Re blue prized possession

[1911aholic]

Ok, here's the situation... I just inherited my dream gun from my father. It's a colt series 70 Mark IV gold cup. Gorgeous gun. I NEED to get it refinished (it's colt's beautiful blue). Here is the issue. First of all there is an idiot scratch in the frame (cant live with the hidious scratch on such a gorgeous gun). Secondly, I almost cried when I disassembled the gun and found surface rust behind the main spring housing!!! It was on the mainspring housing, the sear spring, and the frame that faces the main spring housing. :-( I called colt and they said that they will not guarantee that the rust will be removed! (after prodding for a less ambiguous answer they restated themselves...) Called Les Baer, he won't touch a non-Baer gun! Who have you received good pistol smithing from that you would trust with such a task?! I mean, this was my fathers gun... It has a ton of sentimental value! I will definitely pay for a good job. Just want to know some options. Thanks in advance for your thoughts! Will post pictures before and after! Colt really showed their quality with this piece!

[jackm]

Try these guys: http://www.gunbluing.com/. I have found their work to be excellent, they are friendly, and the turn-around times are reasonable.

[BillD]

http://turnbullmfg.com/

[pyunker45]

Doesn't sound so bad... I am the type who would clean it up, oil it and keep it the way it is.

For me, a complete re-blue then would make the piece NOT as my Dad had it....it would be just another re-blued Gold Cup.

[Joel_H]

Originally Posted by 1911aholic

I called colt and they said that they will not guarantee that the rust will be removed! (after prodding for a less ambiguous answer they restated themselves...)

The Colt customer service person probably meant there is no way to guarantee that any pits caused by the rust will be removed, not the rust itself. There is no way your Colt would come out of the bluing tank with rust on it.

Before refinishing the gun try rubbing the rusty areas gently with a piece of 0000 steel wool dipped in gun oil. See if you can live with it that way. If not, then send it to Colt, Turnbull, or Glenrock Blue. Any of them would do a good job.

[dbarn]

Sounds like a Colt Royal Blue in the making!

[Goin Camping]

I would not re blue it for two reasons. First it would no longer be my Dad's gun. It wouldn't look right. Secondly the guns value would drop.

I would correct the rust problem but I wouldn't touch the idiot mark. Maybe Dad did it and it would be a reminder of him.

[skylerbone]

Note to self: dad was an idiot? Bad reminder! Could be he loaned it to cousin Frank who left the mark. Don't steel wool the rust! Try soaking with Kroil Oil (no substitutions) for a few days and wipe it with a rag. Note the progress and continue until all rust is removed. Then a light coat of oil to protect it.

As for bluing there's no reason in my mind to leave it original. Were it missing parts or needing springs I'm sure there is more merit in shooting it than leaving it broken. Granted it still functions but the finish was part of the original package and was meant to be nice. Have a competent pistolsmith perform the "log man" modification to the slide stop and prep the pistol for Glen Rock. Remember that the first turn on a tight barrel bushing will begin to undo what you have redone so keep that in mind.

[gorley]

First, I'm sorry for the loss of your father. As for the gun, I have mixed feelings about this. If your dad put the scratch on the frame then I think I would leave it. It's a mark of the man that owned that gun. On he other hand, if your dad had wanted to have it refinished at some point then I think a refinish would be a kind of tribute. I'm kind of sentimental and have several guns that were my grandfathers.They are all just as he left them, except for a few more rounds downrange that is.

[ElToro]

If youre dead set on a reblue. Clean it as best u can then PM brent here on the forum and see what colts custom shop can do. While its there maybe they can tune her up a bit at the same time

[OhShot!]

Royal blue is nice. I'm sure Colt can do something nice with it.

[dtuns]

Originally Posted by Goin Camping

I would not re blue it for two reasons. First it would no longer be my Dad's gun. It wouldn't look right. Secondly the guns value would drop.

I would correct the rust problem but I wouldn't touch the idiot mark. Maybe Dad did it and it would be a reminder of him.

He is right It will drop value of gun if reblued.

[dsk]

I wouldn't refinish it personally, but if you do then you should let Colt do it.

BTW rust underneath the mainspring housing is not uncommon. Many pistols would accumulate moisture there, and without a full disassembly there's no practical way to oil that area. The best thing to do in that situation is to lightly steel wool the rusted areas, then oil them good and never let them get wet.

[Jim Watson]

If it were my Dad's, I would clean up the rust, touch up the mar with cold blue, and go shooting.

[TEA]

Originally Posted by Jim Watson

If it were my Dad's, I would clean up the rust, touch up the mar with cold blue, and go shooting.

+1

Also, if you use a bronze or copper brush with Kroil on the rust spots you will be less likely to mar the finish. In the spots that are not visible, a little Ospho on the spots after removing the surface rust and before touching up with cold blue will prevent future rusting in those spots.

[wetidlerjr]

If YOU want it to look good then re-blue it as it is YOUR pistol now. I would, however, have Colt do it.

[1saxman]

Originally Posted by pyunker45

Doesn't sound so bad... I am the type who would clean it up, oil it and keep it the way it is.

For me, a complete re-blue then would make the piece NOT as my Dad had it....it would be just another re-blued Gold Cup.

This is the answer. Don't be such a wussyfuss - you oviously know how to do a detail strip, so do it, and use various oils/CLPs to soften and wipe away the surface rust. If you have it 'sanitized' and repolished/blued, where's the 'soul' gone? Maintain it, don't 're-create' it.

[dsk]

Originally Posted by wetidlerjr

If YOU want it to look good then re-blue it as it is YOUR pistol now. I would, however, have Colt do it.

I inherited my own father's guns several years ago, but to this day I still have a hard time calling them anything but HIS guns. It's one thing to own something because you walked into a store and paid for it with your own money. It's another for somebody to have died, and you're the one who assumed possession of their things afterwards simply because they're not here to claim them anymore. I really don't think there's a "time limit" on such feelings either. My dad inherited my grandfather's tools back in the late 1960's, but he always referred to them as his dad's tools, never his own. Funny thing, but even I always talk about them like they're my grandfather's tools as well, even though he died long before I was born!

[1911aholic]

Holy cow, I work night shift and posted this last night when it got slow for a few minutes. So firstly I just wanted to say thanks for all the thoughtful remarks in such a short amount of time! My dad IS an incredible man and I am so thankful I had him! Total badass marine. The things he left me include his 1911s and his service springfield M1 grand and his early early early model ithica shotgun. So you can imagine I can't remember any bad memories of him. Preserving the gun is definitely my goal, not changing it. To preserve it, I thought my only choice would be to re blue it. I will look forward to seeing what I can do with the various oil techniques mentioned above. And this may show how little I know about preserving firearms but I've never heard of Kroil oil! So thanks for that! Will see what I can carefully do and see if I can get a picture up soon! Gun has a trigger like I have never shot before, so light and crisp it suprises you when it goes off. The sear is so unique, in three pieces with a tiny spring inside of it. It was a real challenge getting the sear to stay together with the disconnect when I reassembled it, had to make my own tool! And I took it shooting 2 weeks ago, that gun is more accurate than I will ever be. Thanks for y'alls input. Enjoying the forum!

[iShoot]

Originally Posted by 1911aholic

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

surface rust is no biggie, oil it and enjoy the 1911.


....and dude, crying over a scratch is creepy

[ack ack]

I could not reblue it, like he said oil it and shoot it.

[1911aholic]

Haha! I was being sarcastic about the tears! I just appreciate the piece! Ordered some of that kroil, will try rubbing that in to see if the rust wants to come out. I will have to show a picture of the trigger next to the trigger on my other 1911s. Really wide and unique. When i get back home i will have to measure it in some calipars. It is Light and crisp, even for a 1911. Does anyone know if that 3-piece sear and extremely wide trigger is unique? Maybe custom work?

[Jim Watson]

The sear with depressor lever and spring, which I assume you mean by "three piece sear" and wide trigger are absolutely standard stock all-Colt Gold Cup and have been ever since the model came out in 1957.

[1911aholic]

Cool, never took one apart or knew what it was called. They do somethin right, bad ass trigger!

[straightcut]

1911aholic, pm sent.