colt 1903 type III

It would be a good price if the gun had not been buffed and re-blued. As it is, the price is a bit high, IMHO.

Jim
 
The pics aren't clear enough to tell if the finish is original, or not.
Are the mags from Colt (prewar), or are they aftermarket?
If it's original finish with two factory mags, then $575 might be a great price.
If it's a reblue with no factory mag and two aftermarket mags, then I'd say it's way overpriced.
 
I got a re-blued one that looks great and shoots great for... $375 or something like that. Maybe as high as $425? It was just last year.

Refinishing them makes them significantly less valuable.

Mine is a great shooter, my favorite 32acp of the several I own.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I asked if any of the mags were original but he didn't know. I doubt they are since the ones pictured don't look 2 toned.

How can I tell if the gun is refinished or reblued? I don't know how to tell for sure.
 
Original magazines for a Colt Model M will appear to be two-toned: the lower half blued and the upper half appearing to be metal in the white. At the time, it was believed that the blueing process would adversely affect the magazine lips.
 
Actually, the mags were first fully blued using Colt's furnace bluing process, then the top half was dipped in "molten cyanide" to temper it, removing the bluing in the process.
Bluing included degreasing by boiling in gasoline, so the whole process could be pretty dangerous!
 
The early magazines were "two-toned" but later Colt changed its hardening and bluing process and later magazines are blued all over. FWIW, the magazine wells of early pistols will accept only .32 or unmarked magazines; the early magazines are unmarked. Only when the same basic gun was made in .380 ACP were the magazines marked with the caliber and the magazine wells widened slightly so the same tooling could be used for both calibers and both magazines will fit.

Jim
 
That is correct, and my error. The first magazines, up to about 1913, were solid blue and apparently did not have hardened feed lips. To correct that, Colt started immersing the top part of the magazine into a cyanide bath to harden the feed lips, and that took off the blue, leaving the "two tone" appearance. That remained until the late 1930's or early 1940's and was the bulk of production. (The M1911A1 magazines produced in WWII were full blued.)

Jim
 
I assume you mean "re-blued" the term for the restoration of an original blue finish on a worn gun. Technically, a gun that was originally plated can't be "re-blued" since it was not blued in the first place.

In order to blue or reblue a gun, any remaining finish has to be removed and the surface polished to remove old patina and surface rust so that the new blue will "take". That means buffing the gun to a smooth surface, either by hand using emery cloth or (normally) using a soft wheel impregnated with polishing compound, called "grit".

When a wheel is used, the grit tends to drag at the edges and corners of the gun, and also in the identifying marks (like the maker's name) stamped into the surface of the steel. That rounds over the sharp edges and "dishes" out the lettering and circular holes. While some viewers might not notice, or might even think the result is pleasing, to the experienced eye those indicators virtually scream "reblue".

Is rebluing bad? Not if the gun is not of collector interest, or was in such bad condition that anything would be an improvement. And of course, a reblue (unless something else was done) will not affect the operation of the gun in any way. But if the gun is one in which a substantial portion of its value depends on collector interest, rebluing definitely reduces the value. One of the prime points in gaining collector interest, and hence a higher price, is the amount of original finish on the gun. Obviously, a reblued gun has zero original finish, though some books arbitrarily assign a reblued gun an original finish figure of 60% or 65%.

Whether an individual buyer considers a reblue job a factor in purchase or in the price paid is up to that buyer. But because most buyers will pay less for a reblued gun, it is often in the interests of the seller to claim that the finish is original or to use such phrases as "beautiful blue finish" or "looks like new." The buyer needs to learn enough about original finishes to be able to make his own determination.

Jim
 
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