Refinishing and Re-blueing Question
I tend to be a "user" as opposed to a "collector" (but also tend to keep my guns forever ;-)... so there are things I may not understand.
I wonder if someone might help me understand why a refinished stock or a re-blued weapon suffers a loss of value upon resale?
Just seems to me that refinishing and re-blueing has a positive effect on the weapon... especially re-blueing which "freshens" the weapons protection from the elements. A nicely refinished stock also seems like it should have a positive impact on a weapon's price.
I can understand it with the "safe queens" that retain a pristine untouched appearance. I just don't understand why a beat up, well used, thoroughly enjoyed, gun wouldn't benefit from a face lift and a sorely needed new protective coating.
I glanced through this forum for an answer but couldn't locate one. Perhaps the question is too basic and, if so, I apoligize in advance.
Best Wishes!
Craig [:)]
I wonder if someone might help me understand why a refinished stock or a re-blued weapon suffers a loss of value upon resale?
Just seems to me that refinishing and re-blueing has a positive effect on the weapon... especially re-blueing which "freshens" the weapons protection from the elements. A nicely refinished stock also seems like it should have a positive impact on a weapon's price.
I can understand it with the "safe queens" that retain a pristine untouched appearance. I just don't understand why a beat up, well used, thoroughly enjoyed, gun wouldn't benefit from a face lift and a sorely needed new protective coating.
I glanced through this forum for an answer but couldn't locate one. Perhaps the question is too basic and, if so, I apoligize in advance.
Best Wishes!
Craig [:)]
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Think of it the same way as antique cars or furniture under 99% of the time leaving a firearm with the original finish is better then a re finish. Antique furniture and collector guns can loose over 50% of their value. 0 -
The refinishing and re-blueing does have a postitive effect on the rifle in preserving the metal and wood, but it also has a negative effect on value, because collectors want, and pay for, original finish. Think of it this way. The most valuable will be a rifle built in the first or very early years of production and kept in a safe for 100 years so it looks just like the day it came off the line. Better if it has all the original paperwork, receipt, box and all, because collectors also value provenance or history. If the receipt shows it was first sold to Buffalo Bill, the price just went through the roof. Next in value will be a rifle that has been used a little, but was well cared for and retains 98 or 99% of it's original finish. Less finish, less value. While a gun with 60% of its finish remaining may show evidence of some great stories in hunting camps in years gone by, it will have less value to a collector than an 80% rifle. What drives the value is the collectors and what they want is original finish. Don't you watch antiques Road Show? Remember how they say, "If it had the original finish it would have been $80,000 to $90,000 instead of $8,000-$9,000."?
If you are talking about re-bluing your J.C. Higgins shotgun, go for it, chances are it will never acheive colletor status.0 -
To each his own.
I can certainly understand COLLECTORS of fine and rare firearms wanting to maintain original pristine condition.
I can also see those who own a Colt 1911 thats 80 years old wanting it to show its true character from decades of use.
I can also see an owner of a utilitatian firearm wanting to refresh it for more years of service.0 -
Refinish can help value sometimes. I bought a very grim condition Colt 1903 .38ACP for $300, put about $100 in parts in it and refinished it. Gun shop sold it for me for $750. Not mentioned in this thread is whether it is good economics. In my case if I figured my labor I would have lost my shirt but I did it as a project - a challenge, making some parts. etc. 0 -
Rebluing a gun offers very little protection from rust.
Rebluing often requires polishing the underlying metal. Polishing is an art that few ever master, so most refinished guns end up with slurred markings and rounded corners. Stock refinishing is the same. Sanding a stock changes the original contours. Unless done professionally, refinishing guns just makes them look worse.0 -
Just wanted to jump in here with a huge "Thank You!" to those who have helped me understand the concept. I did understand the pristine aspect of the un-used gun but it always makes me kinda sad that some guns are manufactured to never fire a single shot.
It was the idea that an old rusted out, beat up example is worth more in that condition than in a "restored" condition that kept bothering me. You can buy a rusted out classic car for much less than a fully restored one.
Of course, that car that grandpa owned and only drove on Sundays and spent the rest of it's life in a climate controlled garage dwarfs them both in value.
Well again, thanks for the insight! [:)]
Craig0 -
Have an Ortgies that would not feed, so I sent it to a good smith. replaced some springs and did a little stone work here and there, went to test fire it and the slide broke on him. We found a replacement slide, but it needed blueing so we re-blued the entire pistol so it all matched. Collector value if any is gone, but it looks great (shoots great too!) and the only other choice was make it into a parts gun. There are times it makes sense. 0 -
Craig,
Can you imagine going to a museum, say in Gettysburg. Would you rather see all the battle field artifacts displayed as found or "restored" to as new condition?
As far as the average collectable firearm, there is a difference between 'use' & 'abuse'. Price always reflects the originality. A specimen that has been refinished to 'as new' is no different than a replica.
There are some that fail to see the difference between 'replica' & 'original'. It all depends on your needs. A CASS shooter would be better served to invest in a good replica. If for display only, would you be happy with a rinestone when your peers think you are wearing a diamond?
Jim0 -
quote:I just don't understand why a beat up, well used, thoroughly enjoyed, gun wouldn't benefit from a face lift and a sorely needed new protective coating
Well, from a practical standpoint, of course a working gun will benefit in function and appearance from a shiny new protective finish.
In fact, if you're talking about a gun with no special appeal to collectors (ie its a common "working" or "utilitarian" gun), then a new finish probably *would* even increase its value, if well done.
The problem is that in most cases, having a gun professionally refinished just isn't cost-effective, because you won't be able to recover the cost of the refinish when selling the gun.
In other words, the cost of a good refinish usually (though not always) exceeds the increase in the value of the gun from the refinish. Its not necessarily that the gun is worth less after the refinish. . .its that YOUR net worth is less afterwards (since the value of the refinished gun is less than the value of the gun with the old finish plus the cash you spent on the new finish)!
On the other hand, if its a gun you intend to keep and use, resale value is somewhat of a secondary concern.
If the new finish will help keep your needed gun in functional condition (as opposed to turning into a worthless piece of rusted junk), then it may be worth every penny, even if it adds nothing to resale value.
As an analogy, frequently changing the oil in your car realistically isn't likely to meaningfully increase its resale value, but it probably will help it last longer. . .a useful thing if you need to keep driving it!
As already mentioned, the time when a refinish can REALLY hurt a guns value is if its a rare collector's piece. Collectors' prize original condition, and anything you do to change the original condition is going to detract from the gun's value.0 -
Thanks again guys.
BTS: I guess the problem is... WHICH of my prized shooters will someday make the "worth a million if untouched" list? [:D]
Two of my six shooters are discontinued by S&W so perhaps one or both may someday "make the list".
I already re-blued a 1930's Mossberg 22 Model 42, but I don't think it would be worth more than a couple of hundred if it was BNIB. My dad-in-law gave me one of those old pump Winchester 22's with the octagon barrel (1911's?). But, not only had he already reblued it a few times, he also had it rechambered from 22LR to 22WMR!
I do enjoy seeing pristine examples of firearms from days gone by.... but the rougher looking examples still make my fingers twitch toward the restoration supplies....
I'll try to control my urges... [:D]
Thanks again,
Craig0
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