Engrave or Not?

[jdberger]

Today a family member handed me the most amazing thing...

a 7.5 inch barrelled nickle 1970s Colt Single Action Army in the original box - with the original price written on it ($294.95). The gun has a very slight drag line on the cylinder. I was told that it was never fired.





Unfortunately, the gun in flawed.

On top of the barrel, something happened to the nickle plating. It's not like there was a bubble or rust - or even that it was scratched, but the nickle seems to have been a flaw in the nickle process. It looks like a thumbnail pushed a small (1mm) section of the nickle up while it was still "wet". You can even see the copper underneath.



I was wondering if a 25% engraving job might hide the blemish... Obviously, the engraving would need to be pretty expert - any suggestions?

So - should I engrave the gun or not?

[1911Operator]

personally I would never get anything engraved, but if your doing it to hide a blemish go for it. isnt there any people who can re-finish or re-nickel a gun?

[glockwise2000]

Not. The flawed part is the character representing the age of the firearm. It meant not to be perfect. My $0.02.

[OneSevenDeuce]

Another vote for no. Think long and hard about changing it forever.

[Colt]

You can have Colt factory do a refinish. They show nickel as one of their refinishing options.

[bsg]

i would not have it engraved. if you feel the blemish is from the factory ... i'd most certainly live with it.

[Coastey]

I've never had a firearm engraved, so I may be wrong, but it seems to me that after engraving they'd have to refinish (re-nickle?) the firearm anyway. So why not save yourself some money and just get it replated and forego the engraving.

[Army GI]

You can have Colt factory do a refinish. They show nickel as one of their refinishing options.

This.

[bsg]

You can have Colt factory do a refinish. They show nickel as one of their refinishing options.

if i was to refinish... i'd go with the factory option and keep the papers on the redo. i'd get the finish that is like the original.

[Mr. Beretta]

Don't touch a thing!

Get a factory letter and store it in the safe.

Any mods, even factory mods, effects the value of a gun, especially a SA Colt.

JMHO

[darkest2000]

+1 for a Colt factory refinish if you absolutely cannot live with the flaw. They do a very good job and once you're done it's still considered factory finish.

[bsg]

Don't touch a thing!

Get a factory letter and store it in the safe.

Any mods, even factory mods, effects the value of a gun, especially a SA Colt.

JMHO

i do agree....

[Günter]

Whenever you modify a collectable piece from its original condition it will bring down the value. I'd say leave it alone, will be best to be kept as a safe queen. If the flaws in the finish is significantly detracting its looks, than consider restoring it with closest thing to the original factory finish.

[jdberger]

Pics uploaded.

[freonr22]

I ended up with a mauser 25-06, the barrel said CR Pedersen, after a lil research found out his son was a 3rd generation gunsmith / engraver. I think he may have even done a nascar trophy recent years. that being said, I would contact him if you wanted an engraving done

was president of FEGA http://www.fega.com/

http://www.grstrainingcenter.com/instructors/rexpedersen.html

Rex is a third generation gunsmith who began engraving in 1978. He joined the early effort to form the Firearms Engravers Guild of America (FEGA) and is a charter member who has held a number of FEGA offices including president. He has earned the difficult to obtain title of “FEGA Master Engraver” from the Guild. His engraving credentials include awards from Smith & Wesson and Beretta. His client list includes Ducks Unlimited, Browning, SCI, Anheuser-Busch, and other well known entities. His experience as a professional gunsmith adds depth to his engraving capabilities since firearms engraving jobs often involve some gunsmithing. He also engraves knives and some special awards. He recently trained under Martin Strolz of Austria in the GRS Grand Masters Program. Since 2001, he has engraved the Goodyear Gold Cup award given to the NASCAR Sprint Cup champion driver. His work can be seen in publications including Guns Magazine, Rifle Magazine, Shooters Bible, Modern Custom Guns, and Custom Firearms Engraving.