He has a Powerful Weapon, He Charges a Million a Shot, An Assassin That's Second to None, The Man With the Golden Gun......

O.K., So it is brass. But it will look like gold when I get finished with it.

Some time back, I picked up a Italian reproduction of a Spiller and Burr Revolver. It's action was tight and it locked up in good shape, but the outside finish was rough, almost crude. The brass parts were as cast, with seams and sprue marks visible. The steel parts were blued with lots of machining marks still visible. The fellow I got it from had thoughtfully "defarbed" it by grinding off the Made in Italy markings on the barrel,as well as scraping off the varnish on the grips.

I guess I am sorta funny in that whenever I get my hands on a weapon that I plan on keeping, I have to put my own little touches on it. In a small way personalize it. In my limited research on Spiller & Burr revolvers, I can't tell how well they were finished in the photos I have seen. I know that they were rare since the company only turned out around 1500 pistols in it's history, but I don't have any hesitation in saying that I have no doubt that they were finished at least a little better than my model. So with the help of a few small files, a polishing wheel and a little elbow grease, we shall see if I have a diamond in the rough.