S&W revolver bluing endurance over time ?

[Texan]

I have been reading about blued revolvers vs. stainless alot lately.
A question keeps coming to my mind regarding older vs. newer bluing techniques.
Were the older S&W's( before 1950 ) blued using a better and longer lasting procedure?
Any older gunsmiths out there who can enlighten me ?

I see blued guns on the forum that are decades old and still look better in my opinion than later models.
I know the owners play a big role in this as far as cleaning, maintenance etc.

How did the cops on the beat keep blued revolvers in working order with them
exposed to rain, sweat, blood etc - especially being carried in a leather holster all day ??
Everyone states blued guns are so fragile and rust prone. I say yes & no to this.
If taken care of daily a blued gun will do just fine. Saltwater could prove a problem I guess.

I have 1970's rifles/shotguns that are blued and still look super.
My oldest S&W is a 17-3 and it's finish is still @ 98% after about 4500 rnds.
But when I see older M&P ( model 10's ), K22's, K38's they seem to have a deeper
blue - not as shiney-just better.

I still like blued guns better - especially model 19's my favorite S&W !

Any thoughts or opinions are sure welcome especially from the older crowd .

Thanks, JW

 

[Bert Man]

bluing endurance

Texan, I have a blue model 36 purchased new in 1974. Carried it as a backup and off-duty for nearly 30 years, often in an ankle holster in all kinds of wearher condions. Bluing is nearly as good as when new except for some finish wear at muzzle and cylinder face. Wiped it frequently with Break Free and wiped it daily with soft dry cloth. Early in LEO career carried blue Model 19 duty weapon in uniform. Same drill. In really stormy weather some us placed a zip-loc bag over the butt to protect from heavy rain. No joke, some wizard came up with the idea and we all tried it. Looked a little silly but it sorta worked. Bluing held up surprisingly well. Of course when we switched to SS Model 66 about 1975 nobody missed dealing a blued weapon. I continued to maintain that SS weapon just as I had the blued models. Looked almost new when I later turned it in for our new issued Glock 21 in early nineties. Might add that stinless is highly rust resistant but is not rustproof and I find a blue S&W more visually appealling, but that's me somebody else might have the opposite opinion. So I will say that unless it must be subjected to harsh
conditions either one is a great choice.

 

[Bert Man]

Texan, I have a blue model 36 purchased new in 1974. Carried it as a backup and off-duty for nearly 30 years, often in an ankle holster in all kinds of wearher condions. Bluing is nearly as good as when new except for some finish wear at muzzle and cylinder face. Wiped it frequently with Break Free and wiped it daily with soft dry cloth. Early in LEO career carried blue Model 19 duty weapon in uniform. Same drill. In really stormy weather some us placed a zip-loc bag over the butt to protect from heavy rain. No joke, some wizard came up with the idea and we all tried it. Looked a little silly but it sorta worked. Bluing held up surprisingly well. Of course when we switched to SS Model 66 about 1975 nobody missed dealing a blued weapon. I continued to maintain that SS weapon just as I had the blued models. Looked almost new when I later turned it in for our new issued Glock 21 in early nineties. Might add that stinless is highly rust resistant but is not rustproof and I find a blue S&W more visually appealling, but that's me somebody else might have the opposite opinion. So I will say that unless it must be subjected to harsh
conditions either one is a great choice.

Texan almost forgot to offer my opinion on olders vs. newer bluing quality. I think many of the older bluing jobs probably had a better appearance and I credit that with the level of craftsmanship in earlier years; believe the older guns were taken to a higher degree of polishing prior to bluing. Were those blue jobs more durable? Don't know, but some of them sure looked good.

 

[n4zov]

A lot of the difference in old and new bluing is due to the care taken in polishing the gun before the bluing process. The older S&W's were carefully polished by workers who knew what they were doing and who took pride in their work. It was also important to the company's management that their products looked good so they would be competitive in the marketplace. In those days, the good folks making revolvers in Hartford knew a thing or two about bluing and polishing too, and consumers had a choice between the two brands. A lousy finish was not going to sell a lot of guns. Today, the idea is to get something out the door because the public will buy it anyway.

 

[judge]

I've owned blue Smiths from almost every decade, going back to pre- WW 1. Some were still mint when I bought them. It's all up to the owner. If you take care of them, and store them properly, they will look good forever. Blue guns are ruined by the owners and no other reason.