Refurbed 66 back from S&W

[John Patrick]

OP, I don't love what S&W did wrt the finish, but you've got a reliable, "worry free," carry revolver. Enjoy it for what it is.

 

[VictorLouis]

THanks for all of the input, all.

Iou know what assumed stands for, right?

Yeah, and OUCH, Brutha!

They made it more or less presentable and (hopefully) 100% reliable functionally.

I too would like to know the initial purchase price and the refit/refurbish charges.

....

However you knowingly bought a rusted firearm then sent it off for a makeover. It sounds like your expectations were too high

They only had so much to work with

As others have already pointed out, this was never going to be more than a shooter

I am guessing that Smith & Wesson gave you a price/estimate before starting the work. You could have had it sent back untouched if the price was too high

I think I've come to terms with that line of thought. The following if from their site:
High Bright Polish (Blue, Stainless Steel or Nickel) - $275
Glass Bead Nickel (except Stainless) - $220
Standard Polish & Blue - $220
Glass Bead Blue & Stainless Steel - $170

However, mine was a bit over $300, I think for the sight, plus the shipping.

 

[smithman]

I'd have likely cleaned that up myself. Still, I think S&W did ok. Did you expect to have all pitting polished out and unnoticeable , etc? I'm not attacking you. Honest question.

 

[kbm6893]

I've resurrected a few guns that were in bad shape. I would have taken it apart after soaking the screws in Kroil, given it a week long bath in ATF, and given it a thorough cleaning. But sending it to Smith means they inspected all the parts, so that's a plus.

Bottom line, it looks nice now and you'll make more money. Go shoot it.

 

[StakeOut]

I've always made it a personal rule to just say no to project firearms no matter how good the price.
I have bought a lot of police demilled guns just for the cheaper parts.

 

[ruger 22]

I am not a collector so this gun looks great to me. It would be sheer pleasure to shoot this. My guess is also that you did OK with it. Enjoy it in good health.

 

[ironhead7544]

I would be happy with that one. Perfectly good carry revolver.

 

[AveragEd]

I guess I'm being overly fussy but I wouldn't be happy with that job. I mean, when you send something back to the manufacturer for restoration work, you expect it to be restored not just "made better."

By comparison, here are some "after" photos of a no-dash Model 67 I bought used a few years back. It had been polished to a gloss that would have made a '60s Cadillac bumper envious and had a few scuffs and scratches on it. My gunsmith dissembled the gun, went over it completely and did his restoration of the brushed stainless finish for $115. It came to me with no stocks - it had a rubber grip on it in the photos the seller sent me so I installed a set of checkered targets from my collection.

Ed

 

[M29since14]

I can't tell much from the photos, but that gun looks "decent" to me. I've certainly seen a lot worse.

A long time ago I bought a police trade-in 66 from now-defunct SOG. Stamped NJ DEPT OF CORR below the cylinder window, left side. It was pretty funky when it arrived, but also obvious it hadn't been fired much. After considerable cleaning, a new rear sight blade, a new red ramp insert, a Power end-shake shim, and a set of light-colored checkered targets, I started using it. I still have it. It's not beautiful, but I have grown to really like it and it gets more use than any of my other .357s. Hopefully you'll have similar thoughts about your refurbed 66 some day.

 

[LOBO]

Looks good to me.

 

[sigp220.45]

A great DIY shooter. Because it's a 2.5", I'd be all over it for $300.

I think that was for the refurb. Figure at least $400 - $450 for the gun, so the tab is up over $700 plus shipping. That would be a nice deal still if Smith returned it to original condition, which they didn't.

 

[firearmsunlimited]

I don't know why anyone would give a kid a buffer to play with!

 

[schutz5]

Hope it's not off topic but I would like to spif up my 66-1. I love the factory finish.
So does the gray pad work for finish ' maintenance' ? Thanks