Factory re blue??

[winchester348]

I have an early SBH in the 21## serial number. The cylinder has etching in the original finish where it sat in the Mahogany box for decades. The question I have is if I send the cylinder back to Ruger will they reblue it? will it be back to original blue? or should I try to find an OM Bright blue cylinder in better shape to keep with the gun?
Will having Ruger re blue affect the value?
What would the Ruger gurus do?, and before someone spouts off with sell it to me. ah No

 

[woodperson]

I had Ruger re-blue a OM and to me the reblue does not look anything like the original finish did. It looks like the finish on the current NM.

 

[trapperon]

were it mine, I would be patient and seek a cylinder from the same vintage in better condition. Although a ruger re blue is a quality job, it would still be detectable and reduce the guns value vs having its original finish. Just measure the overall length of the original cylinder with calipers and then any like dimension would simply be a drop in.

Im thinking price wise this may even be cheaper than a factory re blue job.

Ron

A big 348 fan as well!!

 

[winchester348]

I'll post a WTB in the classifieds as soon as I measure the cylinder.
Thanks

 

[22/45 Fan]

Are the cylinders numbered to the gun? If so a replacement cylinder would certainly hurt the value.

 

[street]

The Super Blackhawk cylinders are not numbered to the gun. One thing that you need to do if you decide to get a new cylinder for your gun is to find a cylinder from the first few thousand guns that don't have the high polish finish. Some where from serial number 1 to serial number 4500 to 5000. That is going to be somewhat hard to find. Good luck I hope you find one.

 

[Hondo44]

winchester348,

I my experience, the Ruger re-finish will be what you need to match the gun. I'd call Ruger and verify that they'll refinish just a cyl. But if they will, I'd send to them.

 

[rugerguy]

as noted above, the new finish is NOT the same as the original, different type of solutions used today, as well as the polish may not match, gotta try and find someone who can and they will, 'match' the polish, which is more important than the actual color, as MOST folks would not ,could not, tell the difference...been there, done that 8) :roll:
you'd be surprised how many Supers have 'suffered' the consequences of being left in the felt lined presentation cases, I could not not tell you how many our shops have done over the years and we are only ONE, think how many others have been "in business" over all these years :wink:

 

[mohavesam]

I suspect you are after an increase in value by refinishing - refinishing this revolver will not increase its value

However, sending the entire machine to a respected and professional outfit like Fords and paying for a top-end near-original finish will secure its place in YOUR collection for your lifetime.

http://www.fordsguns.com

 

[BlkHawk73]

I have a pretty well used and worn OM .357 that I've debated seeing in for a while. It's 100% shooter grade so not concerned one bit about any loss of value. I know they'll do the conversion (I'd remove the parts prior to shipping) but again, not a concern of any loss of value. Once it's not original in any regard, SPECIALLY for any not in what most serious collectors would consider "collector grade" it's value is diminished greatly - to shooter grade IMO. Worrying about that is way over rated in a lot of cases. Too worried about value if I do this, value if I do that....What's this vale, hat's that value? The real value is in the satisfaction of owning it not in the wallet.
I can say the thing that keeps me from calling and requesting the service is they'll somehow determine it's not fit to be returned for whatever reason and expect a replacement to suffice.

 

[rugerguy]

sorry but if ONLY a 'part' such as the ejector housing or the cylinder as is often the case of any of these guns LEFT to SIT in a felt lined presentation case, you do NOT , I repeat NOT refinish the rest of the gun, just so these parts can be redone, Fords is NOT a representation of anywhere NEAR to the factory original finish of a Ruger, yes seen some nice work they performed on some guns that were BADLY in "need" of being saved, redone, to even look halfway decent..........
again, if ONLY the cylinder is "speckled" ( pitted) just redo that , and that alone............If you do not want that cylinder, send it to me, and I'll make it "right", lost count on how many we have "saved" when we had the shops, and Walt was one of our gunsmiths 8) :roll: :wink:

if in doubt, call Ruger and ask them if they will redo only the cylinder, again, do NOT send them the entire gun, NO NEED to..........I can tell you that MOST shops , refinishers will tell you they "need" the gun to make it all "match",BS, its a sham, a selling point, a come on, whatever you want to call it, I know most of these guys , and worked with many of them since the late 1960s' so I know about ALL the "sales" pitches.........
so SAVE the cylinder, or leave it be, any of the serious Super ( cased guns) collectors all KNOW the hazards of the felt lined cases and price the value accordingly............. :wink:

 

[contender]

+1 rugerguy!

As a collector, I see folks all the time commenting on one side or the other about "values" of a firearm. It is your gun,, right now. But none of us are permanent owners of anything. If we get buried with any possessions, they will ruin away. We are all temporary owners.
None of us like to buy anything & see it's value diminish as a result of our negligence. Buy a new car & plan on using it off road immediately & scratching it all up, adding dents to it etc. Nope, very few folks do that. It's only after we've had it a while, and little stuff has affected it's finish, or value that we take a vehicle off road & not get too upset when we scratch it etc. It too me 10 years & a lot of miles, and a few other dents & scratches before my truck went deep off road & came home with a lot of brush scratches. I still feel badly when I look at it.
A firearm in pristine condition, can & will bring good money if & when it gets sold. If is up to you, the current owner. When is sometimes up to your heirs.
Go price a pristine 1960's Corvette. Look at what it sold for initially. Can we say "sticker shock?"
So, when a person discusses values of firearms, I often think; "If I keep my pristine collector grade guns in the same shape, one day, their increased value may help pay for much needed things for me." Health care, grandkids education, retirement funds, or whatever. So when I see minty guns get used, and worn, I know the value of my collectables has risen just a wee bit more. When I see "shooter grade" guns, I smile as well. I know they have already provided someone with pleasure in their use, and as such, I buy those as well,,, to shoot & enjoy.
But when I see a shooter grade gun that has been "restored," modified, or whatever, I look at what the seller is asking for it. Just last weekend, at a gun show, I saw a 4 digit Super Blackhawk for sale. The price? Asking $750.00. But, I saw the filed off front sight, the incorrect grips, (NM,) and the obvious re-blue,,, not the best, but "pretty." They didn't do a correct job, like rugerguy mentions, and it was obvious to me.
A nice 4 digit that was no longer collectable, OR worth what the seller was asking. To me, a shooter grade gun, that I personally wouldn't pay more than $400 for. Why? I might have to replace the barrel or at least the front sight & reblue the gun again. And I'd still just have a $500 shooter grade 4 digit OM Super. But, place a 4 digit Super in correct configuration, not reblued or whatever in anyway out for sale at $750 & I would have likely brought it home.

And on the flip side.
A rarer gun, of which is very desirable to many, in poor condition finish wise, will get passed over by collectors. But, take the same gun, have a PROPER reblue done, allow it to be shown as a reblue, will actually bring more value as it looks more like original & can be used to fill a hole in a collection until a better example is found. I have an early Standard Auto that was redone for me. It's finish was well worn & bad. But the gun was sound. I had a GOOD person do a PROPER job of rebluing it for me. Many folks would have a hard time seeing it as a reblued gun. But I never show it as anything but a reblue. But the value of it has increased,,, as it was properly restored.

So, listen to what rugerguy says,,, he's been there & done that.

 

[chet15]

Not only will that 2xxx range Super have Ruger's standard polish (not the Super Polish), but a cylinder of that vintage will also have a small "S" proofmark on the front or rear of the cylinder. (1/16" in height).
Chet15