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Can You identify the finish on this model 29?

shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
edited February 2009 in Ask the Experts
I have this S&W Model 29, S&W advises that this gun was originally a Lew Horton in blue and that this is an after market finish....yet no one can tell me what it is...the entire gun is done in this finish as if it is factory. One gun store caleld it "french blue" sounds made up to me...it is a beautiful piece.

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Comments

  • ruger41ruger41 Member Posts: 14,665 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Looks like a hard chrome or possibly NP3/robar/ceramicoat. I think it does look cool though.
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  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It was purchased at an estate auction from a defunked at one time very wealthy realtor that had a couple hundred guns go to auction. It is a nice revolver with a trigger job. It is a 1985 production....I was surprised that S&W didn't have anything to offer.
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  • ruger41ruger41 Member Posts: 14,665 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Lew Horton is a distributor who frequently sells customized S&W revolvers. Yours should be a good carry piece-you can have it lettered by S&W but I belive there is a fee to do that and of course they won't be able to tell you what that finish is exactly since the gun came from the factory blued. I still vote satin hard chrome-maybe one of the others on here has a better clue than I though.
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  • COLTCOLT Member Posts: 12,637 ******
    edited November -1
    ...Could be, hard to say with certainty, but if it is a REALLY nice finish, not "paint" of any kind...could be a matte hard chrome, a very low sheen.

    ...I use a company for small parts finish that does the matte hard chrome and besides being a great company, the finish on all parts I have sent Chris come back looking as factory if not better. The finish, from the pic anyways looks like it could be matte hard chrome. Hard chrome is one of the most durable finishes available, so if it is, that, is a good thing.

    ...Pic's showing some of the fire control parts Ive had done in matte hard chrome, might can see the similarity. FYI the Commander is an SS and the small parts are matte hard chrome...so you can see the difference in the two sheens; you can see the difference in the chrome finish of the BTS and the duller SS finish on the tang corner vs the polished SS of the frame. Everything you see from the backside pic, hammer/MSH/BTS is matte hard chrome.
    coltwplatedparts007.jpg
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    ...Some better examples of matte hard chrome.
    Metaloy:http://www.originalmetaloy.com/

    ani-texas-flag-2.gif
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  • mrs102mrs102 Member Posts: 1,172 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My vote would be for Armaloy (a VERY hard chromium plating)
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  • Bill DeShivsBill DeShivs Member Posts: 1,264 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Armoly's "hard" chrome is no harder than anyone else's. They were just one of the first to apply it commercially to guns.
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  • rsnyder55rsnyder55 Member Posts: 2,526 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Looks like Magna ports finish, Magna Life?
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  • CapnMidnightCapnMidnight Member Posts: 8,038 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Colt,
    You have fine taste in firearms, but then again, most Texicans I know do.
    W.D.
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  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yeah I have the letter from S&W I did that back in 2007. The gun was made for Lew Horton, however that yer he could not take delivery of all 5000 so this particular gun was shipped to a Gun Distributor in Florida in Nov of 1985. The finish does look just like those parts on the 1911. The finish does wear, under the cylinder on the frame(the cylinder rubs a bit) there is some wear and its shiny. I bought the gun 5 years ago for $375. I'd say I did pretty good on it!
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  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I agree with the earlier posters.

    Its impossible to be definitive from just a picture, but I'm 90%+ sure you have a matte hard chrome finish.

    I have an originally blued Smith 19 that was refinished in an identical-appearing finish. I knows its metallic, because it has become polished shiny from use in the usual "wear" spots like the cylinder front, etc.

    If I get a chance, I'll get a picture of this and post it later.

    This is a good hard durable finish. Its functionally superior to the original bluing, though arguably not as attractive.

    Without documentation, there is no way to know for sure exactly who did the finish. There are several outfits that do this, and there probably others that used to do it that are defunct.
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  • stankempstankemp Member Posts: 509 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Electroless Nickel?
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  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Is this hard chroming process expensive? What kind of value would you associate with the revolver. I don't have the box or paperwork, just the S&W History confirming it was a Lew Horton from 1985 and the original round butt combat grips. It hss gotten as high as $800 on GB but I felt it may be worth a lil bit more than that.
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  • partisanpartisan Member Posts: 6,414
    edited November -1
    It is a pretty piece. I honestly believe the $800-$1000 range is about the correct price. Short bbl .44 mags aren't really too fun to shoot. I would love to have it with me in bear country. I'm going with the matte hard chrome guess on the finish.
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  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    it is a sledge hammer :)....I wasn't so interested in shooting it about the 2nd speedloader!
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