I cant look at my USFA Rodeo any more. Thinking about getting it refinished. I know the options are traditional color case hardening and bluing with Turnbull being the man or Nickel plating. To be honest I'd prefer to get this one nickel plated. Can anyone reccomend a good nickel plater?
USFA Rodeo. Want to get it refinished
- Thread starter yugorpk
- Start date
- Status
I think it was $475 originally. Yes I should have bought 50 of them. So it probably will cost more to refinish but I really dont like the matte black finish. Only finish Ive seen I like less was their matte nickel finish they were offering..
horsemen61
Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2011
- Messages
- 6,756
I'd get it done with case colors think it will look damn good
Yeah, I missed the whole USFA meltdown. Out of the country or something. Im the OP so its not off topic . What happened?
I was thinking about Turnbull but I really don't want to do the year wait thing. I'm not that patient. The local Cabelas has a 1878 in 45 colt that I wouldnt mind sending in for a resto. I'd feel bad sending an 1883 built SAA in but not so bad about sending a double action in. In any case 12 months for a USFA is too long.
I was thinking about Turnbull but I really don't want to do the year wait thing. I'm not that patient. The local Cabelas has a 1878 in 45 colt that I wouldnt mind sending in for a resto. I'd feel bad sending an 1883 built SAA in but not so bad about sending a double action in. In any case 12 months for a USFA is too long.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
And the USFA was built better than the Colt. I'm so upset I waited too long to buy one.Too bad about USFA's decision to get out of SA production. (How do you say "stupid"?) I have probably handled and/or shot several hundred pre-WWII Colt SAA's and the USFA was the only modern gun that felt "right" to me.
Jim
bannockburn
Member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 26,299
yugorpk
Might want to check out fordsguns.com for nickel plating. They also offer a high polish bluing that looks fantastic.
Might want to check out fordsguns.com for nickel plating. They also offer a high polish bluing that looks fantastic.
UncleEd
Member
A wild suggestion:
Check with Colt. They might do the nickeling.
OR.....just buy a new nickeled Colt SAA.
I'm just thinking nickeling the Rodeo might be as expensive
to achieve as just looking at a new Colt.
Colt was known for doing the best nickel jobs but alas, the old
way of doing it is now not allowed, I believe, in the U.S.
Check with Colt. They might do the nickeling.
OR.....just buy a new nickeled Colt SAA.
I'm just thinking nickeling the Rodeo might be as expensive
to achieve as just looking at a new Colt.
Colt was known for doing the best nickel jobs but alas, the old
way of doing it is now not allowed, I believe, in the U.S.
I'm thinking its going to be around $600 ish. Given that I really dont like the Rodeo's finish anyway I'll get a gun I like out of it for relatively cheap. If you can find a late 3rd gen nickeled gun these days they are north of $2500. Ones Ive found anyway. I kick myself for not buying a early 3rd gen in a pawn shop about 2 years ago . It wasnt perfect but it was pretty good for $1400. That is the MSRP on a new Colt Nickel gun but you just can't get them for that if you can find one at all.
Ive had work done by, bought stock in or bought things from Companies that were in or close to bankruptcy before and its never ended well. Colt wouldnt do it anyway.
I just checked with Fords. They want $375 for a polished nickle refinish or $475 for a 4 week turnaround. Not too bad.
Last edited:
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
The trick with doing this with the Rodeo is that you have to polish out the bead blasted finish. Of course, this is easy if you just want it shiny but if you want surfaces kept true, it will take a talented polisher to maintain that. Ford's usually does a good job. If that's about what it costs, it will be cheaper to go that route than to sell what you have and buy a nickel Colt or USFA.
Colt would never do another manufacturer's guns.
The satin nickel model was the Rodeo II. Mine's a .38Spl.
You could always do it in full charcoal blue with color cased hammer and trigger. Like I did with this Cimarron Open Top.
Colt would never do another manufacturer's guns.
Last time I used Turnbull's was in 2013 and the turnaround for pre-polished parts was but a couple weeks.
In late 2012, USFA president Doug Donnelly decided to halt revolver production, lay off nearly all the staff and start producing that Zipper thing. Some of us saw the writing on the wall and grabbed what we could before the prices skyrocketed. I was only able to get this Pre-war model .44Spl but kick myself for not getting more. The ivory came later.
The satin nickel model was the Rodeo II. Mine's a .38Spl.
You could always do it in full charcoal blue with color cased hammer and trigger. Like I did with this Cimarron Open Top.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
The Open Top above cost me $500 but it was polished by the engraver beforehand. $1200 probably includes polishing out the bead blasted finish.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
Even the lower cost sounds excessive for a revolver that cost less to buy. I know you said you said you don't like the finish but those prices should be reserved for much more expensive guns.
I just checked the Colt site and a brand new SAA in Nickle has a Retail price of $1699. I'm sure the street price would be $300 lower. You get the gun you want and still have the USFA to shoot or sell since you don't like it. It's just another option to think about.
I just checked the Colt site and a brand new SAA in Nickle has a Retail price of $1699. I'm sure the street price would be $300 lower. You get the gun you want and still have the USFA to shoot or sell since you don't like it. It's just another option to think about.
ljnowell
Member
In the case of the Colt SAA the street price will be much higher than MSRP as they aren't producing them in numbers enough to cover demand. There is a lengthy wait.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
Wow, I didn't know that. It is a Colt but then again, how much is undeserved reputation and not reality?
More like $2000+ if you can find one. The market is what it is. Ironically the USFA gun is arguably a higher quality gun than the Colt. Actually there arent many people who would argue that the Colt is a better gun than the USFA SAA's. .
Rodman579
Member
Accurate Plating & Weaponry does a great job. I use them a lot and have sent several guns there for bluing and hard chroming. they did a perfect job and turn around time is usually about 4 weeks. I have used Fords as well and they did a great job as they are only about 45 minutes from me, the only problem with them is their turn around time its terrible.
They won't do a bright nickel finish. Fords will.
At these prices I'm tempted to head over to my brothers house and hijack my sister in laws pottery kiln and pick up a couple of hundred bucks with of bone charcoal and bluing salts from Brownells and just hand polish the thing and finish it myself.
Jim Watson
Member
There were some guys on the 1911 board doing nice rust bluing on very worn 1927 Argentines.
Colt flattop Target SAA and Bisley were all blue.
Colt flattop Target SAA and Bisley were all blue.
- Status
