Okay, what the heck did I just buy??

glowe said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
Breakaway500 said:
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!
Click to expand...

Dang, that is pretty! Want to trade?? :D

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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
357magster said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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 said:
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 .
Click to expand...

They are blued.

Game set match.

Refinished!

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

$500. :o

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.
 
I'm glad I wasn't the one to break the bad news to you. From the left side it looked nice but I was wondering. Now that I see the right side, that removed all doubt.

Perhaps an expensive lesson but I dare any one who posted here to factually state they NEVER made a mistake ... especially when learning.

I did, plenty, but not in the past 20 years. You learn !!

Don't be bashful to ask the forum here before you buy something you believe to be in the upper percentages of condition.
 
model3sw said:
Don't be bashful to ask the forum here before you buy something you believe to be in the upper percentages of condition.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I won't make THAT mistake again. Fools rush in ...

Will research and ask before pulling out the ol' wallet.

Might have to assuage my buyer's remorse and go up to the Amoskeag auction this weekend and buy one of Mr. Jink's guns. That should be a safe bet! :)

PS: LOVE that old S&W display case!
 
357magster said:
They are blued.

Game set match.

Refinished!

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

$500. :o

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.
Click to expand...







Trust me Most of us have made similar mistakes in the road of Collecting. It is a learning experience. One time I bought a Refinished RM and paid Big Bucks for it. I learned the hard way but I learned .


Dan
 
Just my opinion, but I have never regretted a (firearm) purchase, only the ones I pondered and let slip away. I don't sell my "finds", and I have (or intend to) shoot every one, they are guns, they exist to be fired.

Intellectually I understand that a gun looses value if it is refinshed, I just don't care. Eventually mine will go to my children and grandchildren, they will in time appriciate in value, even if refinished.

Its a beautiful piece of history, I would be happy to own it, I would not worry about what I paid for it. I would just shoot it and enjoy owning it.
 
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