Okay, what the heck did I just buy??

[357magster]

Found this little beauty at a gun show this morning. So pretty and so cute and in such good shape that I just couldn't leave her there. You know how it is.



What is it? Going to letter it just because it is so old (I find "old" interesting) ... and want to call it the right thing on the request form.

Serial number is 962XX. Barrel is 3.5", cylinder is a scootch over 7/8" long. Eyeballing the bore it looks to be about 7.5 mm in diameter.

A bunch of patent dates on the top of the barrel. Latest one is "Jan 3 82".

The photo doesn't do her justice. Amazing condition! (Of course, somebody is probably going to tell me now that it was refinished - and burst my bubble. If so, please be gentle!)

 

[gmborkovic]

Looks fine for a turn of the century 32 DA, Is that a chip out of the grip? Bad pic. Do the grips number? Lots more info needed. How much did you pay?

 

[357magster]

Looks fine for a turn of the century 32 DA, Is that a chip out of the grip? Bad pic. Do the grips number? Lots more info needed. How much did you pay?

That's just a reflection on the grip ... they are perfect ... except they do not, it turns out, number to the gun.

Looks like 174149 is scratched on the inside one of the grips.

So, if I am reading the SCofS&W correctly, based on the gun's serial number (962xx) this is a .32 Double-Action 4th Model . And even though the grips do not number to the gun, they fall within the 4th Model serial number range, so they are "correct".

Does that all sound right?

Thanks.

 

[Breakaway500]

That is a cutie and looks in great shape. I have a similar one and although it is tough for me to get my trigger finger in that tiny hole..it's a good shooter!

 

[ACORN]

I'm guessing its refinished being it has bright polished pins, and what looks like slightly dished screw holes, but I'm guessing. It does look nice though and I'd have considered it if it wasn't high priced as a shooter. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[357magster]

I'm guessing its refinished being it has bright polished pins, and what looks like slightly dished screw holes, but I'm guessing. It does look nice though and I'd have considered it if it wasn't high priced as a shooter. I hope you enjoy it.

Those three shiny pins caught my eye, too. Should they be blue or bare metal color?

Overall, the finish is suspiciously too good for a 130+ year old gun. Still, it's a real S&W, it's old, and it's cool.

More opinions welcomed!

 

[model3sw]

from what I can tell by the one picture, it looks good. A very common S&W but most are found in various degrees of use. A lesser amount of them remained this good looking if the finish is original.

 

[ralph7]

If you paid $150 or less, you probably did ok.
You guys tell me if I am wrong in my monetary assessment, haven't bought one of these in a long time.

 

[Marshal Tom]

Nice shape but I would say that it is reblued. I have one that I inherited from a Great Uncle. It was in great shape with a set of rare grips with red streaks in them. The little guy fell of the shelf of my safe and broke the grip years ago and I do not think that I could ever find a replacement. Cute, not rare and not worth terribly much but fun anyway.

 

[mmaher94087]

The condition question is hard to tell from one photo but I'm leaning toward a very nice reblue. The edges look slightly "soft", the pins polished 'white' and the front sight appears blue; not shiny like German Silver. Still a very nice example of a 100+ year old revolver.

 

[357magster]

If it IS reblued I wonder why somebody would go to that trouble and expense to reblue a gun like this ... except to dupe a gun show sucker like me.

I'm still glad I bought it, though, reblued or not.

 

[mmaher94087]

Damn hard to tell from the one photo. It sure looks good and the "detractions" just might be camera related; angle, lighting and the non-matching serial number of the stocks. This one needs an "in hand" examination as it looks too good to have needed a refinish.

 

[S&WsRsweet]

Nice cool old gun ,glad ya got it and thanks for posting we all can't collect guns that cost 4 and 5 plus digits but that is right up my alley nice gun in nice shape and not too valuable to handle and shoot . I like it congrats on tne acquisition.

 

[ACORN]

If it IS reblued I wonder why somebody would go to that trouble and expense to reblue a gun like this ... except to dupe a gun show sucker like me.

I'm still glad I bought it, though, reblued or not.

Who cares if it was reblued? I wouldn't. It is a good looking revolver and way cool. I'd have bought it if it was within my means in a heartbeat!
As for why, I'd say why not. Someone put some time and I dare say love into it and it shows.
Congrats!

 

[murphydog]

As stated above, we need close up photos for a finish determination, but the (apparent) fit of the sideplate and the non-blued hammer and trigger suggest it is original, or the refinisher was highly skilled. Cool gun.

 

[357magster]

Will try to snap some better photos later today. I appreciate the replies and opinions!

 

[glowe]

Who cares if it was reblued? I wouldn't. It is a good looking revolver and way cool. I'd have bought it if . . . !

The point is that you probably not pay $500 or more for a refinished gun or for that example. That is what the gun is worth if original, $200 if re-blued.

Here is the rub - 32 DAs of that era had a high gloss blue applied and the image shows a satin blue. The front sight pin is polished flat and perhaps is the best indication of a refinish. That is not what would have been done at the factory . It is very common to replace a set of worn stocks with high condition stocks in order to match the new finish. The frame pins would not have been in-the-white as shown in the image. Also, there is no case coloring left on the trigger, suggesting some over-zealous cleaning. On the other hand, the edges are sharp and clean, the screws have been turned, but still crisp and not buffed. I believe great care was taken to refinish this gun, plus the OP has not mentioned if there was a star on the butt or a date code on the left side of the butt-frame. I doubt it was refinished by the factory, but maybe the OP can confirm?

I have an original finish example and the images might help make a comparison. There is some plum coloration starting, but still shows the gloss blue typical of these old DAs.

 

[357magster]

There are no markings on the butt frame. (Thanks for the comparison photos, Gary.)

Here are more photos. Hope they don't suck and can shed some light on the matter. (Pardon the lint!)

 

[glowe]

The sanding marks help support the post-factory refinish. It was probably a standard caustic blue that left different results on the frame, versus the spring steel trigger guard. The factory always was able to produce the same finish on all parts, regardless on whether they were heat-treated or not. The trigger stud was also polished flat. Original below.

 

[Breakaway500]

Dug my ole blued .32 out. I believe this one is unfired. I tried to take similar angles that you did to show the finish. Mine does not show any directional finish lines on it..and the bluing looks like a mirror. Whether your is refinished or not..it is a nice example! I paid just north of $700 for mine..so everything is relative..
As an aside.. Thanks for posting this..always fun to go through the safe and drag out the old guns for a wipe down and oil!

 

[ACORN]

The point is that you probably not pay $500 or more for a refinished gun or for that example. That is what the gun is worth if original, $200 if re-blued.

Here is the rub - 32 DAs of that era had a high gloss blue applied and the image shows a satin blue. The front sight pin is polished flat and perhaps is the best indication of a refinish. That is not what would have been done at the factory . It is very common to replace a set of worn stocks with high condition stocks in order to match the new finish. The frame pins would not have been in-the-white as shown in the image. Also, there is no case coloring left on the trigger, suggesting some over-zealous cleaning. On the other hand, the edges are sharp and clean, the screws have been turned, but still crisp and not buffed. I believe great care was taken to refinish this gun, plus the OP has not mentioned if there was a star on the butt or a date code on the left side of the butt-frame. I doubt it was refinished by the factory, but maybe the OP can confirm?

I have an original finish example and the images might help make a comparison. There is some plum coloration starting, but still shows the gloss blue typical of these old DAs.

Yes, thank You. I am well aware of the reduction in value for a refinish. My point was that if the OP purchased the revolver he must of thought it was worth to him what he paid for it. And in the end thats all that matters.

 

[357magster]

Dug my ole blued .32 out. I believe this one is unfired. I tried to take similar angles that you did to show the finish. Mine does not show any directional finish lines on it..and the bluing looks like a mirror. Whether your is refinished or not..it is a nice example! I paid just north of $700 for mine..so everything is relative..
As an aside.. Thanks for posting this..always fun to go through the safe and drag out the old guns for a wipe down and oil!

Dang, that is pretty! Want to trade??

Thanks for digging it out and thanks to all for the education ... and for bursting my bubble!

Two old adages come to mind:

1) Buyer beware.
2) If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

And I'm sure there's one about ignorance that would fit!

Would it be safe to assume that the refinish was done many years ago and not a recent event? That would make me feel a little better. A pre-1970 refinish is more appealing to me than a 1990 refinish for some reason. Probably no way to tell.

Thanks again!

 

[glowe]

Not really any way to tell, since most bluing techniques of the early 1900s are still available. Caustic bluing has been around for a long time, so aging it is impossible. If I were to guess, that job looks very fresh and might have been done to help sell the gun to you. I would guess that your revolver will shoot just fine and for a long time to come. Take it out and enjoy it without worrying about putting that first scratch on the finish. That gun will handle any currently manufactured 32 S&W ammo out there.

 

[357magster]

Thanks, Gary. I really appreciate all the info & help. I will steer clear of that dealer next time, that's for sure.

There is absolutely no evidence of a turn line on the cylinder (which should have been a red flag to me .... what a knucklehead!), so the re-do job was probably very recent as you suggested.

One last question ... why would somebody go to the trouble of grinding down the pin holding on the front sight? I could see how the trigger stud would be ground down in the refinishing process, but that innocuous little pin? I don't get it.

Thanks again.

 

[JSR III]

I was initially going to say that it was not refinished based on the one photo supplied but with the enlargements and the striations under the blue finish I am changing my vote to refinish.

It is still a neat example of a very old S&W and hopefully you did not pay too much for it. It is possible that the former owner of the gun spruced it up to get top dollar from the dealer that you bought it from or it could have been worn and rehabbed by the FFL to get more out of it.

 

[glowe]

One last question ... why would somebody go to the trouble of grinding down the pin holding on the front sight? I could see how the trigger stud would be ground down in the refinishing process, but that innocuous little pin? I don't get it.

It is not that anyone went to the trouble doing it, but rather laziness and lack of knowledge of refinishing that led to the sanding down of parts that should have been removed before refinishing. The hammer stud takes a slotted screwdriver, which is not common. The pin that holds the front sight in place is very small and, again, the refinisher probably did not have an unusually small punch to remove it.

My guess is that the previous owner did their own refinishing, so the cost was not an issue. The person who refinished the gun also did not take much time preparing the surface properly. Usually that includes going over the surface with increasingly fine sandpapers, until you get to a 400 to 600 grit. If a high gloss bluing is the objective, buffing the surface may be needed as well.

 

[Breakaway500]

It may have been done years ago when no one would spend the extra time to do a mirror blue finish,and they felt it wasn't going to detract from the value of a rare firearm. Would have been interesting to see it beforehand. I'd say they gave it a nice new life with a good facelift. The ammo is cheap and the guns are fun to shoot. Must be why I keep buying them..

 

[walter o]

something that might help decide if it has been re blued ,is the top of the locking tabs on the top of the frame in the white ,or blued ? if white (bare metal )it probably not a re blue .

 

[K Frame Keith]

Not everyone is looking for fine a collectible specimen, but rather an interesting piece of history. A very nice handgun.

 

[357magster]

something that might help decide if it has been re blued ,is the top of the locking tabs on the top of the frame in the white ,or blued ? if white (bare metal )it probably not a re blue .

They are blued.

Game set match.

Refinished!

Some of you are probably wondering what I paid for it.

$500.

An expensive lesson, but at least I learned a lot.

Thanks for that.

And it IS pretty ... I just won't look too closely at it.