All Things Old...

[ROGER4314]

It depends on if you want to restore it or return it to serviceable shooting condition. Because it's chambered for 38 special, I'd turn it into a shooter.

My choice considering the surface rust would be to glass bead blast it to make a satin surface then re-blue it. After a glass bead job, even cold blue refinish comes out great!

Flash

 

[matefrio]

Oldest pepper or OC spray\firing device?

 

[Army 1911]

If you refinish look at rust blue. Not terribly difficult, beautiful finish and can be done at home with minimal equipment. Pot, Distilled water, Salts, Carding Brush, and some cloths, like denim.

Just make sure you check with the Kitchen Command Authority first.

 

[Mreed911]

It depends on if you want to restore it or return it to serviceable shooting condition. Because it's chambered for 38 special, I'd turn it into a shooter.

I'd love to turn it into an occasional shooter, for sure. I'm going to start with an inquiry to S&W to see if I can find where this one started its life and go from there, almost like a genealogy.

My choice considering the surface rust would be to glass bead blast it to make a satin surface then re-blue it. After a glass bead job, even cold blue refinish comes out great!

More than I can do myself, but something I'd definitely look at. I'm absolutely going to take my time.

If you refinish look at rust blue. Not terribly difficult, beautiful finish and can be done at home with minimal equipment. Pot, Distilled water, Salts, Carding Brush, and some cloths, like denim.

Just make sure you check with the Kitchen Command Authority first.

Luckily, in my house, I'm HNIC in the kitchen. My CO can burn water so that's delegated to me. If it looks like a craft project I might be able to get the daughter to do it!

 

[ROGER4314]

I had one of those tear gas pens shown at the bottom of the picture. A regular shot shell primer could be pressed into place and I'd reload them with nails or BB's! My dunderhead wife and I lived in a little 42x8 trailer while I went to school. I was outside and heard a "BANG" and a scream from inside the little trailer. She set that damned thing off inside the place! Those rounds shot an irritating dust that took a long time to get cleaned out of the place!

That had to be about 1967.

Flash

 

[matefrio]

I had one of those tear gas pens shown at the bottom of the picture. A regular shot shell primer could be pressed into place and I'd reload them with nails or BB's! My dunderhead wife and I lived in a little 42x8 trailer while I went to school. I was outside and heard a "BANG" and a scream from inside the little trailer. She set that damned thing off inside the place! Those rounds shot an irritating dust that took a long time to get cleaned out of the place!

Flash

Put this in the wrong thread, sorry.

This was my great grandma's. My grandma set this one off in the house as well. My dad would have after he found it. He's like what's this "click" then hands it to me and I take the head off. DAD, I think that's a primer.... he turned white.

We asked grandma about it she said she set it off a few years before and then put it away. The OC must have deteriorated at that point though.

 

[mortdooley]

Not all guns need to look new, the condition you describe is its history. I have a S&W in .32 that looks like a smaller version and a Colt Official Police that the blue is badly worn and I feel they look just fine the way they are. Clean it, oil it inside and out and run the surface rust away and call it good. Once it is refinished using it will ruin that like new look or you will have a new safe queen.

 

[mitchntx]

Not all guns need to look new, the condition you describe is its history. I have a S&W in .32 that looks like a smaller version and a Colt Official Police that the blue is badly worn and I feel they look just fine the way they are.

^^^ This ^^^

I have a blued 6" Colt Python that has a lot of holster wear on it.
Gives it character.

 

[matefrio]

Remove rust, clean and oil then decide from there if you want to take it further.

 

[Mreed911]

Remove rust, clean and oil then decide from there if you want to take it further.

Exactly my plan. I'm not drooling to do anything past that - if I approach it, I'll do it from the perspective of "what does this 100+ year old beauty deserve?" I'm much more interested in finding out what history I can from her.

 

[Mreed911]

It depends on if you want to restore it or return it to serviceable shooting condition. Because it's chambered for 38 special, I'd turn it into a shooter.

My choice considering the surface rust would be to glass bead blast it to make a satin surface then re-blue it. After a glass bead job, even cold blue refinish comes out great!

Coming back to this. Having just finished restoring the stock on a 1930's Mossberg Model B .22LR I acquired, I'm turning my attention back to this.

It doesn't hurt that the history letter on this came in today from S&W - it's definitely a "First Model" with a ship-from-factory date of 9/17/1901, one of the last 25% of these made, and delivered to A. Baldwin Co. in New Orleans.

Given the surface rust, near-complete lack of original finish left, etc. I'm probably going to go this route (bead-blast and re-blue). I'm not as concerned about pure collector value as much as I am something I can put in a show box with the history letter and fire once in a while on a special occasion. She deserves to be seen as-made and not just prettied up for sale.

I'm going to stop by New Branufels Gun Works and talk to them about the refinishing options, especially since it has the original grips. I'm going to see if I can source the correct ejector rod front (currently is just a screw) to make it period-complete, too.

I'll post pics as things progress (and I'll put the Mossberg in another thread later tonight).

 

[Mreed911]

Resurrection and update. I've given some life back to the finish but otherwise killed the pistol until/unless I can source a new part inside the trigger/action mechanism (long story). At this point, it's a very cool "show piece" that might end up in a shadow box with the authenticity letter from S&W. I'd post the pics here but I'm over quota??? I put them up in a public (no registration!) link in iCloud Photo Sharing - you can see the before and after.

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A4GWZuqDGYHFgk