Shooter vs. Collector.

Would you Refinish?

  • Yes

    Votes: 48 35.0%

  • NO

    Votes: 89 65.0%
  • Total voters
    137
  • Poll closed .
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tarosean

tarosean

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Lets say you have a pretty rare gun, that is highly sought after.

However, yours is a shooter and shows its wear.

Would you ever consider refinishing it?

I am not talking about some jackwagon creakoting, etc. Rather a professional job from a Custom Builder as the Factory doesnt apply the same finish here in the US..
 
You bet I would without any regard as to whether it destroys the "patina" or not. I call it fixing a worn out gun for more shooting.

Your gun will love you for making it look pretty and supplying it's needs to keep it working smoothly.

It will reward you with constant bull's eyes and admiration of both it and you by others for doing such a good job keeping her pretty and running good.

You have saved her from the evil hands of those who will lock her away in a dark safe doomed to boredom rotting in her own tarnish (known as "patina" by those terrible people who want to deprive her of sunshine at the range.)

See doesn't that explain it well?
 
If you are speaking hypothetically...

the decision is yours to make - anything which belongs to you is yours to do with as you please. However... there are very few such collectible rarities which would not be seriously reduced in value by refinishing, or altering its original condition in any way.
Even the finest restorations do not have the same collector appeal (or value) as unaltered original specimens.
If you are not speaking hypothetically - what, exactly, are you thinking of refinishing?

PRD1 - mhb - Mike
 
tarosean Lets say you have a pretty rare gun, that is highly sought after.
Click to expand...
If it's really rare it would be a shame to do anything to it.

For example a WWII era Singer 1911 in "shooter condition" is still a valuable collectible. Take a can of Krylon to it and you've just lost tens of thousands of dollars.
 
dogtown tom said:
If it's really rare it would be a shame to do anything to it.

For example a WWII era Singer 1911 in "shooter condition" is still a valuable collectible. Take a can of Krylon to it and you've just lost tens of thousands of dollars.
Click to expand...
Yep.....something RARE will go way down with a refinish.

But.....it is yours. Rattle-can that Singer 1911. Just don't make me watch.....I might cry.
 
If it's really rare it would be a shame to do anything to it.
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This is where I'm at.

If what you have is rare enough to be worth a pretty penny to the right person, and you would consider selling it, you may as well leave it as is. You're not likely to make it worth more by doing anything to it, because the person willing to spend big bucks on a rare collectible knows what needs to be done to bring it up to the level they think it should be at. On the flip side of that, if you do anything at all to it (even a top-quality, professional refinish), you're ultimately taking an original product and modifying it. If you're interesting in making money on it, trying to refinish it is a lose-lose situation.

Now, if it's just a shooter to you and that's all you'll ever want it to be, do whatever you want to it.
 
Rattle-can that Singer 1911. Just don't make me watch.....I might cry.
Click to expand...

Darn and I had a neat cammo job all planned for serial number 6. :D

Its definitely not a really a valuable gun to begin with.. Pristine examples go for a little less 1.5k...
 
I voted yes *but* it really depends on the gun and a lot of other variables. I collect Colt Pocket hammerless pistols in .32 and I collect 'em to shoot 'em. They are not rare but some examples are very valuable as they were presented to various high ranking folks in various occupations. I personally love to find specific examples and "restore" or customize them and shoot 'em!

if I picked up one as a shooter and discovered it was special or extremely valuable because of some feature or distinction I'd likely leave it as be or sell it to someone who would appreciate it's specialness. Then I'd use the big $ to buy a couple of shooters and have a field day.

Depends on the gun....I'd feel bad if I hard chromed a gun that belonged to Patton or some famous gangster when I could have indulged some other type of collector and kept it intact.

VooDoo
 
Never.

If it's a shooter, then it's a shooter. The finish wont enhance it's function.

But a refinish will likely reduce its value. So why destroy value?

If a nicer finish gives one a psychological benefit, then so be it. It does nothing for me.
 
If you plan to keep it and keep shooting it, then yes.

If you have even the slightest inclination towards selling it some day, then no.
 
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Another no; shoot it, admire it, pass it on to someone special. I received my Dad's S&W .38 Sp Pre-Model 10. It's a little worn but shoots great. After his passing last fall, it's really 'special' to shoot.
 
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FWIW, I don't know of any "Custom Builders" who would take on a firearm just to refinish it. That's not what they do.

They'd most likely sub it out to one of those "jackwagons" to ceracoat it for you.
 
Normally not. Did refinish the stock on one because the metal was near perfect and the condition of the wood just did not look right on it. Mechanical fixes definitely yes.
 
I collect high grade shooter Smith revolvers. They all get shot on occasion. The ones with that beautiful blue that Smith no longer does are babied so that they will not need to be refinished.
 
as the Factory doesnt apply the same finish here in the US..
Click to expand...
What exactly is it we are talking about here?

That begs the question before I can vote, or even attempt to answer your question.

All we know so far, is it must still be made in two country's.
SO, how rare can it be?

rc
 
I avoid collectibles for this reason.

And if anything I own ends up becoming collectible, the collector value is ruined by then anyway...
 
Depends on the use. If you're just using it for a range gun, the re-finish isn't going to help it be a better range gun.
If it's a hiking/camping/hunting sidearm that could be exposed to elements, and you are getting a finish that would protect it from corrosion, then sure.

Of course, I probably wouldn't use a rare collectible for that purpose anyway...
 
Tarosean - what firearm are we talkng about here? Your first post says "a pretty rare gun, that is highly sought after". Then you switch by saying "Its definitely not a really a valuable gun to begin with.. Pristine examples go for a little less 1.5k...". So which is it?

  • Pretty rare gun --> no, don't refinish. You'd likely trash the value.
  • Highly sought after --> no, don't refinish. You'd likely significantly reduce the pool of folks interested in a refinished gun.
  • Not really a valuable gun --> maybe refinish, if it has no historical or collectors value, or low resale value.
  • Pristine examples go for a little less than 1.5k --> then assume that a less than pristine example goes for less, and a refinished example could go for even less because it was modified.

All the above tough to apply on a specific example that has not yet been identified.


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