Can pitting and rust be repaired?

[ChasMack]

I was looking at a S&W for sale cheap, but has rusting and pitting on barrel and frame. Can a gunsmith who does refinishing repair this type of damage? If so what would the approximate price be? The gun costs $150.00 and is perfect inside and perfect mechanically...just needs a major facelift.

 

[rcmodel]

Surface rust can be repaired by polishing and re-bluing.

Deep pitting, not so much.
It perhaps could be bead blasted, and then re-blued.
Or Parkerized.
The rough surface texture would hide some of the pitting.
Or Dura-Coated, in which the pit's could be filled beforehand with filler and then painted over with Dura-Coat.


Cost would be in the same neighborhood as what you paid for the gun or more in most good shops.
http://www.fordsguns.com/index2-1.htm
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...4_750001_750051_775657_-1_757896_757896_image

So, pretty soon, your $150 great buy S&W becomes a not so great buy $300-$350 refinished S&W.

rc

 

[ChasMack]

True, but that's why I'd only spend $150.00. I know refinishing it will cost a few bucks but hopefully,depending on who does the work, the price will still work out cheaper or at worst the same as a 90% or more Smith you'd get on Gunbroker or some other site. I've seen some Model 13, or 65's for $400-$500. The 13 is what I am looking at and you don't see menay of those.

 

[dfariswheel]

A really good re-finisher can do wonders with a pitted gun, but some are simply too deep to polish out without noticeably removing a lot of metal.

The usual local gunsmiths who still even offer gun bluing seldom do a good job because they don't do enough metal polishing to acquire or maintain the skills.

95% of a good blue job is in the hand polishing and if the polisher doesn't have the "touch" sharp edges and corners get rounded off, holes get dished out, and the flats will have ugly ripples in them.
The metal may be dark blue and shiny but to anyone who knows guns it'll look like the botch job it is.

These days you get to pick one: Good bluing, or cheap bluing.
Decent bluing starts around $150 minimum, but again, you'd be surprised what a real professional can do.

 

[CraigC]

Honest wear and surface rust are one thing, pitting is another. Unless it's a relatively scarce or collectible model, you're almost always better off buying a good example than refinishing a dog. You'll end up spending at least as much to fix up that $150 gun as it would cost to buy a good one but the result will be inferior to a good original in every way. I could understand it if it was an old 1950 Target .44Spl that was good mechanically, because a good one in original condition will cost at least $1500.

 

[ChasMack]

I looked at the gun close and I say the pitting at the last 1" of barrel is quite deep, the rest looks fixable. I'd have to refinish the grip or just buy some someone was selling that would fit...I guess it would be more trouble than it's worth. Thanks for saving me what hair I have left

 

[W.E.G.]

the pitting at the last 1" of barrel is quite deep

...and they want $150 for it?

That's a sucker price.

Sounds like that gun is barely worth $50.

 

[Jim K]

Unless you are looking for a "project" to waste time on, find a gun in better shape, or get a lot better deal on the rusted one. "You don't see many of those" sounds like a collector's comment, and any work you have done will destroy the collector value.

If you want a cheap, but serviceable gun, and can get a better price, buy the rusted one and just shoot/carry it like it is. No big deal if you drop it in the mud. Or, if you want a good looking gun, buy one in better shape.

Jim