Rebluing lessens value?

Itll lessen the value

Personally, I'd pay more for a nice shiny gat. Those are not rare.

Does rebluing (or for that matter, any refinishing) lessen a gun's value?

Easy answer... Yes and no.

It depends on:

1. What is the firearm in question
2. What is its present condition
3. Exactly how will the gun be polished before the new finish is applied.

In answering I try to be specific in relation to a Colt's 1908 Vest Pocket Pistol.

This particular pistol has both a user and collector value. The latter one is usually higher. Collectors want all of the original finish they can get, and the more there is the more they will pay. Part of the reason is during the time it was made, Colt used two different methods of bluing the 1908, and neither is available today. They also Parkerized a handful they sold to the U.S. Army during World War Two. This, and nickel plating are the only regular "original finishes" that can be reproduced.

All of this means nothing to most users who would accept any blue on the basis of "blue is blue," and let it go at that.

From your description I would conclude that it has lost enough of the original finish to the point where most collectors (at least the big-bucks kind) wouldn't be interested in your pistol.

However a user won't be interested either if you have it reblued (or whatever) and it looks like it was polished on a bench grinder.

A careful polishing job will likely require a lot of hand work, to keep flats, flat and edges true. Too much machine buffing will wipe out lettering and numbers, and destroy the "crisp" look it had when it left the factory.

A top quality blue job can cost more then the gun itself is worth, and while it may add value to a potential buyer, the difference may not be enough so that if you sell the gun you can recover the cost of refinishing.

With all this said, I would advise you either pay what is necessary to get top quality refinishing, or leave the gun as it is now. The real question I can't answer is: "What is the little Colt worth to you?" Keep in mind they don't make them anymore.

For a collector, it would decrease the value, because they want it as original as possible. But for the average shooter, he would want his gun as shiny and new as possible, raising the value.

For the gun you are talking about rebluing is not going to drop the value enough to make any difference so if you want, go for it.

you can send it back to colt for a factory reblue.
a factory reblue doesn't hurt the collector value as much as having billy bobs gunsmithin do the job

yes, thin bluing and slight rust are always preferred over a bright new bluing.

Myself, I would rather have the old finish, and save the cost of the bluing.

I know that some people will disagree with my theory.

As a hobby, I some times re-finish guns, but my victims are usually newer and less collectible.

If I were going to re-finish it, I would consider some thing more exotic, like electroless nickel. I know collectors will scream bloody murder, but they are already screaming for you not to refinish it anyway.

The really nice thing about refinishing a gun is that you can put it off for a long long time, thus saving lots of money.

Unless you are willing to spend big bucks for a really professional polish and reblue, a "normal" reblue is a good way to take a $300 gun, spend $100 on a reblue and turn it into a $200 gun. The first thing any knowledgeable buyer will point out when negotiating a price is the fact it has been reblued. It automatically will lower the value.
On the other hand, if you are planning on keeping it for personal use and the shiny finish is important to you.... go for it. Just don't expect to recoup your costs on sale.....

IMHO this "collector" idea is waaaay overplayed. Just because the gun is old does not make it desirable to true collectors. There are a host of other factors that are more important to collectors than age such as how rare it is, model variations, historical significance.

There are common posts like my S&W has a double stamp on the model number or the model number on the frame is incorrect. It is used, has a worn finish and pitting from rust. I found it in a pawn shop and have cleaned it up. The gun is out of time and the rear sight is damaged. Should I get it fixed? It brought the gun for $xxx but what is it worth to a "collector."

Typical response: Yep you got a collectors gun there. It is worth $x,xxx to $xx,xxx in my area. Don't shoot it or get it fixed.

And so the owner runs around thinking he has a valuable run of mill gun instead of fixing it and enjoying it for what it is; a run of the mill handgun productin handgun.

As already posted I would agree a well worn common gun like your 25 is a old piece with a interesting history (a 25 for self-defense). I would enjoy it for what it is and refinish it if that pleases you.

Refinish and you will be doing a service to collectors. For every refinished gun there is one less of that model with original finish remaining thereby raising its value...

The main question to ask yourself is do you ever care about selling it? Do you care about your heirs selling it? If the answer to both of those is "No", then the value shouldn't be important. Do what you will to it.

If you do care about those things though, it's a simple and inescapable fact that on older guns a reblue lessens the value for resale. It may increase its useful value to YOU, but from a monetary standpoint you're paying more money to make your gun worth less money.

There is more than one answer to this.

First, refinishing comes in many shades, from a poor job all the way to a proper restauration to the original finish.

The utalitarian value will definitely not get hurt by a good refinishing job and an excellent restauration will fool everone but the knoiwledgeable and discriminating collector that has more money invested in literature than most have in guns.

That said, I like my Luger P.08s, SIG P210-4, and my Korth to be in the original finish, most others of lesser value I will always consider to "improve" to serve the purpose that they were intended for; shooting. And a good bluing will help to preserve the steel better than a very worn finish.

an excellent restauration will fool everone but the knoiwledgeable and discriminating collector

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Just to pull your chain a little, Is this really the intent of a quality refinish, to fool someone into paying an original price for something they think is original, but isn't?

Actually, if I could make the rules, I would require that all refinishes would be marked as such somewhere on the gun....

You can't pull my chain. I have magazines for my P210 alone that probably cost more than your best gun.

But to stay on the subject, my guns are only there to please one person; me - and my children thereafter.

hso said:

It will reduce the value, but if you don't intend to resell it that's not much of an issue.

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Very True. The Colt purists will tell you NEVER refinish, EVER. Then you'll have your NIB Colt Purists but that's a different breed altogther. The M1908 Vest Pocket is a neat little pistol and if you search GB you'll see quite a few available at various prices. IF you want a pristine example then buy one in that condition. The cost to refinish THIS particular Colt model really isn't practical, IMHO.
FWIW I have 2, one that's original and one that I picked up at a gun show that was obviously refinished but it came with the Colt holster and the hagglin price was too good for me to pass on. I shoot both and they are a hoot.

Here's the unmolested one with 2 "friends":




Here's the refinished in her little rig

I have magazines for my P210 alone that probably cost more than your best gun

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You're paying too much for your magazines........




(And I could buy 2 or 3 P210's (The pistol, not just the magazines) for the value of this one)

Still not pulling my chain. I am a shooter, not a collector and if the mags for the P210 do not suffice, my Hämmerli 208 and rimfire PP, and P.08 mags will.

I'll call your spare mags and raise you these two........

Hey,

you bring up an air gun???

Not fair, so here we go, I include FWB air rifles, save me the trouble to post all my FWB and Walther airguns, please, nor my relaoding and casting stuff:

Just if you haven't noticed it, I am a shooter not so much of a collector. I even own Glocks

Not an airgun... Hammerli M162 Free Pistol in .22LR and I thought we were comparing my guns to your magazines...
If you want to go gun to gun, here's my next shot......



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