Woodsman Match Target refinishing?

[hq]

Here's the deal: over 10 years ago I came across a rather rough 1956 Colt Woodsman. 6" Match Target, early 3rd series. No rust, no pitting, but well worn and scratched (rear of the trigger guard all the way UNDER the grips - wth?), missing the slide stop assy and rear sight was pinned on with a piece of paper clip. For $100 it was a no-brainer as an impulse purchase.

It has a lot going for it, too. It came with a spare mag, bore is bright, trigger is fantastic and it shoots great. It's just a bit ugly, more than what could be just brushed off as character.

I have another 3rd series MT in pristine shape, a 1959. LNIB, so I don't need (or want) another safe queen nor do I care about collector value. I've thought about stripping it bare, giving it a OEM pattern polish & sanding and having it either nickel plated or hard chromed.

Factory original nickel Match Targets are ultra-rare so there's little chance for me to ever stumble across one so instead of re-bluing, a "tribute gun" -approach feels appealing. It'll remain a shooter as there's no collector value to be lost, as if there was much right now. I've been thinking about this for several years now and even though Woodsman values are going through the roof, it still seems like the right thing to do.

Thoughts? What's your take on non-original finish in a situation like this? IMO it doesn't consititute utter blasphemy like hotrodding a mint original but there's still a very slight doubt in my mind.

Pics to follow if need be.

 

[bannockburn]

hq

If it was my gun and was going to be a "shooter" and not a "looker" I would opt for hard chrome plating. On the guns that I have had it done to, the hard chrome plating still has that new, just got it back from being plated appearance to it.

My Beretta Model 70S had problems from the get-go with the bluing and did after being reblued by the factory. So I decided to get it hard chromed by Ron Mahovsky (ronmahovskymetalife.com). This gun has seen constant use both in outdoor settings and at indoor ranges and looks great even after all these years!

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

In your mind, is the gun a shooter or an investment? If the former, do what you want; if the latter, trade off for something better. If a little of both, I suggest you pick a finish matching the original factory appearance as closely as possible.

 

[hq]

Thank you, gentlemen. Let's sort out what we have so far:

If it was my gun and was going to be a "shooter" and not a "looker" I would opt for hard chrome plating. On the guns that I have had it done to, the hard chrome plating still has that new, just got it back from being plated appearance to it.

Hard chrome has been on top of my list and your experience (a beautiful Beretta, btw!) only reinforces that. Nickel and hard chrome have very similar appearance, so this seals the deal choosing between the two. Too bad shipping the gun to US for chroming and back is out of the question, there's way too much red tape and shipping costs involved.

If a little of both, I suggest you pick a finish matching the original factory appearance as closely as possible.

It's not an investment by any means. You can pick up a mint Match Target for around $400 and ones in similar shape as this have sold for $100 or less lately (yep, Woodsman pistols are dirt cheap here compared to what they fetch in the US) so there may be no real point in just restoring a rather bad one. For me it's a shooter, plain and simple. They were available from Colt with nickel plating, which is why I consider this. It'll have a "factory original" appearance, not just the one this particular gun came with.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[Jim Watson]

Never saw a nickel Woodsman but done right, it will be attractive.
Polished flats and matte rounds were standard by then, weren't they?

 

[hq]

Polished flats and matte rounds were standard by then, weren't they?

That's correct. There are a few detailed pictures of OEM nickel plated Woodsman pistols on colt22.com and they seem to have the same polished/matte (except gloss/satin) combination as blued ones. That's what I'd like to duplicate. What the gun could've looked like when it left the factory. A "tribute gun", much like people build "tribute cars"; Olds 442 clones from Cutlasses, Hemi 'Cudas out of base Barracuds and so on.

The ideological opposite of hosing it with a desert tan rattle can and drilling a tapping a mount for a Holosun on it.

Even then I'm ever so slightly worried about whether it's the right thing to do. The gun not by any means beyond restoration, it's just way beyond the feasibility of restoration.

 

[Skylerbone]

I don’t envy you the decision, not really positive on what I would do in your position, but more and more it seems there is no wrong answer.