Want a good example to restore? http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=438272228 This one only needs refinishing...

I'll have to watch that one. One of those has been on my radar for years, just never bought one.

I call BS on that one. NO finish left, and the metal is pitted all over. Looks to me like it has been stripped and cold blued, and that is what has faded. Never seen Colt factory finish degrade like that without some help.

$250 tops.

It has NOT been cold-blued, but the finish has been mostly removed one way or another. The grips are good, the magazine is good. As I remember it the bore was very good.

PS - I just read the "bluing has faded" comment. That is NOT right but the guy who wrote it up isn't the most knowledgeable guy. I'll get that addressed if I can.

I have seen and handled this pistol. Almost bought it myself. Might yet, I bid what they have in it, $300.

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Sincerely,

Hobie

laptop.

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Sincerely,

Hobie

Certainly not to mean any ruminant-processed vegetative matter coming from you Hobie!

Just that I can't see that finish as normally faded by time and handling. Casehardening will certainly fade over time, but Colt factory bluing from the period of that gun's manufacture should last a long time unless it has been exposed to something that CAUSES it to degrade. The pitting under the ejection port and elsewhere looks like rusted metal has been removed to leave the pits.

That said, you have seen the gun and I have only seen the photos, so you certainly have a better idea of it's condition. At the least, it would be a good candidate for restoration. If I lucked into one like that for a good price, I'd parkerize it, replace the springs, stick it in an IWB holster and smile a lot.

something as to your point that I didn't understand. I wanted to understand so that I could answer any questions or correct any misconceptions if possible/applicable.

As noted elsewhere the bluing has been substantially removed but it has not been cold-blued. I think the color/tint/hue of the photo gives that impression but it isn't so. This pistol could easily be given a correct finish and would be a fine shooter. I was thinking of having it Parkerized like a military gun... #duckingandrunning

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Sincerely,

Hobie

done up like that. Parkerizing can cover minor surface flaws and holds antirust coatings really well. One of the best carry guns ever made, it would seem to me.