Master Blaster... nice thread... it's interesting to see pics with wear marks... only a few of my guns have wear marks because I have so many that most of them don't see a lot of use and I tend to handle them and shoot them with such care that they don't look used at all.
But I totally agree that having guns for use is important. I like the concept of having a number of guns, some of which are given gentle, occasional use and a others which are intended to be used often and heavily.
I find I can use a gun (if not carried in a pocket or holster) quite a bit without causing any noticible wear on it. But daily pocket and holster carry all day every day for years will certainly help it to accumulate some character, which is cool. I use some of my guns for home/RV defense use and occasional range use only and they're never holstered. These seem suspended in time from an appearance standpoint. But I find I have to use great care putting them in and removing them from the safe to avoid contact with the other guns in there during the handling process, but by exercising great care in this handling, they can look like new for a long time, even though they are handled and fired now and then.
For me, getting the guns in and out of the safe and setting them down on my desk, night stand, shooting bench, etc. are the major opportunities for accumulating dings and scratches, so I'm usually really careful when doing this. I tend to handle most of them a lot, so if I weren't so careful during this handling, they could become pretty marked-up up over time.
The few guns I'll carry in the glovebox of my car or carry on my person generally don't show much wear either (stainless helps in this regard and can be so easily "cleaned-up" to looking unworn). Often I will carry for short periods of time "mexican carry" in the small of my back. I can carry a gun (even a blued gun) in this manner extensively without seeing much, if any, wear. If I carry my 642 in a pocket, it's in my coat pocket with nothing else in there, but my hand on it from time to time... little if any noticible wear accumulates from this.
I have wondered about suggesting a hard chrome finish for the 642's that some have had and complained about the clear coat peeling off of... I think aluminum can be hard chromed (after a coating of nickel, I think)... and a hard chromed 642 would probably stand up to a heck of alot of use and show little wear - especially if the hardchrome had a brushed polished finish rather than matte.
I' have noticed that the matte finishes on stainless guns seem to show wear and dings much more readily than the polished finishes, because the wear spots are in effect "polished" smooth from the wear, creating a contrast to the areas which retain the original matte texture.
Of course to the guy who appreciates the wear character, refinishing may not be desired at all! I know I have a bit of a hang up about keeping my guns looking really nice... of course this hang up tends to apply to most of my "stuff".
Funny thing, I bought an SP-101 to have a gun which I would feel much more at ease just knocking around with when I don't want to subject one of my Smiths to the "exposure". Even my SP still looks great. Go figure.
