detective special from gun show

Well my natural instinct would be to ask " well you are in the process of "tightening" the cylinder, and adjusting the timeing", "what if something goes wrong"? But I didn't. Who knows where that would have went. I didn't realize that these old model Colts are probably a little rarer than I thought. Given the production quantities during their time, I would have thought parts would be avaliable. Maybe they are thru gunsmiths who specialize in these older pieces. Anyways, thanks for all the input.
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The problem with the refinishing is all it takes is a little whoopsie! at the buffing wheel and the writing's gone off the barrel. Or the frame.

You realize that rebluing it will kill its value, right? If this doesn't bother you, and you have money to burn, and you love the gun, and you want it done right, contact Doug Turnbull.
 
You know, I often hear folks who say that such and such will destroy the collector value.............................well, I apparently have never had a piece that had any collector value. I mean unless you consider $50.00 after holding on to it for 10 - 15yrs. I would forego that $50.00 in about any firearm in favor of the enjoyment I would get from using it....................the way I wanted it for the 10 - 15yrs.

IMHO, Collector value is a vastly overrated commodity! Shot'em and enjoy'em!

PigPen
 
My DS was mfg. in '65. Internally it was nearly 100% but very dirty.
I took it apart and cleaned it very well and gave it some much needed lube.
I took it to the range and put 200 rounds thru it. Yup, it was as I remembered the DS's that I had and carried in the past. :D
There was not doubt in my mind that it would be refinished and the work would be done by Colt. In this way I could get around the refinished stigma somewhat by showing that the work had been done by the original manufacturer which I have documentation for.
What I did find awhile back when I thought I wanted to sell it was, there aren't that many people looking for an older model DS and...I have about top dollar into this one that I won't be able to get back.
So, I was so impressed with the work that Colt did, I put a nylon tie around it so it couldn't be cocked and it lives in it's own little Pelican case in my safe. ;)

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Nice DS..but why invest in, and own a gun you are afraid to shoot..or wont shoot?

I never understood that one, but then again, its not mine so I dont have to.
 
Good input here, will help those contemplating restoration

LAK - Can't leave the little gem as it is. The blueing will give it some evironmental protection - ie rust, wear, etc. If some guns could talk - I think they do, and its shown in the wear of the piece.
Tamara - The value of the piece (to me) is now $350 in money. I'm not up on gunsmithing. Do they have to use the buffing wheel to take off the old bluing before they refinish? If it kills its value, it wouldn't bother me too much as I didn't realize it had much value other than the $250 I originally put in to the purchase. I don't have money to burn. I love the gun. And I want it done right. Will do the contact info. And I will put more $ into the piece. I would like the original Detective 38 special indications on the barrel to remain intact, as well as the prancing Colts on the frame. It plays a large part in my love and satisfaction of the piece, although they are now rather faint. But the looks, handling and smoothness of action! what more need be said? Don't need just anybody to disect the piece without knowing what the heck they are doing, and undoing the work that Colt is doing.
Pigpen - I agree. I'm not a collector, and I do want to shoot the piece even though only a few cylinders every now and then.
JMC - you put the $ in and you will get it back - maybe not in resale, but in enjoyment of the piece. What price do you put on that? Great Pic - barrel descriptions clearly shown as well as the prancing Colts on the frame. They didn't show as well on CRT as they did when I printed out the pic. It clearly shows all, and the Royal Blue - what a great piece.
Thanks all - Mac
 
They chemically remove the bluing. They have to buff the bare steel with the wheels to obtain the smooth finish for a really nice blue job. The whole trick in bluing is the skill in the buffing. Edges have to remain square, holes can't dish out, flat surfaces have to remain flat, letters have to remain clear of be able to overstamp them precisely, and the smoother the buffed finish the deeper the bluing (that's where the mirror look comes from).

I have seen a Python reduced to a $300 shooter as it was bead blasted and a matte blue was applied. That is indeed destroying collectors value as that revolver lost a potential $500 in sales if it wasn't refinished that way.
 
If you are the type who worries about resale value:

Resale value is based on the percentage of original finish remaining. By definition, a reblued gun has 0% of the original finish left. A hardcore collector will pay more for a (say) SAA or Triple-Lock in honest 65% or 75% condition than they will for a reblued specimen. Having the refinishing done by the factory or by a top-flight 'smith like Turnbull will minimize this depreciation.

If you are one of those folks who never sells guns and owns them just to shoot, ignore the previous, unless you happen to have twinges about destroying or altering a piece of history. Please note that some guns are more history than others: An early New Century is history; a .38 Lemon Squeezer is just an old revolver...
 
Reply from turnbull

Tamara - Now i wish I hadn't got your most excellant input on the piece because I was just setting here, fat, dumb, and happy with a little project going that was relatively cheap and intertaining. Now I'm starting to have a few twinges - ie the bluing process, and the possiblity of removal of the original Colt logo's and markings. The bluing, from your description has to be 90% plus. But I still don't think this is a collector's item. I'll do a little web search to see if I can find any DS of the '47 vintage with the short ejector rod under the barrel. I read most of the postings re - 1st or 2nd edition DS, and as far as I can tell, it had a rounded frame butt with the frame metal showing under the grips. So I assume its a 2nd.
Anyway, e-mail back from Doug Turnbull:

I am sorry but I am going to pass on this gun as a restoration job. We are trying to stick with the SAA and 1911 guns.
Doug
 
I don't think there are any of these pieces left

did the search on web, 2nd edition DS. Was looking for the short ejector rod and the rounded front site. Couldn't find any except for the pics I'll put up. The pic shows the short ejector rod, but doesn't show the rounded front sites, but close. The piece coming back from Colt tomorrow. On the repair order they listed the model # D1425 (old) FYI. Hope I helped a little for the old detective special fans.
Mac
 

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If I rememder correctly, those early DT's where called two tone.
The top of the frame was flat blue while (I think) the other parts were bright blue
 
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