[Deputy]

Wellllll...if you pay the big $$$$ you CAN find someone who can reblue and not lose the marks. People have it done all the time on Lugers and they come out just fine. But it ain't gonna be cheap. Plus, if you are gonna carry it for protection, especially if you use a leather holster, that bluing will wear off again. You have to decide if you want the gun as a shooter or as a safe queen (collector). Unless it is a prewar or WW2 version, I don't think it's worth all that much as a collector.

Dep

 

[Deputy]

Awesome idea you old grump!!!!

 

[Deputy]

mm6: Don't get peed at me, but I liked the Colt WITHOUT the engraving better than with it. I think with the smooth blued steel and the ivory grips, it looked....well....breathtaking. My exact thoughts were "holy shit...that can't be the SAME gun!!!"

Acid etching looks pretty nice on that blued Walther, but looks like shit on my stainless S&W PPK. That's my only gripe with the gun. The acid etching literally looks like shit engraved into the slide. I don't know why S&W does such a crappy job of marking the PPK. I have had other acid etched stainless guns that looked quite nice. I remember an AMT Skipper and Hardballer I had with stainless slides and frames, and the acid etching looked really nice on them. Heck, AMT was a pioneer in the acid-etching of firearms. Maybe S&W has to do it the way they do to prevent any kind of tampering being done. Plus acid etching is most likely cheaper than any other kind of marking.

Dep

 

[Deputy]

Let me clarify...the etching on the LEFT side of the gun looks great. Just like the blued one shown above. It's the RIGHT side that looks crappy. Specifically the "Smith and Wesson Houlton MASS. and the numbers on the frame. YUCK!!! Looks like some kid did it with a woodburning set.

Dep

 

[Deputy]

Orlando: OUCH! That poor little PPK makes me want to cry.

If the gun was mine, I would make it a cool looking shooter/carry/self protection gun with total disregard for future monetary value.

I would search the internet for a custom gunsmith who could polish it, heliarc weld a beavertail grip tang onto it, dovetail custom Novak style low profile front and rear sights, slick up the trigger action (since the fire, the springs should all be replaced anyway due to heat exposure) and then have the whole thing satin nickel plated. You'd have a carry gun to be proud of and it would gain back some monetary value that way.

I agree I would make it a shooter. But those mods might get REAL pricey. I would have the springs replaced, get some standard plastic Walther black PPK grips (like on mm6's gun), and have it hard chromed. Hard chrome is one of the most durable finishes you can put on a gun. Leave the sights alone. You rarely use them in gunfights with a gun of this type. Furgetabout monetary value. Carry that baby around and use it when you have too.

Dep

 

[Deputy]

Why would you finish a carry gun in Nickel ????
I would use something that will hold up to holster wear. Hardchrome, NP3 or even have it Melonite treated....that will give it a nice dark grey finish.. almost black and you don't have to worry about rust anymore.

Great idea!!

 

[Deputy]

153: I agree the fire thing could be a concern. I suppose it depends on the level of heat and the length of exposure to that heat. I'm not even sure a gunsmith could check the safety of the gun and whether it is shootable. It might have to go to the factory to be checked out and I doubt very much S&W will do that type of examination on a gun that isn't really theirs. Perhaps a metalurgist (sp?) could verify the condition of the metal and if it's strength has been compromised? I think I would be hesitant to shoot it until it was checked out, though.

 

[Deputy]

I wouldn't worry about the fire affecting the gun either, other than the springs. Plastic grips melt at a very low temperature. The springs could be affected too, but the frame, barrel, slide, etc will be fine.

After the weirdness that happened to the steel in the 9/11 buildings, I worry about steel in fire. I know the temps were much hotter and for a long period of time. But I just would want to be sure when that slide came zooming back headed for my eyeball, it didn't detach itself from the frame.

Dep

 

[Deputy]

Yeah, but that was because the government secretly did that to the metal!!

Yep...the whole thing is Bush's fault. He needed an excuse to go back into Iraq and finish the job that daddy started

Holy smokes!!! Those dang black helicopters are circling my house again. Will the PPK take one down??? Do I need FMJ or hollowpoints or should I use frangible and send up flak against them?

 

[Deputy]

Actually, I DON'T think a gunsmith CAN tell if the firearm has been damaged by heat. You would need equipment that can test the hardness of the metal, and that's most likely outside most gunsmith's domain. You also could not tell just by looking at a gun how much heat damage might have been done. Since you don't know how long it was subjected to fire, how hot the fire was, or how the metal in the gun reacted to the heat. It's up to you. If you want to gamble on it being okay go ahead and spend the money on rebuilding it. For me, I'd always have it in the back of my mind what MIGHT happen if the metal is fatigued. I think it would end up as a nice safe queen or as a display of one of "Bond's guns"
Sometimes a "good deal" can end up costing you more than just buying a new gun.