battle, I said that the weep holes in the bottom rib was a sign that the barrels were hot salts blued. But mostly, my opinion was mostly based upon the pictures. The pics here are too small, but if you click on my link to the GunBroker auction, and enlarge the pics there, it appears unlikely that these barrels were slow rust blued. Some of the pics have good enough resolution when enlarged to make a good judgement call, lacking the gun in hand.
For one thing, the level of polish and gloss is above what most practitioners of slow rust blue can accomplish. The late PA24 was able to do it, and beyond. But most guys can't maintain better than a 320 grit level of polish with slow rust. I also see the same with the sideplates, safety slide, trigger guard, and screws. Some guys do drill weep holes during rust bluing, but it is more common with hot salts bluing.
And whoever screwed up this gun obviously did not know or care about proper and correct finishes and materials. So all the more reason to suspect a quick dunk in the hot salts tanks.
This gun was originally listed for a buy it now price of $10,000, which, along with the totally inaccurate description, was ridiculous. I saved it in my watch list when it was finally listed for auction. I thought it might be worthwhile as a parts gun if it went cheap enough. It would have been a much better deal at the price it sold for if it was in worn, but unmolested condition. The bad refinishing hurt the value considerably.
Sometimes the truth can hurt. But this forum is supposed to be the best there is for correct information, not leading people astray. If we just pat people on the head and tell them they did good when they ask a question about a gun they bought, then they will never learn from their mistakes. This should be a lesson to the OP and others. Ask questions and do your homework before you buy. I didn't offer my information and advice to hurt anyone's feelings.
