I have a Colt M1917 .45 ACP revolver which is pretty heavily pitted on almost every surface. It shoots great but it is pretty ugly. I am thinking about trying to bead blast it and parkerize it at least that way the parkerizing might help fill some of the voids. Does anyone have experience with this?

Keep it as is. It is more collectable that way.

If you refinish it, cut the value even more.


You could get it refinished to look like a WWII arsenal rework with the correct partkized finish.

Leave it alone

How are the internal surfaces?

I think there is very little collector value in it right now. I would just give it a parkerized finish to make it more practical of a gun. Of course many of these revolvers were parkerized between the wars so it is not an unoriginal finish. I may just leave it, but I think that a fresh parkerizing would make it look much better.

The internal surfaces are good, but the bore is pitted. The rifling is shallow and there are small pits (not as bad as the external though). It still shoots pretty good amazingly.