finish Marlin originally applied was 75% gone. Since I will never ever sell it I decided to send the Rifle off to have it re-blued (one of the very few things I will not do myself) and while the Rifle was out at MWG's being re-blued, I refinished the wood. When they asked me what kind of finish I wanted (stating they could make it look like a "show piece", I told them as close to the original bluing as possible. They said OK and did exactly that!
After 2 months, I received the Rifle back and it looked like a brand new Marlin 39A would have looked in 1946. The stock and fore arm work I did also came out great and after putting a dozen coats of 100% Tung Oil on it I reassembled the gun. I will say, it looks just as though it would have looked in 1946 - but now the rusting issues are gone and I am quite proud of this Rifle! Since I am never going to sell it and I will pass it on to my Son, I take pleasure knowing that it will not become a rust bucket and will look great for the foreseeable future. I have no worries or concerns of the value because it will never be sold and even if my Son decided to sell it 40 years down the road, it will bring more money in its present condition than it would have all rusted and peeling - that I am quite confident in. More importantly, I am proud of owning it and get pleasure showing the 75 year old Rifle to people.
I almost always recommend that people not try and save a few bucks buying a "beater" and then trying to restore it - just get what you really want in the first place and in the long run, it will save you much money and lots of aggravation. That said, if you inherit or already have one of these "common" models in rough shape I see no reason not to refinish it or restore it if it is a gun that has nostalgia, sentimental value, or that you just plain like! If the gun isn't sentimental, it sometimes pays to just sell it and buy one in better shape.
In common S&W or Colt Revolvers most times a professional re-blue, Nickel or stainless restoration takes nothing away and makes the gun a lot easier to sell. Yes - true collectors might not want it, but there are not many of those types around anyway. Many many more guys just looking for one of these models in great condition. If they are to be regular shooters - who really cares if it was re-blued? Anyway, this is my take. It might be something to consider next time someone is thinking of asking the common question, "refinish my Dad's Chief's Special or not".
If one owns a "valuable" or "collectible" S&W Revolver such as a Registered Magnum, a rare variant, experimental or hard to find model, a gun that belonged to a historical figure etc. then for the most part I would not recommend refinishing such a gun as true collectors who are likely to shell out big bucks for them would surely frown upon that. You just want to keep an important part of "history" as true to original as possible.
On the other hand if one has a common model (cosmetically challenged) that is in excellent mechanical condition but has gotten dinged, dented, scratched and suffers from massive finish loss that is another story. Most models such as a common M10, M15, M36, M60, M18 etc. are readily available and would never command a large amount of money anyway. Yes - we all know that today all models are ridiculously priced, but a run of the mill model 10 or 15 would never bring 3, 4, or $5,000.00 unless it belonged to a celebrity or was a part of history somehow.
It would bother me to no end to own and shoot a run of the mill butt-ugly gun and constantly have to worry about rusting & pitting - especially if it were a gun I would never sell anyway. I have had experience with a gun like that. I inherited a Marlin 39A from my Dad that was his when he purchased it in 1946. Over the years it was his most fired Rifle and while in excellent mechanical condition, the bluing was 60% worn off and I was constantly touching it up with Cold Blue and removing rust and always concerned that it was always getting worse. The original stock and fore arm was also in really good shape however the actual lacquer finish Marlin originally applied was 75% gone. Since I will never ever sell it I decided to send the Rifle off to have it re-blued (one of the very few things I will not do myself) and while the Rifle was out at MWG's being re-blued, I refinished the wood. When they asked me what kind of finish I wanted (stating they could make it look like a "show piece", I told them as close to the original bluing as possible. They said OK and did exactly that!
After 2 months, I received the Rifle back and it looked like a brand new Marlin 39A would have looked in 1946. The stock and fore arm work I did also came out great and after putting a dozen coats of 100% Tung Oil on it I reassembled the gun. I will say, it looks just as though it would have looked in 1946 - but now the rusting issues are gone and I am quite proud of this Rifle! Since I am never going to sell it and I will pass it on to my Son, I take pleasure knowing that it will not become a rust bucket and will look great for the foreseeable future. I have no worries or concerns of the value because it will never be sold and even if my Son decided to sell it 40 years down the road, it will bring more money in its present condition than it would have all rusted and peeling - that I am quite confident in. More importantly, I am proud of owning it and get pleasure showing the 75 year old Rifle to people.
I almost always recommend that people not try and save a few bucks buying a "beater" and then trying to restore it - just get what you really want in the first place and in the long run, it will save you much money and lots of aggravation. That said, if you inherit or already have one of these "common" models in rough shape I see no reason not to refinish it or restore it if it is a gun that has nostalgia, sentimental value, or that you just plain like! If the gun isn't sentimental, it sometimes pays to just sell it and buy one in better shape.
In common S&W or Colt Revolvers most times a professional re-blue, Nickel or stainless restoration takes nothing away and makes the gun a lot easier to sell. Yes - true collectors might not want it, but there are not many of those types around anyway. Many many more guys just looking for one of these models in great condition. If they are to be regular shooters - who really cares if it was re-blued? Anyway, this is my take. It might be something to consider next time someone is thinking of asking the common question, "refinish my Dad's Chief's Special or not".