Factory Re-blueing, how good?

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Marshall

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2002
Messages
5,569
Location
Oklahoma, Green Country
How do you know if a gun has been re-blued?

eg, Lets say I send a gun to S&W for a factory re-blue, is it going to come back good enough to where I couldn't tell unless I hadn't seen the gun before?
 
Yes. I sent a Ruger Blackhawk back for repairs and reblue because it was worn. Had been a display case queen for a while and knocked around a bit. Came back pretty as a new one.
 
I sent a model 27 with a good part of its blueing missing to S&W and had it nickel plated. It came out great. The gun looks like it originally came from the factory that way. I doubt that this gun could have looked better when it was brand new.

With some nice rosewood grips its now a first class bar-b-que gun.
 
I've had S&W's and Rugers re-finished by the factory. In the case of the S&W's, you couldn't tell that this wasn't the original blueing job - magnificent! The Rugers were a bit rusted and dented, and in each case, Ruger sent me a letter before they did the work, warning me that they could not guarantee to remove all marks, and asking me to sign an acknowledgement that I understood this. Thereafter, they did a really great job - some marks still visible, but only if you looked really hard for them.

Overall, I'd highly recommend a factory re-blue from these companies.
 
I've heard that when you send a gun back to the company for any work,they say you MAY loose your after market stuff(ie.grips,srigger work,jeweled hammer)has anyone had any problems along these lines..I'm thinking about having my Speed six re-blued,but I've had trigger work done on it ....will they replace my trigger with a new one or just do the blueing?:cool:
 
Factory re-blue jobs generally will have a code ( letter or symbol) stamped into the frame.
If you enclose a note explaining not to replace parts then they will re-assemble it with your parts and not change anything as long as it's not dangerous. It's always a good idea to remove custom stocks to prevent accidental damage.
 
It's been 5-6 years but I sent a Mark XX(?) back to Ruger for refinishing. I had superficial surface rust on it. They disassembled it, gave the parts a once over, refinished it and returned it. The cost was minimal (like $35.00) and even I can't tell it has ever been touched.

PigPen
 
Hey surfinUSA, do you have a picture? I just ordered a nickel 27.
Click to expand...

Hopefully this will work. I don't know why this picture has a yellow tint other than operator error.
 

Attachments

  • leftsidenickelresize.jpg
    leftsidenickelresize.jpg
    41.7 KB · Views: 77
Thanks Shootcraps it looks a lot better in reality. Here's a photo prior to the refinish.

The gun was mechanically perfect along with the metal surface but the blueing was screwed.

Nothing like a refinish and a set of rosewood grips (CDNN $7.99 if IIRC) to really improve the appearance of a gun.
 

Attachments

  • resize.jpg
    resize.jpg
    44.5 KB · Views: 58
The gun came back from S&W looking like new. I have heard of and seen markings under the grips from S&W on some guns that would indicate a refinish. I may not be looking for the right thing on this gun but I couldn't find any. In the unlikely event that I would sell this gun, the buyer would have to rely on the receipt or a factory letter to indicate that S&W refinished the gun. A person with no ethics could probably sell the gun as a factory nickel gun (Which in reality it is, just not originally).

Sorry the quality of those photos was so poor. All I can say is that if you are considering a refinish go with the factory especially if its S&W.
 
Surfer,

Thanks, nice Job! What I had more in mind was my own personal scrutiny. I like perfect, and if I sent one off and it came back to where I could tell at a glance it had been refinished, blued or nickled, I would never be happy with it.

:)
 
That's a tremendous difference. I bet you were happier than a puppy with two peters when you got it back. ;)

Mine should come in next week. I'll post pics asap.
 
The main advantage of having the maker refinish a gun isn’t so much in the finish as in the polishing. They have polishing wheels that are shaped to fit the surface, and because of this keep the contours and flats true. So far as a reblue is concerned, they may also use the same chemical bath and process that was used when the gun was new. All things taken together it’s probably better to go back to the factory unless you’ve have had exceptionally good work done by someone else.

Always keep in mind that it isn’t the finish that’s expensive so much as the labor costs related to getting the gun ready for refinishing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top