Opinions needed--Ruger Standard Pistol

I have come across a Ruger early model 4" standard pistol that was made in the early 50's.... overall I rate the condition of the pistol at about 50%--- the good side of it all is that it has no pitting and the bore looks really nice, the bad side...as you can imagine the blueing is about all gone and the areas like the grip of course where hands have held it over the years, it is down to the bare metal and the metal has a brown patina (rust) but not a pitting type rust if you know what I mean. The grips need replacing and the bolt needs polishing out and perhaps a new spring-maybe (I have not fired it so Im not sure of its function)--I do not see any pitting on the internals--especially the chamber which was my first concern---. It also does not have a magazine, no box or anything--------its just lying there in the showroom case waiting for someone to adopt it...poor thing ;-(
So---- considering its age--would you leave it alone or have it reconditioned----- I think I may be able to get this pistol for under 100.00. Im going to negotiate with the seller-- --I would imagine a reconditioning job from Ruger will set me back about 200.00..... If the gun was newer I would not even consider buying it but it is a early model...... its about a 60+ year old gun...... I know reconditioning it will hurt the collector value of it, but so will leaving it as is....if I do recondition it I will plan to shoot it......

good candidate for a restoration, and is one of the simplest and easiest of firearms to "redo" ( refinish) used to be "cheap " at the factory but I would call first there are not a lot of parts available from them any longer ,BUT the parts are still out there to be found....wish I had a nickel for every one we and our shops have redone and they come out awesome.......mags can be found, if that early the one sided ,single slot mag is what you want , with the chromed ,metal bottom,BUT the newer ones can and will work and function just fine..........the top , recoil spring is about the only part you may want to replace, the later ones will work, and are available.......try it out and see how it works, I know of a lot of them that still have the original springs and work just fine............how early in the 50's ??if it is a Korean war vintage gun, check to see if it has the two piece ,(pressed on ears) bolt.....that would need to be replaced,easy enough to spot, see by looking at the back ,flat of the bolt.........
sounds interesting, I would go for it...............good luck

Thanks for the advice, I dont know what parts it would need internally, I have taken it apart and looked at it and they seem to be ok....that is good to hear about the mags I will for sure want to stock up on a few of those for sure..... perhaps the next thing would be to see how it functions and then let my gunsmith look at it to see if any parts should be changed out. The mani thing is if I can get this pistol for 100.00 or less and personally I think even 100.00 is really good considering its age. I think in some ways he is ready to get rid of it....

My first thought would be that if the bluing is as worn as you say, it's most likely been fired quite a lot. I would suggest you fire it, if you get it. That way you will be able to detect how well it performs. Many of my customers have had much better luck with the Ruger Mark II style magazines. Those work much better in my Ruger Standard with the A54 grip frame than the originals do. Only thing I needed to do was install the follower button on the right side of the magazine and replace the magazine latch/release.
Given the age of that pistol, I'd recommend replacing the recoil spring assembly and the firing pin rebound spring. Those parts are the same as what's in the Ruger Mark II guns. You might also consider replacing the factory extractor with a much better style.
Mine has received a few upgrades over the years, and it remains as a very fun gun to shoot. Just avoid the "hyper-velocity" .22 rimfire stuff:

It is a fact that the Ruger STD MDL is one tough hunk of iron. Whether to refinish it would be a personal thing. As already, you have the refinish side and the maybe not. The piece has earned its character and once changed , you can never get it back ( the fair Ware and tear factor) I have several that are nearly devoid of any blue finish; just a patina that if kept clean and oiled after use, surface rust should not be a problem. If the piece shoots well and functions well, the springs should last the lifetime of the piece, ie bore worn smooth, etc. , which I doubt you would ever wear out. Springs do take a "set". But rarely to the point of causing malfunctions. Should you want a nice shiny piece, there are many Rugers out there. At the price you mention, By all means buy it and enjoy it for your lifetime! The ol' Ruger will grow on you as it is.

Just my thoughts. Enjoy.

Regards to all

I think your right, the price is good and I may just give it a real good cleaning and have someone to check the parts if any need to be replaced and leave it as is......

I would grab it in a heart beat for that price.

Will "re-conditioning" make it shoot better than just a cleanup and new springs?

Mobuck said:

Will "re-conditioning" make it shoot better than just a cleanup and new springs?

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I was considering reconditioning it because of the excessive wear to the finish.....

Cripes, a Ruger for under $100. Never seen one in any condition around here. Sounds like a neat pistol.

I would buy it even if it didn't work for a cool paperweight on my roll top desk...

"I was considering reconditioning it because of the excessive wear to the finish....."

Unless you intend to carry the pistol full time exposed to the weather, a wipe with an oily rag after use negates the loss of finish. I'm not arguing with your desire to have a good finish, I'm just saying a gun's finish is a consumable which doesn't significantly affect the function.

Mobuck said:

...a gun's finish is a consumable which doesn't significantly affect the function.

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:idea: What a great sentiment.

I've never heard it stated quite that way, but I sure like it!

I like a nice looking gun, pickup, tractor, whatever as much as anyone BUT I've been around long enough to understand that it's impossible to maintain a pristine external condition on anything that's used regularly.
I'd be willing to bet some folks would hesitate to even pick up my 22/45 "chore pistol". I got it on GB 15 years ago at a cheap price because the previous owner's dog had chewed on the synthetic grip frame. Nothing wrong with the SS upper 1/2 so I just smoothed up the tooth marks(makes for a better grip?)and it's eminently suitable for my purposes. Back in my "Mauser mania" period, it was common for me to be toting a home assembled rifle finished with Krylon rattle can paint. Get a ding, wipe it with BrakeKleen, and paint over the mark.