Poll: Reblue 29-2 4" at S&W?

[toroflow1]

I picked up this 29-2 4" blue, and it suffers from bluing loss (about 20-25%). I am not satisfied with it, and either want to sell it off or have it reblued at S&W. Nothing special about it, no provenance or other "claims to fame", just a garden-variety 29-2 4". I also have other 4" 29s that serve my purpose, so this one can "go down the road", or get reblued and become a safe queen. Is a S&W reblued 29-2 worthwhile to stash in the safe as a safe queen? Or is that nonsense (due to the reblue factor). Help me decide....

 

[toroflow1]

I picked up this 29-2 4" blue, and it suffers from bluing loss (about 20-25%). I am not satisfied with it, and either want to sell it off or have it reblued at S&W. Nothing special about it, no provenance or other "claims to fame", just a garden-variety 29-2 4". I also have other 4" 29s that serve my purpose, so this one can "go down the road", or get reblued and become a safe queen. Is a S&W reblued 29-2 worthwhile to stash in the safe as a safe queen? Or is that nonsense (due to the reblue factor). Help me decide....

 

[M29since14]

Is a S&W reblued 29-2 worthwhile to stash in the safe as a safe queen? Or is that nonsense (due to the reblue factor).

I'm sure everyone else will tell you nonsense, but I disagree. (If you mean as a user, rather than a collector's item.)

The problem I see is that if you send that gun to S&W and they don't like the barrel or cylinder, or anything else, they may be stubborn about returning it to you unless you let them repair it - which would mean loss of the original parts.

You say you are not satisfied with it, which begs the question why you bought it (

), but given that, I would say sell it. (And yes, I have done the same thing many times, so I don't mean that to sound like I am being critical.)

Edit - Should have added that I am partial to old guns like that one, so my views are definitely slanted in its favor. If it were mine, I would leave it alone or refinish it, but I am sure I wouldn't sell it.

 

[S682]

I know that I'm a bit strange but I would have it bead blasted and reblued at S&W.... I love a bead blasted finish!

 

[Indian4]

I'm not really a fan of refinishing anything, guns, furniture, etc. I like something old to have character. That 29 has character. If you only had one and wanted a really nice one, I'd understand refinishing. But if you have others, meh. I voted to sell it.

The fact that I'm shopping for a 4" had no influence whatsoever on my vote...I promise.

 

[Bill Bates]

If it was your only 29 I would say keep it and shoot it until something better comes along. You have others and I assume shoot them; so, I would lean towards selling it off. In my local market I think $350 might be a more realistic price. In your area maybe that is low.

I can't see tossing money at it having it reblued unless you have some other special reason to keep it. Even then, I would lean toward feeling it earned its wear honestly; so, I would leave it alone.

I don't see any up side to putting money into it to make it pretty.

 

[wraco]

What Bill said.

Rod

 

[Doc44]

Left as is or reblued by S&W, it is still a "shooter" Model 29-2 with little collector value.

Bill

 

[dewidmt]

Leave it be! A little blue wear gives it character. Plus you now have a perfect "woods bummin'" gun that you can hunt with or pack around and not worry about any scratches or scuffs. A little finish wear isn't affecting the function any!

 

[MaineProbation]

The last gun I had re-blued at S&W was a rather battered pre-29 5-screw #S173912 built in 1957. That was done in 1984 and it came back looking like new. Although it was done by a different bluing process than originally, many people have handled it and swear it is a factory original finish. If they can still work that kind of magic at S&W, I would go for it.

 

[Raider]

I would leave it alone. Honest wear gives it character; besides, its the perfect woods and trail gun.

 

[toroflow1]

Thanks for all the replies, and keep em coming! Since I am fairly "set" for a 4" 29/629 trail gun, I think I will sell this one the way it is.

 

[Centurian77]

You always need one good truck gun. This is an all around beater of a weapon that you pretty much just carry while camping, fishing, or hiking. This would fill that role nicely. I hate safe queens, pointless to look at something when your afraid to actually use it as intended. If you want to make it nice then by all means get it re-blued. Either way it will only be worth about the same.

 

[310Pilot]

Since you're not satisfied with it as is, and you have other 29s "that serve your purposes," I would sell it. You won't get the money out of the cost to re-blue it above and beyond its current value, so re-bluing is not a good investment strategy, and, if you keep it as is, the condition of the finish will always bug you. BTW, S&W no longer re-blues in-house, but sends them out to a subcontractor for that. I've heard varying results on recent "factory" re-blues, ranging from good to poor, but most seem to feel that the current work is not up to the standards of S&W before they started subbing out the rebluing. An earlier comment regarding the potential for S&W to insist that they replace some parts (likely with MIM stuff) if their inspection indicates some small glitches is also a consideration. If I were to have the gun refinished, I'd probably use Fords, although they are more expensive.

 

[Win]

If you do a reblue from S&W, stick with the bead blast finish. Cheapest to do, looks great and wears well. To try and refinish to "original condition" will be $300 or more for a brite master reblue....money you will never see again.

My 29-2 with factory bead blast re-finish and new mountain gun rebarrel (to replace original with rusting bore...the little streaks up by the hammer at the side plate are just oil smears):

 

[Match10]

I'm one who would let a good smith do a quality blue job on it. The gun has earned it, and it is a genuine shooter. Any usable gun in that condition (exclusive of so-called collector interest) deserve to be preserved.

 

[cmort666]

It depends entirely upon how YOU feel about it.

I had my 4" reblued by S&W a few years ago. Of course I had no real choice because S&W damaged the barrel while it was in for repairs. I simply could not live with the gun in that condition since it was hardly "honest wear".

They had no replacement barrels, so I had to procure one on my own and I couldn't find ANY in like new condition.

After a lot of wrangling, the whole gun was reblued. They (or whomever they subcontracted) did an excellent job.

The gun's worth no more now than my police surplus Glock 19, but at least it looks good. I plan to CCW it this winter when I can find an appropriate OWB holster for it.

I didn't have to pay for the reblue job on the gun, so that wasn't a factor. Appearance was the sole consideration. Here in NE Ohio, I couldn't POSSIBLY get a replacement for a sane price.

If I were you, I wouldn't sell the gun if it's in good mechanical shape. I simply couldn't replace it these days. It's not like they're making new 29-2s, or even replacement parts for them anymore. That just leaves whether to reblue or not. Since it came to you in it's present condition, I'd leave it as-is. If you like the gun but hate the finish, reblue it. It won't be worth much, but you'll have a solid self-defense gun that will not just put somebody down for the count, but will look good doing it.

Sometimes esthetics are more important than economics.

 

[arfmel]

Whatcha want for it? It looks "just right" to me.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

I would do one of two finish's on it, #1 The bead blast blue from S&W and #2 is a brush hard chrome. Depend's on the type of finish you like. Those two would be my pick.

 

[tomhenry]

Are you able to shoot a lot? Like, do you live on a ranch and this is your daily carry gun?

Or do you rarely shoot? By rarely, I mean maybe once a month?

If it's a daily work gun, I'd leave it as it is. If you don't shoot much anyway, I'd let Smith reblue.

But like one of our resident experts already said (and we've got some true sages here), Smith might take a notion to stick a different, non recessed cylinder in it. They've been known to do that.

I've also heard where they couldn't use the existing sideplate and put a blank one on, with the S&W logo on the other side.

It's important you talk to somebody in the service department. Get a name. Then give them specific instructions not to make any changes. Repeat that in the packing info.

Or, you could bypass Smith and go to Turnbill or Fords.