SANDING OF STAINLESS STEEL?

ENBLOC

August 24, 2011 19:13

I will be looking at some retired Police Revolvers that are dinged & scratched up. I was told because they are Stainless you could "sand" out these blemishes with 320 grit paper. Is this true? What do you advise? "Carried alot & shot little" has it's appeal. It would be wonderful to restore the guns appeal too!
Thx,

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  dcs shooters

  August 24, 2011 19:29

  We use a 180 grit sanding sponge on S&W pistols. Sand lightly to match the finish.

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  charliemeyer007

  August 24, 2011 19:34

  I'd start with the insides first. Straighten the crane, fix the end shake etc. I really like the non-glare of bead blasting, shinny guns need to be on display not in the field. just my $.02

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  Juggernaut

  August 24, 2011 19:35

  Imho unless you are a pro or confident with your skills since they are blemished with dings and scratches and depending on how good you want them to be I would have a local experienced gunsmith or professional gun restoration service do the work. As I have seen some home jobs compared to professional work and they are more often than not day and night, especially since they usually know most of the tricks of the trade which is their trade. It will cost more but with the right person doing the work it will look like it just came from the factory.

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  tsr1965

  August 25, 2011 04:12

  I like the bead blasted finish better too...plus, it is easier to perfect.
  
  Carried a lot, shot a little? You might want to think aobout that. Just because they are only shot 100-200 rounds each time they qualify, sometimes twice a year, does not mean that was all they were shot. A lot of departments give an alotment of practice rounds per month too.
  
  Best

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  rawhide54

  August 25, 2011 05:11

  I bought a police trade-in S&W 686 some years ago and finally sent it in to S&W to have its barrel aligned because it required way too much windage adustment. Smith & Wesson not only realigned the barrel so it shoots center with a centered rear sight, they refinished it at no extra charge. It had been worn shiney with holster wear and had a few dings and scratches but its like a new gun now.

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  Riomouse911

  August 25, 2011 06:54

  I bead-blasted a 686 7-shot S&W that I carried for a while to get rid of the worn spots. Looks good as new and the dull finish is really nice.

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  nmyers

  August 25, 2011 14:52

  S&W uses different finishes on different surfaces of stainless steel revolvers. Bead blasting looks nice, but it will not look correct. Police trade-ins tend to be well used, sometimes abused.
  
  If it were my gun, I'd either use it as is, or send it to S&W & have it done the right way.
  
  Neal
  
  

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