Built Navy refinishing questions
 

I have a very nice 'built' navy made for me by one of the fine members of this forum a year or so back.Attachment 8757. It looks nice as it is, but seeing it is just a shooter I am thinking on having it reblued. Any ideas? Is it worth sending it off to a 'proper' Luger blue or having a local shop do it? I would prefer the proper meathod, but how much would such a job cost and any recommended restorers to do it?
Many thanks, Bill

Bill, A rust blue for this pistol would likely start at over $6-700 and take 6 months at best and a year or two at worst. If it were mine... I would hesitate to put that kind of money in a shooter that looks as good as this one.
A local shop would not do this pistol any good and might ruin it. My advice is to leave sleeping dogs lie, shoot it as often as you can, buy a nice stock & holster to complete it and get envious eyes cast at you when you take it to the range.

Not many collectors have a shooter Navy!


Jerry Burney

Thanks for the advice. I take I can find a repo stock/ holster on Ebay. Boy, I did not know rust bluing was that much $$$

Bill, $6-700 is on the low end.
You should be able to come accross a Navy stock sooner or later on Ebay. I recommend an Odin. This is more likely to fit onto your pistol without modefying the stock iron. Any of the CMR or Numrich etc. stocks are just to horrible to contemplate.
repro Navy holsters appear often in the $39.00 range.
Take your time..Will be a nice range pistol with it all put together.

Jerry Burney

Proper rust bluing involves several steps and is quite labor intensive. A lot of the effort goes into preparing the metal to preserve edges, contours and markings. Then to get the correct color and texture requires a knowledge of materials and technique. It could involve multiple application and finishing steps to get the "right" result.

Any ideas where the front sight insert came from? I'm still suffering with a dead-nuts accurate Navy Luger that prints WAY high because it uses the Navy rear sight and a standard Luger front sight.
And every time I see a picture of a Navy with a standard front sight insert I have to wonder if anyone has ever fired it, knowing full well that if they did, they certainly didn't hit anyhing.
Pardon an old rant.
DJU

+ 1

I've mentioned it before, but the only local bluer within a few hours drive won't blue without buffing first...I've tried to tell him that Lugers/P-38s/Mausers are supposed to have tool marks on them, but he is adamant...he feels that others who see the finished re-blue will think he is to blame for the tool marks still being visible... :banghead:

I'd leave it...Tell people it was owned by a German VBSS sailor who used it a lot... :D