To reblue or not to reblue?

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gearchecker

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I am new to this as you will quickly see by reading this.

I have 2 revolvers that were given to me and they both have less than perfect finishes on them
I have been told not to get them reblued because it will reduce their value.
The first is a .357 2-1/2" S&W Model 19-3. It is tight and smooth as silk to fire. There is no rust on it and the finish is nearly ideal - except that it was stored in a tan holster for nearly 30 years and the barrel now has a slight brown discoloration from the holster.
The other is a S&W Model K14 Masterpiece that has a fair amount of very light rust speckling on the barrel and the base of the butt. It has only had 18 rounds ever fired thru it. The balance is nearly perfect and fits my hand well.

Here is where you find out I am new to this!

Why would restoring the finish and the protection rebluing it reduce the value of the revolver? It seems that rebluing would resolve the rust problem and it will look so much better, having an even factory finish on it.

To be honest I want to trade or sell the shorty to get a 4" or 6" .357 instead.
I used to own a Colt Stainless 4" back in 78' but sold it when I was no longer required to carry.
Can somebody help me understand this one?
 
It won't improve the value, so it's purely an esthetic thing.

A few years ago, I sent a 29-2 to S&W to have the forcing cone recut and the barrel turned in. They put a couple of cuts in the side of the barrel when they did it. There weren't any new replacement barrels, and the only barrel I could get was missing some finish. This wasn't "honest" wear, it was somebody else's screwup. After some legal hassles, they replaced the barrel with the one I found and reblued the gun. It's now pretty much worthless but looks beautiful. I just couldn't stand having somebody else's screwup rubbed in my face every time I looked at the gun, and selling it as-is wouldn't come close to replacing it with an undamaged gun. In my case, I didn't pay anything to have the rebluing done.

If you don't like the way it looks, have it refinished. Just don't expect it to be an investment.
 
Refinished loses value?

But isn't a hangun in perfect refinished condition worth equal or more than a handgun in less than perfect condition?
This is something I just can't figure out.
I.E. A 1960 Vette in "used" condition is worth less than a 1960 Vette fully restored. Doesn't it work the same way?
 
I'm no expert, but IMO a good refinish won't hurt the value of a common firearm. A reblue won't add any value, but a nicer finish (something like Gun Kote or hard chrome) may add value to most common guns of recent manufacture.
A bad refinishing job will hurt the value.

If the gun is rare or has historical value then a refinish will hurt its value.

I wouldn't refinish your guns if I had them, but I would do what rcmodel suggested and rub off the rust with extra fine steel wool and oil.
Getting the blue color back involves refinishing the gun or using cold blue. Cold blue would definately hurt the value of any gun. It's not important to get the color back.
 
I.E. A 1960 Vette in "used" condition----
This is something I just can't figure out.
Click to expand...
A 1960 vette in "restored" condition has all new paint, upholstery, badging, knobs, etc.

A refinished gun has the markings partially removed by buffing, and in all likelihood, a different polish grade, and a different chemical makeup of the bluing.

Even S&W isn't using the same methods today that they were using when your guns were made.

A S&W, Colt, or Winchester collector could spot a refinish clear across a very large gun-show table, an aisle over!
And be willing to pay less accordingly.

rc
 
1960 Vette in "used" condition is worth less than a 1960 Vette fully restored. Doesn't it work the same way?
Click to expand...
Yes, it does - if your gun is the equal to a '63 Vette. But maybe the car in question is a Tucker, or maybe it's a '73 Nova, or maybe a DeLorean. These different cars all have different resale markets with differing desires for originality-vs-condition. In the case of the Tucker, originality will trump reconditioning. In the case of the Nova, condition is far more important than originality. It all comes down to the kind of market; is it an investment-grade collectible or not?
 
I think you should do what rcmodel said with some oil and 0000 steel wool. It will take care of the issues that you see, and leave the gun near-original for maximum resale value.

A 2.5" 19-3 is a near-wonderful carry gun. I'd hang on to that one a while before parting with it to make sure you don't want to carry it. It's also pretty good at the range, shooting nearly as well as a 4" 19. Getting the right grip on it is key. Factory grips along with a "tyler T-Grip" usually make most people very happy.

just pick up a used 4" 686 or 28 for your range/field gun, and keep the 19. Or sell it to me.
 
Reblue or not? Guess not!

From what I am hearing, I guess I had better leave well enough alone.
0000 steel wool and light oil.
I have been told the Model 14 Masterpiece in it's current condition is still worth quite a bit. I certainly won't mess with it.

The shorty will be for sale or trade soon so I guess I won't mess with it either.
I was looking fo rthe best way to gain some ground on the shorty.

I want to trade the Model 19 shorty for a Blackhawk in a 4" or 6".
Any chance that might happen?
Does anybody think it has the value for a trade like that?
 
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Without spending top dollar to refinish a gun I would only refinish if you have a specific plan in mind.

A buddy of mine recently purchased an original '73 Winchester he is going to use in CAS, it had been reblued and the forend was replaced with a modern replacement, but he got it for about 1/3 of what it would be worth untouched. We are in the process of remving the blue and giving it a browned finish.

I've always loved the K-frame snub nose. It was the first gun I remember from my youth. One day I picked up a beater 10-5 for a good price and decided to have it Hard Chromed (actually Metalife), I will never sell it so I don't care what it did to the value..


IMG_0011.jpg
 
The classic car analogy, a field where proper restoration is accepted, still works.

Rebluing doesn't reduce a firearm's value (assuming no historical provenance) but hitting it with a 20hp buffer does clobber the value. If the thing is reblued with no dishing, flats still flat, sharp corners still sharp, lettering recut and trademarks refreshed it's getting closer to a classic auto's "restoration" and further away from running a '57 Chevy through the local Maaco.

Do a gunbroker search on "Turnbull" and you won't find prices plummeting. 'Course getting the work done in the first place wasn't exactly cheap. I hear good things about Fords as well but have no experience with them. Bill Adair has some interesting background info on his site.
http://www.restoration-gunsmith.com/

Firearm enthusiasts are (forgive me) a hidebound lot with long memories. Apparently, there were a lot of corner shops with hot salt and buffers around the middle part of the 20th century and their tender mercies have left a mark on the refinish and restoration trade that has yet to go away.

I have nothing other than hearsay but a classic car buff once told me that it took a good long while for full frame-off restos to go upmarket in the automotive world. The same thing will eventually happen with guns - it already has in England.

And, presumably, much like you can expect to spend 75,000 to properly restore a car that originally cost 2,500 that will sell at auction for 55,000 you can expect to give Turnbull 3,500.00 to restore a gun that sold for 20.00 that you could later auction for 2,500.

Wooden boats are similar.
 
Zactly!

In the OP's case, having his Model 19 professionally refinished by S&W or Fords in the hopes of it bringing more in trade is a lost cause.

The gun will easily bring $400-$450 as is.

Add another $200 - $250 in refinishing, and you got $600 - $650 in a refinished gun that will still only bring $400-$450, if that.

rc
 
Gearchecker, rcmodel is spot on with the steel wool and oil scrub on the 17. Those tiny marks will all but disappear and you'd need a magnifying glass to see what's left. I just did a friend's rifle barrel that had many small spots of rust that I first thought were just dust in the congealed oil. A half dozen passes with light oil and wool with a good wipe down in between and it was looking like new.
 
my wife would love that 19. she sold hers about 15 yrs or more ago. if you are looking for a ruger, pm me what for sure when you are ready to move it.
 
I think the gun 'collector' loses the intellectual battle on the original vs refinished pricing debate. It's kind of akin to saying you'll pay more for a car if it still has it's original oil in the crankcase. I agree if the gun is really rare or has some real history, but to think that performing maintenance on a gun will detract from a value only says one thing to me: This gun was not meant to be fired.
 
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