Stainless vs. Blued Question

[Rich Miranda]

New stainless guns are almost always more expensive than the same model blued guns; that is just the way it is. But in the used market, which is where I buy my guns (I like guns with history), there is more variation. A nice stainless gun will sometimes fetch a lower price than the same gun in blue, especially if you are patient.

All of this got me to wondering... are there any specific models of gun that are worth more in blued finish than in stainless? If so, why is this?

 

[DiscoRacing]

I didnt know they had blued ones

 

[gwnorth]

Just my perception, but I'd say older Colt 1911's in Royal Blued steel command a much higher price then any stainless Colt model. Of course, the Royal blue treatment started to go away about the same time stainless was becoming common, so you're usually not comparing guns of truly the same vintage.

 

[Owlhoot]

A gun with a quality bluing job must be highly polished. The same is true for a gun with a bright nickel finish. Polishing is not easy. It takes a lot of time and a very skilled hand. That is one reason it is easy to spot a gun that has been re-blued. The guy who blued the gun didn't have the polishing skills or wasn't willing to put in the time, and it is evident to a trained eye.

Guns with the dull blue, or parkerized, or coated, or pebble, or French Grey finish didn't have to be polished. They got perhaps a quick bead blast. Or nothing.

For example, the S&W model 27 and model 28 are the same guns. The difference between the two is that the model 27 had a beautiful blue finish. The 28 had a dull blue finish. Today a 27 in nice condition is easily worth twice what a model 28 will bring. What you are paying for is the polishing that permitted that lovely blue finish.

In currently produced guns, I don't know of anybody who produces a quality polished blue finish. Therefore there are three possible reasons a stainless gun today might command a little higher price: one is because most stainless is a little harder and therefore more expensive to mill, raw materials cost, and the other reason is demand.