Saddening sight....Painted #1

[pmeisel]

Stopped by the gun & pawn the other day to pick up a couple things, and as always, perused the used rack.

Somebody camo painted a Ruger #1 in 25-06.... and they wanted $600 for it!

I wonder what it would take to refinish it.....

Right next to it was a camo painted Remington 7600............

[mannyrock]

   Hey.  Waita minute.  You should be really really happy!  Than Ruger #1 is gonna sit there forever.  In a few weeks, about the end of December, you can go back to the pawn shop, point out to the owner that its been ruined by some idiot with two cans of paint, and it ain't ever gonna sell.  You can probably get it for about $400!

   If its a stainless model, then I wouldn't hesitate to buy it, and strip that paint off with marine grade gel-type stripper.

   If its a blued model, then I would do some research first, to see if marine grade stripper will affect or remove bluing.  (Maybe you can get an old blued piece of a gun from a gunshow, put marine stripper on it, let it sit for 30 minutes, brush it off with a stiff natural brush, and see if it affects the bluing?)  Also, ask on the gunsmithing board to see if any gunsmith might know.

   If it doesn't affect the bluing, then again, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it and strip it.

Just my thoughts.

Mannyrock
     

[mcwoodduck]

Depending on the paint.
Paint remover.
Just disassemble the gun.  Remove all Plastic.  It melts in some removers.
Paint the stocks with the remover and fololow instructions.
It will remove the factory finnish as well.
you will need to reseal it when done.  Also gives you a chance to restain the wood.
I like marine varnish as a finish.  one coat only in the checkering,
As for the metal.  Soak and wipe.
You may want to just paint the metal all flat black.  -It may have been painted for a reason.  rust or worn blueing.

[GRIMJIM]

I don't know about by you but pawnshops here will drastically reduce the price on things if you have cash in hand.

[mcwoodduck]

With pawn shops.
Pull out how ever much you want to pay for the gun/ item.
offer it.  Hold back $20-30 in an other pocket.
If they say no.  scoop the $ off the counter.  Keep it in your hand and say thank you and slowly walk to the door.
9/10 times they will stop you.  Add 10 to 20% to your offer and see if you will stop.  Once you hit the door.  Fold the $ put it in your pocket and then head out the door.  Go back in a week later and offer 20% less if it is still there.
They will moan that you offered more last week.  say you spent it on other things but you have the 80% left. 
Know that they paid about 1/2 or less than the price tag for the gun but still need to make a profit to keep the doors open.
A good place to start is 1/2 plus 10%.  So that $600 rifle he paid $300 for if he bought it and less than 200 if it was pawned.
$330 - 350 is a good place to start and tell them you are looking for a winter/ summer project.

[pmeisel]

Thanks guys, I may just do that if SWMBO will let me out of the house with any money.....

[mcwoodduck]

SWMBO?

[Swampman]

Acetone or MEK will probably take it off the metal without hurting anything.  Acetone may take it off the wood but it may take the finish off the wood too.  Minwax Satin Tung Oil Finish is the best stock finish available in hardware stores.

[fox fire]

   Who cares, it's a #1 in 25-06,    if ya want to restore it great but if it dont turn out looking original it still gonna shoot like a #1.     And if ya dont like it send me a PM and I've gotta fix for it.   

[pmeisel]

She
Who
Must
Be
Obeyed

[Frank46]

Saw a rem 600 in 243win done up in camo. Think he must have used a scrubbing brush to put on the paint. Inside of the bbl
looked like it was full of rust. Was asking $350 for it. Took one look at it and said "you gotta be kidding, you took a nice carbine and turned it into junk" and walked away. Frank

[GRIMJIM]

She
Who
Must
Be
Obeyed

That's funny. My buddy calls his wife the chosen one.

[mcwoodduck]

My buddy hides stuff at my house and then says he is doing me a favor and loaning me some $ and holding onto the gun as colateral.
And now he has a few hundred bucks to go get something else.
The down side is his wife thinks I am irresponsible.  but she didn't like me before the wedding.... So.

[anweis]

to see if marine grade stripper will affect or remove bluing.       

It does. Don't ask me how i found out. 
However, if the price is lowered, that rifle is worth restoring and rebluing.

[Dee]

I know it's scary but, Swampy has a good idea, and if you don't have acetone, use walmart laquer thinner. Won't hurt the bluing, and won't hurt the wood. It ain't a big deal.

[Arier Blut]

Acetone doesn't hurt bluing as long as you put oil back on it after. I picked up a browning gold 12 ga auto painted pretty cheap. I took a scrubbing pad with acetone to get through most of the paint. Then a cotton rag before breaking to the real finish. Maybe 10 hours of getting the paint off.
 I used paint on stripper for the wood, scuffed with a pad and polyurethane. That didn't take long at all.

[coyotejoe]

But wait a minute, six hundred bucks should be about the full going rate for a used number one in good condition. Sure, if you can get it down to 400 then go for it but at six I don't see the point.

[Arier Blut]

Nope, personally I wouldn't want to mess with it either unless a good deal was had like the other guys mentioned how to do. For one you don't know what's under the paint. Could be rusted up so bad that was their way of stopping the corrosion. Saw some that were recovered by an insurance company that had been left out in the woods for a month or so as an insurance scam. The owner had his wife paint and pawn to post bondsman money. People do crazy things to guns.

[rickt300]

What is wrong with the paint job? I paint my bad weather rifles and it definitly keeps them from rusting or being noticed by game animals.

[One Eye]

She
Who
Must
Be
Obeyed

I don't "obey" anyone.  Sorry to hear about your predicament

As for the gun, I am sure you can get it for much less than the sticker, especially with the "custom paint job".  I would buy it for the right price.  Post us up a pic if you end up getting it.
Dan

[rickt300]

It isn't so much about being obeyed on my part anyway. I just do it and pay the consequences.

[mechanic]

There is an unspoken dilemma here, someone needs to be held to account for painting a fine rifle.  The pawn shop owner should have just taken it from the gun and whipped him with it.  Paint the old plastic...even the metal, but paint on a walnut stock?  Criminal.

[rickt300]

I disagree completely. Like Snapon tools for example, why the slick shiny finish when you are going to have to hold onto it while your hands may be oily or greasy. The Number one Ruger is a stalking rifle, why hamstring it with a glossy finish?

[pmeisel]

I just hate paint on walnut too.  If it was birch or synthetic, that's another story.  doesn't have to be glossy -- a nice matte or semi-gloss finish would still show the grain....

As for obeying, I don't always...

[rickt300]

Properly sealed and painted walnut makes excellent stock material. It is after all a rifle, if you really want something too pretty to hunt with spend your money on fancy shotguns.

[mechanic]

Stainless and synthetic is a relatively new phenomenon in rifles.  I have walnut and blue guns much older than I am, and they still look great.  If you are going to be long in the field, an old sock soaked with gun oil and kept in a zip lock will fill the bill.  I've got a few "newfangled" guns, but still prefer the traditional look, and I especially like well made well fitted guns.

[Gerry N.]

She
Who
Must
Be
Obeyed

I don't "obey" anyone.  Sorry to hear about your predicament

Mark Twain wrote a long time ago:  "You have to beware of the man who claims to be the boss at home.  He will lie about important things too."

Gerry N.

[Swampman]

I won't say what I think about people who paint guns or think of them as tools.

Acetone turned this ugly piece of crap into a very presentable hunting rifle.

[mechanic]

Good job Swampman!  Looks like a real gun now.

[dougk]

There is an unspoken dilemma here, someone needs to be held to account for painting a fine rifle.  The pawn shop owner should have just taken it from the gun and whipped him with it. 

great comment.... Ha Ha Ha