Angered up my blood

Z

Zhillsauditor

New member
Went to a gun show yesterday, and saw a pre-model 34 that some goober had (poorly) spay painted black. I wanted to track the guy down and kick him. The dealer had it marked an outrageous $500; while my friend and I shook our heads, he came down to $300. Still too much, even though I don't have one yet and could probably put a better finish on it myself. Why deface a work of art?
 
The "kit guns" weren't target or self-defense pistols for the most part. They were guns for shooting varmints or a little plinking in the woods. Most ended up in a tackle box, or in the back of a truck, and were poorly maintained over the years (and decades).

As it is, it's really rare to see a pre-58 one that a) isn't pitted out, or b) hasn't been refinished in some way. It's a shame, but that's the situation.

Incidentally, these seem to be the most common victims of bad re-nickeling jobs.
 
Like Tom, I assume the finish under the paint was rough enough that the seller covered it with paint for a reason. The underlying finish may be the reason the paint job turned out so lousy.
 
The underlying finish may be the reason the paint job turned out so lousy.
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That is usually the case.

At the last gun show I saw a 2 inch S&W M10 the dealer said was 'super rare'. It was nickle plated but.... the hammer and trigger were also plated. Fact is S&W NEVER plated their hammers and triggers (except the flash chrome on stainless guns.)

And yes he wanted a ridiculous price.

Deaf
 
The underlying finish may be the reason the paint job turned out so lousy.
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That's the problem with so many re-nickeling and rebluing jobs. If the underlying metal isn't properly prepared, the end product gets botched. If pitting was present, it can still live and grow under the new finish.

I see my share of those, in which the factory engravings look like they're under a layer of cloudy water.

Fact is S&W NEVER plated their hammers and triggers
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Right. Nickeled or blued hammers and triggers are the biggest indicator of a refinish.

Nowadays, the Cerakote and Duracote finishes are the big thing, so malfeasance like that is easier to spot.
 
I don't intend to preach to anyone to "follow my lead" but I still would like to have my say...

It seems to make sense to me to consider the big picture. In this scenario, it's a pre-Model 34. Quite often in the same conversation, it tends to be an old service Mauser of some random descent or perhaps a surplus Springfield or well-used GI 1911. I simply do not get myself worked in to a frenzy over such things.

Fact is, things were different. In days gone by, folks didn't generally think or "look ahead" in time to see how the current things they had might become glorious aged relics from a day gone by. In the current time, they were simply items in great supply and brand new items that seemed to be better were merely a paycheck away.

And just as things were different back then, things are different today. We would think nothing, absolutely NOTHING of taking a Dremel or a soldering iron to a Glock. Of course, with our background and history in the rear mirror, we simply know that a Glock could never be a dreamy old relic from a day gone by that ends up in limited supply. But that's because we know how many they've made & sold and we know (because of TODAY'S manufacturing abilities) that they can (and will) make 15,000 more of them before I can enter this post.

Folks didn't think that way in the 50s or the 60s. You would order a GI M1 Carbine from a men's magazine for twenty dollars. If you wished to carve your SSN in to the receiver, it hardly seemed to matter. If you had a regret -- order another! For like thirty bucks more, you could grab a Garand at the same time!

I get the frustration at the hacked-up J-frame, more so because the dealer's price. However, the flip side is that the same revolver had -NEVER- gotten mistreated, never gotten worn-down, beat-up or painted. In that case, his price would have been $700 (more, less?!) and you couldn't possibly have justified the purchase. Or perhaps, if the gun were in minty shape... it never would have showed up at a gun show as someone would have it in their fine collection and you wouldn't have even seen it. To take the discussion further... if not for the fact that so many got worn down or beat up... the ones that *ARE* in great shape, and much loved, wouldn't have the same "value." (which is subjective anyway)

You should feel the anger, if that's how you feel. I'm just trying to say that I've gotten past that kind of thinking. Those wonderful things from the past century truly came from a whole different time. It's part of the allure of the fine ones.
 
"Hey, Sarge, the Germans are attacking, should I shoot them?"

"No, Private Ryan, we have to preserve our guns for future collectors!"

Jim
 
I try not to get bent outta shape over what other people do with their own property or the prices they ask for them.....but I'm weird like that.
 
As others have alluded to, its important to remember that before we started fighting over a particular gun, for whatever reason, that same gun began its life as a tool, with a duty to fulfill.
 
I was asked to look over a 92 Winchester recently to give the owner my opinion of it. He said he thought the nickel finish was factory.
There was pitting evident in some areas under the finish and both sights were nickeled also.
He went away a little depressed saying he was going to try to trade it off at the next gunshow.
 
These posts remind me of the 1886 Winchester 45-70 made in 1891 I bought last fall, the one with the $6,000 custom job. The bore was perfect, the action pristine, the original wood had no deep gouges or splits, and the metal surfaces were clean without pitting. I call it a $6,000 custom job because someone had cut the barrel two inches, replaced the front sight, re-blued the metal, refinished the wood, and installed a sling. If the rifle had been left untouched, it would have sold for $6,000 more than I gave.

Because of the modifications I can use the rifle exactly as if I had paid $57 for it in 1891. It would be a crime against history to take a perfect '86 with most of its original finish out in the brutal conditions of rough country hunting.

Years ago standing 30 feet away from a brown bear with nothing between me and him but a thick screen of devil's club with a 40-65 in my hand, I promised myself that if I lived I would get a heavier caliber rifle that pointed well for close work. That bear would have probably killed me if I had been standing in his trail, but he was so full of salmon that he only paused to give me the briefest look, burped, and moved on.
 
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