A spot on blueing

[JHZR2]

Ive got a beatuiful S&W 15-3, the images below don't do it justice. I bought it used obviously, and the only minor issue is a spot on the cylinder. Any idea what the typical cause would be? I'm guessing leaving it alone is the best option since all the adjacent blueing is perfect. That said, if there was a way to make it less obvious, what would the best method be?





Other side just for fun:

 

[danez_yoda]

call it a Cindy Crawford beauty mark. Gun woudn't be the same without it.

 

[PimTac]

It’s a sign of character.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Model 15 my first handgun. Great little guns and all of them seem to be good shooters. I've had mine since 1969. It also has a four inch barrel.

 

[BrocLuno]

I had a similar situation. the rust may have spread out and it might only be a small pit

I used some Break-Free on a soft cotton cloth and worked it for a while after soaking. The surface rust went away. The pits are there, but now dormant

 

[bigj_16]

Send it off to Smith and get it redone.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/customer-service/precision-gunsmithing

The High Bright re-blue and polish is $275

Not a bad idea anyway. They can check everything out and make sure it is good to go mechanically.

I have had two revolvers done at the Shop

 

[bigj_16]

There's not anything a whole lot better than a Smith K-Frame .38 4". Probably the most perfectly shooting handgun there is. Just in my opinion.

 

[Slick17601]

You might want to try soaking the cylinder in Kroil.

 

[bigj_16]

You guys have me all wound up now. There's a beautiful Smith 67-1 sitting in a pawnshop for $450.

 

[Oro_O]

After a lot of years of experience with this issue, this is what I do:

I use an extremely soft cloth and work out as much of the oxidation as I can with Mother's Mag Polish. I also go over the entire blue lightly to remove oxidation you can't see. If you do this lightly, it will not remove bluing, will give you a nice surface to then wax/oil or protect as you want. You can cold-blue it afterwards to minimize the appearance.

A 15 was my first S&W about 25 years ago. I had it tuned and hard-chromed (the finish was very poor already) at APW/Cogan and it was one very impressive gun. That gun is in really excellent shape otherwise and a re-finish or anything excessive would be overkill. Having just the cylinder done runs the risk of mis-matching the blue as salt-bath batches can vary in results. It would very likely be "good enough," but I think again overkill.

Typical cause for a mark like that is long-term storage without any handling/wiping down. Someone put it away with a bit of perspiration or something on it, and then it sat that way for a period. Very common on guns not used or handled much.

Quote:
You guys have me all wound up now. There's a beautiful Smith 67-1 sitting in a pawnshop for $450.


If it is really clean, that's a really very, very good aksing price and you should go haggle about it.

 

[bigj_16]

Originally Posted By: Or
After a lot of years of experience with this issue, this is what I do:

I use an extremely soft cloth and work out as much of the oxidation as I can with Mother's Mag Polish. I also go over the entire blue lightly to remove oxidation you can't see. If you do this lightly, it will not remove bluing, will give you a nice surface to then wax/oil or protect as you want. You can cold-blue it afterwards to minimize the appearance.

A 15 was my first S&W about 25 years ago. I had it tuned and hard-chromed (the finish was very poor already) at APW/Cogan and it was one very impressive gun. That gun is in really excellent shape otherwise and a re-finish or anything excessive would be overkill. Having just the cylinder done runs the risk of mis-matching the blue as salt-bath batches can vary in results. It would very likely be "good enough," but I think again overkill.

Quote:
You guys have me all wound up now. There's a beautiful Smith 67-1 sitting in a pawnshop for $450.


If it is really clean, that's a really very, very good aksing price and you should go haggle about it.


It has been there a while. The only issue is I already have one. That is one of the ones I sent off to the Performance Shop.

 

[Shannow]

That's a very nice looking firearm, congrats.

Work of advice, don't go near it with cold blue...you'll just spread the problem.

 

[Chris142]

That wear is from being carried in a leather holster. Cowboy style.

 

[KneeGrinder]

Originally Posted By: danez_yoda
call it a Cindy Crawford beauty mark. Gun woudn't be the same without it.


First post nailed it! Its a very nice looking used Smith revolver! I don't mind that some of my guns "look" used....


P.S. I dropped my perfect model 29 in elk poop in the dark one evening, it stained the bluing, it is now a very nice used gun.

 

[billt460]

Leave it alone. Odds are if you end up screwing with it you'll just make it worse.

 

[incognito_2u]

First and foremost, that Revolver is a thing of beauty........

The mark that you are referring to is most likely caused by being carried in a Leather holster. Most likely a PD Duty rig which has an “Internal locking block” (which really is just a small piece of extra leather) that kept the Revolver locked in place so as to not fall out. It required the shooter to twist the Revolver slightly while pulling up to unlock it upon drawing. Hence, the mark.

What’s the history of that Revolver. Most PD issued firearms have some sort of additional markings/ serial numbers identifying the agency it came from........regardless, enjoy it.

 

[bunnspecial]

I'd put a few drops of oil on it and work on it with a soft cloth.

 

[bigj_16]

I'd get it off to the Shop. That thing would smokin' hot with the High Brite.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Very classy Combat Masterpiece. I traded exact same gun which had never been fired for a S&W Model 18. But my S&W Model 10 revolver is in a class of its own.No matter that S&W made six million of them. The old M&Ps are a thing of beauty.

 

[Slick17601]

If you do want to have it reblued, Ford's seems to have a better reputation than S&W. S&W's bluing is not near what it used to be.