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refinished colt?

Spartacus
this 1903 looks TOO good and the color is wrong (lighting?). I can't be sure but i don't think the trigger and slide release are case hardened finish.
were any 1903's made in black?
I've only seen the glossy and flat blues.
thanks
tom
ooops! here's the link;

http://www.coltforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22573

edit: as some have mentioned, the lettering and emblem is perfect. the emblem looks recut to me. again just too good.
i'm guessing the seller paid close to his asking price from the "collector" and i'm guessing the collector got back whatever he paid to have the work done.
i wonder if the seller would put me in touch with the collector?
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • shoff14
    Linky dude, linky [:D]
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  • givette
    quote:Originally posted by tplumeri
    this 1903 looks TOO good and the color is wrong (lighting?). I can't be sure but i don't think the trigger and slide release are case hardened finish.
    were any 1903's made in black?
    I've only seen the glossy and flat blues.
    thanks
    tom

    Trigger and thumb lever should be that bright "fire blue". It will make the rest of the bluing appear much darker. We definately need a photo, or two, or three, or.....[:D]

    EDIT-Info Added After Viewing Photos
    I don't know for how long Colt "fire blued" the parts listed above. I believe there was a point in time when Colt started bluing the parts with the same finish as the remainder of the firearm. This edited statement is to be considered as unreliable, pending further input. Best, Joe
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  • perry shooter
    The AD does not state it is original finish . "IT LOOK"S as NEW" and "I cant see any signs it has been fired" the seller might have poor eye sight . I ask why would anyone have a pistol in this good of condition and not keep the box I would have to look at the roll stamps with a glass but I think it is a masterful refinish but none the less REFINISH . YMMV small parts don,t look right .
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  • nmyers
    But, but, but......he bought it from a "Colt collector"! What more provenance do you need? [:o)]

    Seriously, this a late type III, & I'm not sure when Colt made the transition from high polish/fire blue to brushed/charcoal blue, so the type finish may be correct. But, the brush marks don't look deep enough, & the transition from the top of the slide to the flat doesn't look sharp enough. Problem is, the lighting is too dark, & the close-ups are too fuzzy to be sure one way or the other.

    colt1903left.jpg

    Neal
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  • rhmc24
    I call it refinished. Altho it seems impossible to refinish an auto and keep the lettering that sharp, it can be done. I have a 1905 .45 auto pretty much the same but a little more satin blue. All the 1905s, made only a few years, were finished in the deep mirror gloss blue typical of early 20th century Colts. It would improve the value of mine if its satin finish could be proven original.
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  • Blairweescot
    Very sharp lettering! Crummy photos, very bad light


    My own Colt 1903 is a 356XXX, made in 1920. The Colt in question's s/n predates mine

    That said, my 1903 has never been refinished (and looks it), and the trigger and thumb lever are not the bright blue at all; they are dark. If you look at the top of the slide on mine near the rear sight, you can tell it was carbona blue originally but the trigger and thumb lever seem almost black
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  • cwi555
    I smell a rat.
    I would be very suspicious of a refinish job on that.

    quote:Originally posted by tplumeri
    this 1903 looks TOO good and the color is wrong (lighting?). I can't be sure but i don't think the trigger and slide release are case hardened finish.
    were any 1903's made in black?
    I've only seen the glossy and flat blues.
    thanks
    tom
    ooops! here's the link;

    http://www.coltforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22573
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  • v35
    That's as crisp and sharp as can be. Lettering, radii and sharp edges as well as the Colt emblem don't give any indication of repolishing.
    Grip checkering is as new. There is a scratch from a slip of the punch
    at the grip safety retaining pin and some peening of the frame behind the manual safety pin which may have been caused by high speed ammo.
    It looks too perfect not to have been refinished but other than the color I cant see signs of refinishing.
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  • Grasshopper
    After looking at hundreds on firearms,,,my guess is a refinish..imo..nambu
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  • tsr1965
    Without factory paper to match the condition of the gun, which appears NIB, then something is wrong.
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