Changing revolver finish (stainless) question...

S

Skans

New member
I like the finely brushed finish that most stainless Colt Pythons have (not the bright polished stainless). How hard would it be for a gunsmith to change the exterior finish on a S&W 627PC (dull bead-blasted finish) to something that resembles the finely brushed finish of a Colt Python, and if it is feasible, what do you think it would cost to get this professionally done?

Reason I'm asking - before I spend a good bit of money on a 627PC (2.6"), I want to know if it would ever be possible for me to have it in the finish I really want....not being a big fan of the dull bead-blasted finish.
 
Heck, you can do it yourself!

I'd start by carefully buffing the finish to a nice shine with various grades of oiled steel wool till you knock the blast bead finish off and the gun starts to shine. By the time you get to 0000 steel wool, it might already be there.

If not, I know some of the Smith & Wesson guys use Scotch-Brite™ pads to get the desired brushed stainless look. I've read the 7448 light gray pad works well for this.

Just do a little research, other will also chime in to help. Taking it to the gunsmith and forking over the $$$ should not be necessary. :cool:
 
Its actually fairly hard to get rid of the bead blast finish. You have to remove enough metal to be below the depth of every single bead blasted pock mark. Then you need to polish out the whole gun and then bring it back to the satin finish you want.

No steel wool on stainless though. I would use 600 grit emery cloth. Don't round edges. Watch screw holes. Keep everything flat, flat. Every curve, curved.

If you want it to look right, it will take quite a bit of work. Buffing wheels will really speed things up including your ability to screw things up.
 
Skans - i'm glad you asked this question because I have been wondering the same thing. I would kind of like to get one of the new S&W M66's but I also do not care for the bead blasted finish. It sounds, though, like a person might have to remove too much metal to get rid of the blasting pock marks ...
 
GeoJelly, the S&W bead blasted finish on these revolvers is quite fine, I don't think too much metal would need to be removed. One problem, as I understand it, is that the beadblasting toughens the exterior making it harder to polish. True or not? I don't know.

The thing is, I was looking at a slightly older S&W .357 (forget which model - might have been a stainless model 66) with the brushed finish (bead blasting on top), and the contrasting finishes really accented the gun overall. I really want the newer 627; just with the older style finish.

S&W's bead blasted finish is a nice finish, it's just that there's no highlights and contrast - it's like they bead blast the entire thing as a cost cutting measure - which I don't like to see on $1,000 revolvers.

I don't mind paying a few hundred dollars to get this done professionally, but if I'm going to be looking at $500++, then I may need to rethink things.
 
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Check with APWCogan, they offer a brushed finish and may be able to create what you're looking for.
 
I looked at the AWCogan website. That may be exactly what I am looking for if I end up purchasing the 627. Thanks.
 
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