to blue or not to blue that is the question

S

STIHLAER

Inactive
Just inherited a .32 COLT Police Special . It has very slight /light rust over the left side grip (where it sat laying face up for 40 yrs; otherwise very good condition. Should I spend the money to have COLT Firearms reblue and clean it up?
 
If you have it re-blued it will take a hit on the value it has. With that said, if you like the gun and don't care about possible resale value and you'd rather see it in better shape, by all means proceed.

In a case like this, it's really what you want out of the gun.
 
To keep the max value (it has collector value despite not being perfect), do not make ANY alteration. Just keep the condition from worsening with gun oil. Each year you keep it, the value will increase...unless it is re-blued. No collector of vintage guns would ever advise you to re-blue a gun.
 
If the rust is "light" as you state, rubbing it a little with 100% pure natural wintergreen oil will help dissolve it and blend it into the original finish.

Make sure you use the kind you get from your local helath food store and not the crap they sell at Walgreen's.

DO NOT have the gun reblued.
 
Gentle rubbing with 0000 (four zero) steel wool and lots of gun oil will remove surface rust without harming the blue.
 
Natman's method is good, but you will get better results with the wintergreen oil. Also, with the wintergreen oil, you can use a nylon toothbrush and not have to risk the steel wool.
 
If you do decide to have your revolver reblued, having the factory (Colt) do it and documenting the factory's work, will minimize any adverse affect on the resale value. In some cases, a factory refinish will actually enhance the worth of a firearm. Because a factory refinish can be expensive, the question sometimes becomes: does the intrinsic worth of the firearm merit the cost of rebluing it? Only you can make that decision.
 
having the factory (Colt) do it and documenting the factory's work, will minimize any adverse affect on the resale value.
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Do any legitimate collectors want to challenge that? Which would you collectors pay more for, a re-blued gun or one in the very good condition(except for light rust in one place), the O.P. describes in the original condition?
 
I have collected and sold antique guns for 45 years so have some knowledge on the subject. I have difficulties in selling any collector piece that has been altered, even by the factory. At present in a local gun shop is a pre Woodsman Colt for less than 2/3rds market value and it isnt selling. Why? It APPEARS to have been reblued. The gun is mint, but even by close examination it is unclear if the finish is original, thus nobody is interested. Does that give any indication as to the value of alter guns?
 
Quote:
having the factory (Colt) do it and documenting the factory's work, will minimize any adverse affect on the resale value.

Do any legitimate collectors want to challenge that? Which would you collectors pay more for, a re-blued gun or one in the very good condition(except for light rust in one place), the O.P. describes in the original condition?
Click to expand...

First of all, you left out the preface of the above quote: "If you do decide to have your revolver reblued,..." Nobody was suggesting that the op should reblue the gun, only that if, despite all the advice to the contrary, he still chose to have it re-blued (it is his revolver, after all), then a documented factory (Colt, in this case) refinish would "... minimize any adverse affect on the resale value." The word "minimize" in this context, should make it clear that a reblue by anyone would have an adverse affect on the resale worth but that by having the factory do it would keep said loss to a minimum.
If your question is asking that if someone other than the factory doing a reblue would cause less devaluation of the firearm in terms of collectibility, I'm interested in who you think that might be.
 
Being inherited, does it have any great sentimental value? Your Dad, Grandpa, or favorite Uncles gun? If so, you might want to just clean it up as described, and keep it as an heirloom.
If no great sentimental value, clean it up, check the value to a collector, add the price of the re-blue and buy something modern and new.
Just a thought.
 
As a further addendum to the discussion at hand, it might prove useful to review the following quote from The Blue Book of Gun Values re Grading Criteria: "...Every gun's unique condition factor-and therefore the price-is best determined by the percentage of original finish(es) remaining, with the key consideration being the overall frame/receiver finish. The key word here is 'original', for if anyone other than the factory has refinished the gun, its value as a collector's item has been diminished, with the exception of rare and historical pieces that have been properly restored. Every year, top quality restorations have become more accepted, and prices have gone up proportionately with the quality of the workmanship..." (italics mine)

As I opined earlier, in most cases concerning refinishing collector grade firearms, it's always safest in terms of value to not alter the original finish in any permanent way. But if one insists on having a collector grade gun refinished, having the factory perform the service is the best way to "minimize any adverse affect on the resale value."
 
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