Need to reblue my great grandfathers guns. Opinions needed.

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

snaggletoothshooter

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
7
Hello everyone. This is my first thread. I would like to know the opinions of more experienced and knowledgeable gun owners.

My situation:

I recently inherited my great grandfathers Smith & Wesson .22, (pre-17 model/made in 1948).

It shoots great and looks good but does have some tarnish and rust, on the barrel and cylinder mainly. This gun is very special to me and I will never sell it.....I only want to do whatever will preserve it and make it last/function the longest, not hold or increase it's monetary value.

My dad's situation:

Dad has a Winchester model 12, 16 ga. shotgun which was also my great grandfathers. My dad was given this when he was a teenager and has had and used it to this day. However it has been subjected to the elements here in Central Kentucky without proper care/rust prevention. Needless to say, it still functions flawlessly but it looks like crap, the barrel is very rusty.

Our solution?:

I am an avid knife collector and user and I know what rust can do to steel. This leads me to believe that having the guns professionally reblued would be the best option to prevent the rust from spreading while prolonging the life of the firearms.

If you disagree, please convince me that I shouldn't have them reblued. :cuss:

If you agree, please suggest who I should get to do this work for me. I live in Kentucky, so someone around here would be a plus. But I'm willing to ship them anywhere over the U.S. if I need to. I just want to get a top quality job from a reputable gunsmith. :scrutiny:

Thanks!!! :evil: (I like the smilies here)

-Matt
 
Don't do it!! No current re blue will ever match the S&W finish you now have. The quality of polishing and hand finishing is just not there, and the process now used is totally different.

Clean it, with the grips off, wipe down with Kerosene to kill any rust. Then clean it again using IPA or lighter fluid. lube as necessary. Finally apply a lite coat of Johnson's paste wax let the wax haze up buff off, then reapply a lite second coat and buff off. Gently clean the grips with Murphie's (Sp) oil soap. Dry well. Unless you are very experienced with wood refinishing keep all other cleaners away from the grips.

Ps. your pre. 17 does have a collectors’ following therefore an increased value, which would be greatly reduced it it was re blued.
 
I just want to get a top quality job from a reputable gunsmith
Click to expand...

Three options spring to mind:

1) Smith and Wesson will refinish the revolver and do about the best job anyone could do.

2) Doug Turnbull of Turnbull Restorations can restore any gun to museum-quality perfection. http://www.turnbullmfg.com/ If anyone can do it better than S&W, it's probably Turnbull's.

3) Ford's is extremely good as well: http://www.fordsguns.com/

These services will run you several hundred dollars per gun, but less expensive options are probably not going to suit you.
 
I currently have a top break 2nd model S&W getting the nickel removed and blued by George Roghaar http://gunblue.homestead.com/Index.html. He had plenty of good reviews and was a huge help when i asked questions, and his prices were reasonable for this kinda job.

If you do get it refinished, its going to lose its value in the resale dept. But if its not a gun you would ever resell, i would say go for it...
 
When you consider whether or not to alter it don't forget that you likely aren't the last owner. IMHO your grandkids will appreciate a flawed but well preserved original family heirloom much more than a restored one.
 
Reblue s&w

For one thing.....if it is messed up...then a proper RE-FINISH can only help it out..
By all means -- SEND IT TO S&W - and have them do it... Same with the
WINCHESTER Shotgun..Don't send it to some yoyo.. I did once...and never again.. I either do it myself - or send it to the factory.. Who am I.??? A Gunsmith for over 50 years..... A retired US Government ARMORER... LUGERS used to be my specialty... Now -- anything US MILITARY.... I know the drill - and and don't mess around.... Get it done right...send the pieces to the factory.......:eek:
 
I'd leave them as-is. There's nothing wrong with some honest wear on a firearm, especially one that's been handed down through the family. You won't ever increase the value of a gun by refinishing it, when you consider the current value PLUS the cost of refinishing. Then you have a refinished gun that doesn't look like the gun you inherited, so that's my argument.

I still have a little Winchester .22 rifle my father left to me when he passed away. It could use some refinishing, but you know what? I still remember the time I was about 6 years old and we crossed through a barbed wire fence chasing a wounded rabbit and the rifle hitting one of the barbs, resulting in a good scratch on the butt. No way I would ever want tthat removed or refinished out. Too many memories there.
 
You won't ever increase the value of a gun by refinishing it, when you consider the current value PLUS the cost of refinishing.
Click to expand...
Not always true. A collectable is value diminished by refinishing(generally speaking) but few firearms are truly collectable. A run of the mill gun can greatly benefit from a good bluing job,especially a good high polish job. Now,it may not cover the cost of the work done but the value will be increased over it's prior worth. I do my own hot blue so cost (to me) for refinishing is minimal.
 
You won't ever increase the value of a gun by refinishing it, when you consider the current value PLUS the cost of refinishing.
Click to expand...
Jimmyray speaks truth. There ARE guns who's value is so high due to scarcity and/or original condition that refinishing will "ruin" that value.

But there are many more guns which are not inherently valuable because many are still around, and which are in rough, abused, or just worn out shape. A rusty and beat up Model 12, for example, isn't worth much as a shooter and very little, if anything, to a collector. Refinishing it well (and that's a big "IF") can bring back quite a bit of value in both enjoyment to the owner, and price if sold.

There's a fine line between a cherished old gun that has some "honest wear" and a once-proud whipped-on beater that no one wants much to do with anymore because it looks worthless, the stock is cracked, some small parts are missing or worn out, etc.

Can restoring it recoup the $200+ cost of a high-quality re-bluing, and possibly the significant cost of stock repair or refinishing? Probably not, but maybe, depending on the gun.

But, if it's grandpop's Model 12, and it looks like crud after many years of "truck gun" service or whatever, I can understand a fond grandson wanting to bring it back to pristine condition.

It is always a good idea to investigate the gun and make sure you're not screwing around with some piece of history with a significant past. (Don't refinish the Spencer rifle Abe Lincoln shot with Christopher Spencer on the White House back lawn in 1863 ... if you happen to have it. :eek:) In fact, I'd probably err on the side of caution. But if you know the history and the gun is a) common and b) in really sad shape, having someone like Turnbull restore it would be a grand thing to do, IMHO.
 
Last edited:
chhodge69 said:
When you consider whether or not to alter it don't forget that you likely aren't the last owner. IMHO your grandkids will appreciate a flawed but well preserved original family heirloom much more than a restored one.
Click to expand...
Leave as is, clean & wax as in the first post said. I have my Grandfather's before and after WWI and Dad's shotguns, rifles and pistol. I don't fire any of them. I have a young grandson that will enjoy having them along with mine. My guns are from E. KY and were well used, a '97 of Grandpa's doesn't have any blue at all and Dad's Browning is well worn also.
 
Even Smith & Wesson no longer replicates their old "Bright Blue" exactly.I would just clean up the rust and not bother with refinishing, unless only the very best people, with processes as close as possible to original, do it.
 
I agree with the above posters.
Smith and Wesson cannot/will not replicate the quality level of old world blueing.
The hazards associated with the processes make them difficult to comply with health and safety regulations in many areas.

If you really must refinish the gun, spend the money, it will be expensive, have it done right by a professional restorer.
 
Refinishing guns in most instances does take away from value. Even in museums valuable guns are not refinished.
Click to expand...
Once more, the guns in museums are there as historical artifacts -- more important for their ability to tell the story of an event or place than as a working item. In fact, they are very unlikely to be shot or even handled again, ever. They are frozen in time as a relic. OF COURSE they are not refinished -- that would remove their ability to tell part of their story.

Common weapons that are to be appreciated as users rather than preserved relics may benefit from restoring -- depending on matters such as rarity and individual historical significance (in which case they should probably be relegated to historic relic/artifact status) and condition, current market value, and the intents and desires of the owner.

If the owner, as medalguy shared, wants it to continue to tell the story of treasured hunts and "honest" wear through shared good times, he shouldn't have those marks erased.

If the owner wants an old, beat-up, common gun to be able to continue to tell the (sad) story that it sat in the corner of the porch for 40 years getting rained on -- well, then he shouldn't have it refinished. But chances are, that isn't a story most current owners care to see reflected in the rusty surface of a gun that was once treasured, but that fell on hard times.
 
Refinishing guns in most instances does take away from value.
Click to expand...
There are many MORE guns in the "re-finishable" catagory than are collectable historical relics/artifacts. These "working guns" are almost always improved in looks and resale value if properly refinished. Same thing goes for the obligatory "matching numbers" which is so prevelent in adds for old guns even SKSs and AKs. Matching numbers mean nothing to the performance or value of an everyday usage gun. Original finish,matching numbers et.al. are only of importance to serious collectors. Most people will never handle, let alone own a true collectable. So it all comes down to owner preference and budget limitations. If I were in the OP's situation,I would leave them as-is but nothing is really lost when refinishing family heirlooms.
 
The only thing that I have ever seen work in bluing was done at home. A product called G96 Paste Bluing. I have found it on a Google search, but not in stores in our area.

This stuff is the consistency of car wax, and not the liquid paste in a tube.
 
I have had two guns refinished and regretted it both times.
Click to expand...
That sometimes happens. Either the refinishing isn't done properly or the end result isn't as expected. In my personal experience,my dad had his dad's old shotgun(originally bought by my great-uncle for $4.25 new). It wasn't worth much except sentimentally. It was a badly rusted Iver Johnson take-down 12 guage single shot,marketed as "The Hero". My brother and I gave it a high polish reblue,refinished the stock with Tru-Oil and had the local custom wheel shop replace the nickle on the receiver. We also replaced the bead with a new one. We presented it to our dad as a birthday present. His tears were worth much more than the cost of refinishing (which we did ourselves and the cost to re-nickle the receiver was $6.00)and there isn't enough money to buy it today.
 
I would say leave them alone, your only going to destroy history and value.
Click to expand...
I agree with leaving them alone but nothing will be destroyed if he does otherwise(provided it is correctly done).
 
Evidently it's not very "bad" from the OP's description:

It shoots great and looks good but does have some tarnish and rust, on the barrel and cylinder mainly. This gun is very special to me and I will never sell it.....I only want to do whatever will preserve it and make it last/function the longest, not hold or increase it's monetary value.

Agreed if it was a POS from the junk pile of history it might be better to restore it, but this sounds more like a gun that's had what I referred to as "honest wear" and I still think it would be better to clean it and wax it and leave it alone. A gun with a little wear that has had the expense of complete refinishing might look good, but if the OP wants to shoot it, and I believe he said that, then the condition will go down as soon as he turns the cylinder a few times. The expense of refinishing can't be justified here.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Keep 'em coming. I am still undecided on what to do.

Here are some pics of the S&W pre-17 for reference. Don't have pics of dads Winchester shotgun but it is way worse than this revolver.

Looks really good from this distance on a cloudy day:







But closer up on a sunny day you can easily see rust:









What do you guys think now that you have pics? Anybody change their mind on what I should do with the pistol?

I was going to respond to some comments individually but can't quite seem to figure out how to "quote" someone's comment on this forum. Any one care to help me with this?

-Matt
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Finding my Grandfather's Guns
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
CZguy
C
E
  • Locked
How much should it cost to reblue a revolver?
Replies
18
Views
14K
22-rimfire
2
J
  • Locked
Just inherited my grandfather's gun.
Replies
11
Views
1K
entropy
entropy
G
  • Locked
To reblue or not to reblue?
Replies
18
Views
659
m2steven
M
B
  • Locked
Sending to Remington to reblue a model 1100 shotgun
Replies
2
Views
1K
35Rem
3
Back
Top