I sure wouldn't spend money to reduce its value by having it refinished. I'd reduce what I would pay for that gun by 25% or more if I could tell it had been refinished. And I'm pretty good at recognizing a reblue job.

Well it has it's original finish, if it were to be refinished I would be having it done, simply for my enjoyment.

Does Smith still offer re-blueing, and if so anyone have any idea what the approximate cost is?

Again thanks for the info guys.

That's more than a fair price. The thing to look at is a cracked forcing cone. These were "supposed" to shoot .38's & carry .357's. A steady diet of .357 had a tendency to crack the forcing cones on those K frames.

S&W offers their "standard polish and blue" for $220.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/c...recision-gunsmithing

Personally if it were me I'd leave it as it is. Refinishing as already been discussed distracts from the value.
I have a pretty much NIB Liberty Model SBH that may have had a box or two the most through it. I had it on consignment and it got light scratches from being taken in and out of the showcase then being put in the stores safe at night. I'd love to send it back to Ruger to be reblued but not when I think what I'll lost in value. Yes sir I'd grab that M 19.

They're nice guns.

Make sure to only shoot 158 grain .357's in a model 19.

I carried one in plain clothes and off duty for several years-it is a fine revolver and exceptionally accurate for a 2.5 inch barrel. As a pinned and recessed revolver it has a bit more value and from a collector standpoint is worth more in original condition. If you are not concerned about collector value and want to have it refinished to preserve the metal I do recommend sending it back to S&W. I have had several of my S&W's refinished at the factory and they do a fine job with it.

To buy the gun for 500 spend 220 on a refinish for a total of 720 then have a gun worth less than 500 makes zero sense. If you want a pretty one wait be patient and find a nicer one for 700 bucks to start with

If you do sent it back to S&W for refinish, get them to take off that awful grooved trigger and replace it with a smooth face one, you won't be disappointed.

CCR is running a sale right now and you could have it done in CPII. People value original finishes but if the wear is more than a little, you're not hurting the long-term value with a high quality refinish. Ford's or other vendors can do a Colt Master Blue finish which is far better than what S&W did on the 19-3 back in the day

Almost two years ago, I stumbled into a 19-5 4 inch shot 25-50 rounds, cosmetically 95% Paid $300 No papers or box. A manual can be downloaded for free.

Thanks for all the info guys. I should be getting it by the end of this week.

Can anyone recommend a place that might have a fairly cheap pancake style holster I could pick up? This purchase about wiped out my gun stash for awhile and I'm gonna need something to carry it in.

I still keep mine in an old Bianchi #8 Shadow, and like it, although I only carried it for pistol matches years ago, never CCW.

Bianchi now lists a Model 7 Shadow II on their website for the 2-1/2" barrel, I think it was $65, which I'm sure you can beat if you shop it around. It looks the same, except it now has two belt slots on the front, so you can carry it vertically or at an FBI cant.

Sounds fair to me. I picked up this nickel -3 a few years ago for 400, but it had the wrong grips and no extras.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
Sounds fair to me. I picked up this nickel -3 a few years ago for 400, but it had the wrong grips and no extras.

I don't care for those grips but the Smith itself is a beauty. Thanks for sharing

quote:

Originally posted by K9346:

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
Sounds fair to me. I picked up this nickel -3 a few years ago for 400, but it had the wrong grips and no extras.

I don't care for those grips but the Smith itself is a beauty. Thanks for sharing

they look a bit fugly to me, but they also look like they would feel good in the hand, and likely shoot well

If the refinish is done properly and I believe at the factory it would be, 95% of people, collectors or not would never be able to tell.

Dead give aways for refinish are if the metal has ANY pits at all, refinishing then puts bluing in those pits. Bad gunsmiths or refinishers that try to buff out pits or other marks end up buffing the original markings on the gun so they are not as deep or sharp as they were originally.

The blue from just about anyone today including S&W just doesn't have that deep rich look as a standard blue job done in the 50's through the 80's. The EPA ruined that. It can be pretty close though if the gun is prepped properly.

JMO, I know others may disagree.

My biggest regret is when I bought my nickel 6" model 19 with target grips, hammer, etc. it was LNIB. The gun dealer also had a matching nickel LNIB 2 1/2" model 19 that I could've bought for like $200 at the time.

quote:

Originally posted by K9346:

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
Sounds fair to me. I picked up this nickel -3 a few years ago for 400, but it had the wrong grips and no extras.

I don't care for those grips but the Smith itself is a beauty. Thanks for sharing

I have never been real fond of Nickel but I have to say that looks good. It will look even better investing in the right grips. I've had a couple nickel guns that didn't stick around long.

quote:

they look a bit fugly to me, but they also look like they would feel good in the hand, and likely shoot well

Yeah, one of these days I'll find the right grips for it once I;m employed again.