Colt 1903 - restore or not?

[javaduke]

Hi, C&R gurus, need your advise here. I just picked up this nice 1903, but as you can see, it's in a pretty bad shape. My intention was to remove the remaining bluing, clean up the pitting, blast it with 120 grit AlOx and finish with rust blue or Belgian blue. But I looked up the year of manufacture and it's pretty early, 1905 or 1906, to be precise. So I'm wondering if it has any collector value and my restoration process would rather ruin it. What do you guys think?

[Bainter1212]

These things go for a bit more than their worth in scrap metal so yes they have value. I would leave it as-is. Looks like it has character to me.

BTW I have a 1905 mfg Colt 1903 and it is the one handgun that anybody I take to the range loves to shoot. They are generally great shooters.

[SkyHawk]

I have two 1903s, both are too nice to shoot.

I’d enjoy yours as-is, I’d like to find one like that. If you want a looker you can always get one later.

[Spaffo]

I vote for leaving it as-is. It's sort of cool- looking and is probably fun to shoot.

[Calif Hunter]

I would go a different route - clean it up, refinish (Parkerize, cerakote, beadblast and blue) and shoot the snot out of it. Maybe put it on my CCW.

[71MUSTY]

That is bad *** looking, leave it as it is.

[Enfield47]

I would leave it alone. Shoot it and enjoy it for what it is.

[sealocan]

It made it through the Crusades and now you want to mess with it?




But seriously, that thing has enough character to share with everyone you take shooting, and plenty left over.

Another nice thing is it's relatively even, all over the pistol, instead of blood stain on one side and rust on the other.

Another thing to look at is the economics of it. Is the price you bought it low enough to allow you to do all the other refinishing work ( either by yourself time-wise or if you're paying someone to do it) without going into the price range of a very nice original Colt 1903 that is "too nice to shoot /safe Queen"... then don't go that route.


Regardless the first thing you should do before you start refinishing it or even think about it...

is shoot the snot out of it. A few times before you change a character like that one.


Just my two cents.

[dfletcher]

Hi, C&R gurus, need your advise here. I just picked up this nice 1903, but as you can see, it's in a pretty bad shape. My intention was to remove the remaining bluing, clean up the pitting, blast it with 120 grit AlOx and finish with rust blue or Belgian blue. But I looked up the year of manufacture and it's pretty early, 1905 or 1906, to be precise. So I'm wondering if it has any collector value and my restoration process would rather ruin it. What do you guys think?

Restoration would kill any value. But we're not exactly talking about a 1965 XKE being taken to Earl Schieb. I'd say bead blast or parkerize away. Slap some repro checkered wood grips on it too.

[denpython]

$200 gun even though the original mag may be worth $100.
Go ahead and reblue it but do it right. Try not to loose the roll marks etc.

Keep the mag original.
If the safety is original blue,keep it same.

Look up pics of pristine samples.
They are beautiful pistols!

[AR22]

I could go either way, but I also lean more to the keep it as found side. In the end it is yours now, And doing what makes you Happiest is the only answer here.

[javaduke]

Forgot to mention, it came without any mags, so I ended up buying a TripleK new mag.
OK, I'll probably keep it as is but will replace the grips. Somehow these grips remind me of Spanish Inquisition, lol I'm leaning towards walnut checkered grips from Altamont.

[SR1911]

check this person out they do amazing work.

https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/

[pitfighter]

I have an entire sub collection made up of historical guns and knives with, erm, "Character" - basically used and abused but still functioning.
I enjoy them more than the safe queens.

In the case in the commando knives and fighting knives, they speak of their wartime history, and secret missions, the military handguns the same.
Of course they could have been poorly maintained by some farmer in Idaho and still look the same, but they're interesting.

Leave it be - perhaps swap out those grips for some period ones from Ebay.

[plumbum]

Unless you’re going full Turnbull, I wouldn’t change a thing; that wear and tear took a long time to earn (and the grips have a out of character to them).