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In regards to "forcing patina" or wear on a firearm , I do not care to do so.
Unless...
It is done to a replacement part , in order to match the original finish , wear , patina , etc...on a firearm.

Honest wear from actual real use , always looks better than a fake finish.
Andy
 
Some people pay good money to have their brand new gun look of honest wear. :D
Dishonest wear:

EDBFFAAE-775F-414B-BB92-1817E7EF8D5F.jpeg
 
If there's something I like more than an old gun with honest wear, it's finding one with a little too much wear, and making it usable and presentable. Not a full restoration to look new, but just a good cleaning, some cold blue were appropriate, and whatever minor gunsmithing repairs I can do.

I recently picked up an old Ruger revolver for a really good price, due to condition issues- chipped/broken grips, bluing thin and worn off in places, including the cylinders, paint worn through in spots on the aluminum parts. A bit of cold blue for the steel, and engine paint for the aluminum, and epoxy repairs on the grips, and it looks pretty darn good. It doesn't look new, nor did I intend it to, but I'm very happy with it for what it is.

On a related note, does anyone have any used, original wood grips for a Single-Six or Blackhawk that you'd sell inexpensively? The ones I have are OK, but if an undamaged set was cheap enough... :)
 
On a related note, does anyone have any used, original wood grips for a Single-Six or Blackhawk that you'd sell inexpensively? The ones I have are OK, but if an undamaged set was cheap enough... :)
I don't think I do anymore, but I'll take a peek and will PM ya.
 
Honest wear = used a lot = gun of choice = go to gun for a reason
Guns with wear usually have great stories, if they could only talk...
 
I appreciate the wear on the 1902 Swedish Mauser and 1918 Lee Enfield I have. Not quite the same as a long time personal carry/workin' gun though. I do have the gun that my dad's step dad used in law enforcement back in the late 40s- early '50s. It pretty clean other than holster wear in the usual places.


Bet this will be worth a chunk of money sometime in the future?

View attachment 1114132
I hope "Trigger" finds its way into a music themed museum. There are many aspects of Willie's life that I don't care for, but his music and songwriting more than make up for it.
 
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Honest wear = used a lot = gun of choice = go to gun for a reason
Guns with wear usually have great stories, if they could only talk...
Just like them old time guys. The one's with the beat up looks and bodies usually have very interesting stories.
 
There's nothing more disgusting than an old collectable that's been refinished.
I hate to see a vintage rifle that Bubba has gotten ahold of. Professional restoration is one thing, but seeing a beautiful old rifle, especially one with historical value and collector interest, that's been sanded down and cold-blued, turns the stomach a little.

I have more than one old surplus rifle that I sure wish I'd left alone back when I was young and stupid. I had this idea that they all had to look really nice, so I bought sandpaper, cold blue, and Tru-oil. I'm much more careful in the application of those things now.
 
There's something about finding a gun "no matter what it's condition" still in it's original box.
Whether it's in mint condition or well used, just seeing it in the manufacturers container that it was shipped out in, seems extra special to me.
 
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When I buy a gun from a private party I always ask about it's history. Who owned it and how did they obtain it. How many deer did it take. The scratches and wear on a gun is the story it tells like a history book and I want to know how they happened. The better the story the more I'm inclined to buy it. I'm good at reading people when they talk so I know a BS story when I hear it. Maybe I'm more sentimental than most but it's important to me.
 
I "restored" a Marlin 1894 for a buddy a few years ago. It was a working gun; he's in wildlife control and uses his guns every day. They are tools for the job and he's hard on them.

This poor old rifle was in bad shape. It needed new sights, and the wrist of the buttstock had come apart. It was cracked and split. He had it held together with many layers of tape.

I cleaned it up inside and out, replaced the sights, installed a new recoil pad. I made a metal pin for the wrist, carefully rebuilt it with epoxy, and refinished the wood. It wasn't new, still had plenty of character for a gun that had been there and done that, but at least it was usable again. He actually quit using it for work though, said it was too nice to get beat up again.

It was a fun project, and there's very few people I would do that for, but he's been a good friend for nearly half a century.
 
There's something about finding a gun "no matter what it's condition" still in it's original box.
Whether it's in mint condition or well used, just seeing it in the manufacturers container that it was shipped out in, seems extra special to me.
The 50 year old Ruger Single Six I mentioned came with the well-worn box, instructions, extra cylinder, and original receipt. :)
 
This little .22cal rifle, a BSA Model 1/2 made into a take-down by Alexander Martin of Glasgow, will be 112 years-old this year. Not sure 'zackly when, mind.

1643238610220.png

And THIS one, a Walther Sport Model 2 with its original no-name x2.5 scope, will be 92 this year.

1643238702835.png

'course, I have some older guns, from 1858 and '62, but you'd expect them to look kinda careworn, right? A bit like the owner, to tell the truth. :)
 
Newbie was leaning pretty far TactiCool until my father handed me down a...

.348 Lever 1937
a
model 74 1948
a model 12 1954
and a pretty old J Stevens 30-30 bolt.

I have flipped over to vintage for the time being.

Cleaning up this old stuff is Fun.
 
There's nothing more disgusting than an old collectable that's been refinished.
I hear ya! But in one instance I was the one that "refinished" an old Winchester back in the 70's. A couple of years ago I got it out, tore it all down and cleaned it up like it probably had never been cleaned. Absolutely, completely disassembled. I was in the market for new wood and was going to have it done "right", but then stopped. I cold blued a couple of parts that I had sanded to bright and clearcoated, way back when and then put it together. Since I'd not been privy to it's first 50 years, the last 50 are the important ones. That's how long it's been in my life (well, a little longer than 50).
I look at it and see not only most of its rough life, but mine, too.

This gun may be a beater, but it's not disgusting to me. And judging from the responses when a pic of it might pop up on here, I'm not the only one.

However, if I had the chance to go back, I'd leave it alone.
 

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