How do you deal with cosmetic damage to a pretty gun?

[Mike J]

Beer

I'm allergic to that stuff. I break out in handcuffs.

Dings and dents from honest usage have to be accepted but of course corrected if possible.

They're like campaign ribbons on a soldier's chest reflecting good and true service.

I remember AA's protocol was 12 steps.

Terry, friend of Bill's, 230RN, working on my 30-year chip --February 9th 1993 at 7:47 PM MST

Not to derail the thread, but one must celebrate one's victories.
REFs:
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+friend+of+Bill's
\https://findrecovery.com/how-do-i-get-an-aa-chip/

Fund a pic of that bookend dealie...

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=192169&d=1386618633

You aren't the only one. 2-7-88.

As for the OP the only one that really bothered me was an idiot scratch on a SR 1911. Fortunately a little work with a scotch-brite pad & it blended right in.

 

[starnbar]

To me they are a tool just like a saw or hammer didn't buy them to hang on the wall as art. I take care of my kit and it works 100% and does what it was designed for if you ever saw one of my x rays you would say man that looks like 10 miles of bad road

 

[theotherwaldo]

None of my guns are pretty.

I think that a few are handsome, though.

 

[doubleh]

First response is usually saying "dammit" followed by a promise to be more careful in the future. I have some that that has worked on and some that it hasn't. Guns just go around looking for some reason to get bunged up. It's like they have DNA that is telling them "get scratched" constantly.

 

[Meeks36]

A few curse words some decent scotch and life goes on. Or dwell on it till it drives you mad. Sell it at a discount and buy a new one. Sit it in the safe and never take it out. Better yet don’t open the safe. Better safe then sorry. I’ve knocked a few over in my safe.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

None of my guns are pretty.

I think that a few are handsome, though.

And if they ain't handsome at least they're handy...

 

[Swampman]

...literally are having a date night with said gun...

Now that's a disturbing mental image.

You DO realize that the gun can't legally give consent, right?

 

[Mark_Mark]

Now that's a disturbing mental image.

You DO realize that the gun can't legally give consent, right?

yuck monster!!!

 

[BushMaster-15]

Personally guns which have scars have tales to tell ,memorabilia history points of interest recollections ,some day YOU will appreciate those as REMINDERS of times gone by . One must Live life and not allow it too pass you buy ,as it's NOT REPLACEABLE .

Had I known back then what I know now ,I'd more than likely be DECEASED

 

[peeplwtchr]

I was talking to my pistol instructor about wear, and I concluded that any particular gun is either a collectible which dictates that you shouldn't shoot it if wear is a concern, or it is a gun for shooting. I can't identify that there are any other use cases, as wear is inevitable with a gun to be shot.

 

[Ethan Verity]

I let it bother me until I try to fix it. At which point, I almost always make it even worse!

 

[DM~]

I don't worry about it no matter how much the gun is worth; I hunt with everything I own, and that's part of gun ownership so why worry about it!

I'm not selling them and when I pass one on, I don't care if the next person gets less for it or not! AND you know most of them will sell them!

DM

 

[MutinousDoug]

You know what?

Floor wax.
It's waterproof, makes your gun shiny (until you smudge it up with your nasty fingerprints), You can use it on your stocks as well as any steel your gun may still have, doesn't hurt anything and it's cheap.

 

[Handshaker]

I am in the same boat, love pristine weapons which is why i only buy SS unless what i want doesn't come in ss. I bought a Springfield loaded champion last year for 550, it had numerous handling marks on the top of the slide which is matte stainless. I put it in my blast cabinet after field stripping it and taping off the shiny ss and i bead blasted it.It looked perfect once done. I then realized i prefer full sized 1911's and not commanders, I sold it for 900. Not bad for an hours work. If i scrape an ar or anodized finish, a matte black fingernail polish is hard to tell the difference from ano. SS you can just polish it and matte ss you can bead blast it.