New finish on S&W revolvers

[Harry Callihan]

Believe it or not, I have had great luck with the Birchwood Casey silicone cleaning & polishing cloths. They have really made some dingy blued revolvers shine up like new. They won't harm anything either. You can even wipe the wood grips down with it and they make them look great.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

A little History here.
Case hardening was meant first and foremost as a surface treatment to privide a hardening ot the surface of otherwise too soft steel (but the best they were capable of back then). It wasn't meant as a decoration, but it did look good. Witness the case hardening to the hammers and triggers of the old Smith revolvers. Now case hardening is used as a decorative throwback to those early times.
Bluing was never meant as anything other than a finish to protect steel from rust. Nickle did it better and then they figured out how to use stainless steel which was even better yet. Today they have gone to other surface protectants which are even better than bluing. Most people want surface protection. I'd rather have stainless surface coatings on my semi autos rather than blued beautiful slides. Better protection.
Browning shotguns (the A-5) had beautiful bluing but they would rust if you looked at them funny. It was a constant battle to keep rust off my old A-5 and I finally said to hell with it and went with the Benelli. Ain't shiny and doesn't have the cachet of the old Browning, but it don't rust. Guns are tools and while I love the workmanship and looks of the old Smiths and Brownings and colts-today there are better alternatives. Look what the 870 did to the old Model 12. Love the old PPK but would never own one over a BG380. Got two 1911's that are both stainless but have no use for them at all-keep a Shield 45 for serious purposes. A gun made today to the specifications of yesterday would be prohibitively expensive to make and sell. There are so many old ones out there that can be had by us oldersters, but sad to say the day of the revolver and metal framed automatics are going fast. Glock started the better mousetrap. I think twice before buying any revolver due to the ammunition issues. 9mm and .45 is much easier to get than .38spl, .357 mag and .44. 20 years from now it will be next to impossible to get revolver cartridges.

Sorry for the rant, but functionality of the new surface coatings is better than the ones we all grew up with.

 

[eclayton]

30 years ago when .38 was in wider use, I had to drive 30 minutes to the nearest retail store that sold ammo. Now I can sit on my couch, shop nationwide, and have it delivered to my door. To test your hypothesis, I tried to think of a ridiculous caliber, and found that it took me about 30 seconds to find a seller that had .41 Action Express in stock and ready to ship. I think your premise that it will be next to impossible to find revolver ammo in 20 years is absurd—barring adverse legislation that bans or restricts your favorite semi-auto calibers as well. In that case good luck feeding your 9mm pistol.

On topic, I agree that bluing was meant to serve a utilitarian function and has been surpassed by other finishes for rust prevention.

 

[dsf]

A little History here.
Case hardening was meant first and foremost as a surface treatment to privide a hardening ot the surface of otherwise too soft steel (but the best they were capable of back then). It wasn't meant as a decoration, but it did look good. Witness the case hardening to the hammers and triggers of the old Smith revolvers. Now case hardening is used as a decorative throwback to those early times.
Bluing was never meant as anything other than a finish to protect steel from rust. Nickle did it better and then they figured out how to use stainless steel which was even better yet. Today they have gone to other surface protectants which are even better than bluing. Most people want surface protection. I'd rather have stainless surface coatings on my semi autos rather than blued beautiful slides. Better protection.
Browning shotguns (the A-5) had beautiful bluing but they would rust if you looked at them funny. It was a constant battle to keep rust off my old A-5 and I finally said to hell with it and went with the Benelli. Ain't shiny and doesn't have the cachet of the old Browning, but it don't rust. Guns are tools and while I love the workmanship and looks of the old Smiths and Brownings and colts-today there are better alternatives. Look what the 870 did to the old Model 12. Love the old PPK but would never own one over a BG380. Got two 1911's that are both stainless but have no use for them at all-keep a Shield 45 for serious purposes. A gun made today to the specifications of yesterday would be prohibitively expensive to make and sell. There are so many old ones out there that can be had by us oldersters, but sad to say the day of the revolver and metal framed automatics are going fast. Glock started the better mousetrap. I think twice before buying any revolver due to the ammunition issues. 9mm and .45 is much easier to get than .38spl, .357 mag and .44. 20 years from now it will be next to impossible to get revolver cartridges.

Sorry for the rant, but functionality of the new surface coatings is better than the ones we all grew up with.

Cerakote and other spray on finishes likely offer better protection than old fashioned bluing. If that's what motivates a buyer, good for them but it's not what motivates me. Regarding the current Smith "bluing" it seems to me the rather quick rub or scratching off of that fragile finish and subsequent exposure of bare metal is contrary to being a good rust preventative. If it's not there it doesn't protect.

Regarding better made (however one defines it) it seems to me the same can be said of Smith internals. CNC and tighter tolerances certainly produce a mechanically better product. Again, depends on what one is looking for in a gun. I can clean up the rough internals on a 1970's made Smith or shim a wobbly hammer. I can't apply case hardening to a MIM hammer or trigger.

 

[wproct]

A lot of this conversation is just another reason that I'm more of a stainless steel guy anymore rather than blued steel. I will say, and I'm sorry if this is off track, but several years ago I bought a Ruger blued steel single-six made in 2015, and it has an absolutely beautiful blued finish by today's standards.

 

[balin]

I quit calling guns finished in the US , blued years ago and just call the finish blacking. Some foreign made guns can still have a good blued finish.

 

[BillBro]

I have two "Classic" models, a 27-9 from 2012 and a 36-10 from 2015. I agree with all that's been said above. Your revolver may develop a cloudiness on the frame and sideplate, but a very light and gently applied treatment of Flitz polish will work wonders. Below are recent photos of these heavily shot revolvers. After the initial issues, the finish does seem to stabilize. But I agree, the older finishes are nicer.

Im just curious, do those classic 27's have the checkered topstrap and rear sight assy? Nice guns.

 

[MSD2343]

Im just curious, do those classic 27's have the checkered topstrap and rear sight assy? Nice guns.

Here's a couple photos of the top strap and rear sight on my 27-9. I think the sight is the same as on the earlier guns, but the finish on the topstrap is more of a "facsimile" of the original checkering. I've also attached again the photo from post 10 to acknowledge that yes it's more of a black finish than blue, but so are the beautiful finishes on my Browning and Beretta shotguns. And, for a revolver with 14k rounds through it, I think it still looks pretty sharp.

 

[BKLooney]

Yep, thank the EPA for the new bluing on your pistol...

 

[smithra_66]

Here's a couple photos of the top strap and rear sight on my 27-9. I think the sight is the same as on the earlier guns, but the finish on the topstrap is more of a "facsimile" of the original checkering. I've also attached again the photo from post 10 to acknowledge that yes it's more of a black finish than blue, but so are the beautiful finishes on my Browning and Beretta shotguns. And, for a revolver with 14k rounds through it, I think it still looks pretty sharp.

Yep, that's why the vintage ones are worth a lot more than the new ones. The finish and craftsmanship are much better. The new ones serve the purpose of shooting, though.

 

[329]

Hot blueing uses very caustic chemicals to get tinto the surface of the metal. The newer coatings adhere to the metal. I used to get metal black oxided and chromed but the places that did that are mostly closing the sores because of the hazardous waste and working conditions.

 

[dogdoc]

I have a 57 classic I purchased a few years ago . I have shot it a fair amount probably over 1000 rounds. I think think the blue looks fine especially when compared to my 1980s blue Smiths. It has held up fine. I clean with hoppes 9 and have not experienced any blue loss. There may be some with defective finish that get reported on the internet but I suspect most are like mine and are fine. It wears just fine and I would buy another. No excuse made for Smith as it is not needed.

 

[Racer X]

Is it possible that you just wiped off some preservative grease/gummed up oil used for storage prior to the gun being sold?

every time I get new magazines, I wipe down the exterior with lighter fluid on a t shirt scrap. it always ends up brown. always. even stainless mags have oil from the forming process, but not like the preservative on blued/blackened mags.

 

[Nick B]

Here's a couple photos of the top strap and rear sight on my 27-9. I think the sight is the same as on the earlier guns, but the finish on the topstrap is more of a "facsimile" of the original checkering. I've also attached again the photo from post 10 to acknowledge that yes it's more of a black finish than blue, but so are the beautiful finishes on my Browning and Beretta shotguns. And, for a revolver with 14k rounds through it, I think it still looks pretty sharp.

Looks great for having 14k rounds through it .

 

[cmj8591]

The other thing about old time bluing was that it was labor intensive. Especially the polishing part. I'm going to bet that it would be difficult to find anyone alive now who can properly do grease buffing. The EPA thing is true also but back in the day, there wasn't a fish living in the Connecticut River because of all the industrial waste being dumped in it on a daily basis. Now you can catch Stripers there. Everything's a trade off.