3 screw Blackhawk and Single six finish question

[shooter1]

Hello forum, I have been a lurker here for a long time and have had many Ruger pistols(revolvers and semi autos) over the years. I have aquired what I consider the holy grail of simgle actions. A 3 screw Blackhawk in .357 and a Single six 3 screw. Thr blackhawk dates to 1963 and the single six is dated to 1969. These are functionally perfect and great shooters. They do however have some holster wear and are not perfect. I got them from a good friend when his dad passed and these will never leave my collection, however I do not want to kill the nastalgia or value. I am contemplating removing the blueing and going with a polished look. Am I thinking in the wrong direction. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[Fox Mike]

Removing the bluing will make them a paper weight as far as nostalgia goes. Best bet is to clean and lightly oil them and shoot or show them. Of course I would be happy to take the Blackhawk off your hands so you won't have the burden of figuring out what to do with it. :D :roll:

 

[DGW1949]

Welcome to the Forum.
I'm almost sure that you'll get various recomendations as to whether or not you should refinish the guns in question, and how to do it. About the only advice that I can give is that on one hand, I don't have a problem with old guns which exhibit what I call "honest wear".....but I'm more of a shooter than a collector.
On the other hand though, I do have a soft spot for shiney guns. So much so in fact, that once upon a time in my youth, I had my own 3-screw .357 nickel plated. That was some 40 years ago, and to this day, it remains one of my most prized possessions.

Choices, choices....is this a great country, or what.

DGW

 

[contender]

Welcome to the Forum!
First,,, I'm in the camp of leaving them as is with their wear & patina as is. It's honest wear & quite nice to many.
Next,,, a bit of something else to consider.
The 1963 Blackhawk is likely a "Transition" variation. That has some collector value,,, depending upon the details. In 1962-1963 Ruger was transitioning from the "Flattop" to the "Protected ears" variation. There are steps of part changes that has made that era a separate collectible type. The grip frame, the main frame, are two points of change that are easily seen. There are a few other parts that were changed as well.
I'd personally leave that Blackhawk alone.
The Single-Six. It's more likely a more common variation,,, but it too could have something about it that could make it collectible. We'd need a lot more details to determine things, as well as some pics to help more.

To sum it up,,, people often remove value of a gun when they modify it from it's original as shipped configuration. Even when it's a bit worn etc. I personally have a used & worn "Ross" variation that is worth a lot more than what I paid initially & it's strictly shooter grade. All I've done was remove the original Butaphane grips (to protect them,) & put on a set of customs to use for shooting. An easy reversal.

 

[rugerguy]

welcome to the Forum, as to what may or may not be "needed", hard to say without actually seeing the guns in question, for me it is easy enough to simply "detail" ( we like to call it 'TLC") any small imperfections wear, etc.
you strip off any and all the finish and the gun will be in constant need of oiling and maintainance, the bluing protects the surface of the metal, bare spots, bare metal "rusts" and in time , will pit...and as noted above any and ALL values will be GONE.....as Ty noted above, more info needed to be able to determine if there is more, added or collectible values...otherwise just shoot them enjoy them and please take care of them, do NOT "ride them hard, and put 'em away wet...."

 

[G2]

It's your gun do what you want.

However IMNSHO, sounds like the guns show good honest wear and have the "patina & nostalgia" that they should have for a Ruger of this age.

Keep in mind Bill Ruger built guns designed for use, he didn't care for the collector crowd.

If you want a pristeen collector to loooook at :shock: there out there.

You rubbin than gun to a cluster finish, well let's just say the finish it currently wears took ~ 50 years to acquire, it's honest and original,,,, as it should be. :wink:

But as I started this post; its your gun do as you wish.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I'd leave 'em alone.

If you mess with 'em at all, they are no longer "original".

JMHO . . . your guns . . . your choice.

:)

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

If you replace ALL the parts of both guns with stainless steel parts,then you can polish them up and there will be less chance of rust and the collector value will not be lost.

 

[shooter1]

Not being stainless polishing would be very maintenence heavy. They have a great history and the fact I have the history is awesome. I am thinking that they will retain their patina and stay in their current well used state. I am not affraid to take to the range and shoot them, carry them or hunt with them. Thanks for the input and putting me in the right direction.

 

[Armybrat]

I wouldn't touch the finish on my 1968 three screw Blackhawk or my 1959 Single Six. If you want shiny, get a New Vaquero .357 in stainless like mine - looks as pretty as a nickel gun:

 

[SPBhawk]

Don't change them, for reasons stated above. Congrats on acquiring a couple of wonderful 6 shooters !