Know What You Have...

Before you start sanding on it...

"thought you guys might like to see what ive done to my gun i havnt owned for a week.....i know some purists are going to hate it but i thought i would like the bead blasted and black it was from factory but after shooting it and cleaning it i hated it.....so being an all stainless gun i took it apart and started sanding on it...i love the brushed stainless look but i left the grooves and the entire top of slide the blasted look.....what do ya think....be kind now........lol....a few before and after pics"

"Did you know that your gun was a Limited Edition special run and not a standard model ever offered by Kimber? It was one of the few guns Kimber made in two tone with a stainless frame.....key word being "was."  CUSTOM DEFENDER II (2001): 290 produced. Two tone stainless frame and slide. Black oxide coating on frame, slide natural stainless. Fixed low profile rear sight, double diamond rosewood grips. Sold only through stores affiliated with National Buying Service. 38 oz. MSR: $839

I'm no big fan of Kimber, but I almost want to shed a tear over this one. Where's a good fail poster when you need one.


Edited to add:

  So it gets better, apparently the happy sander was well aware that this was a special edition and that when he was buying it "everyone" told him that it was worth no more than any other Kimber and that Kimber made special editions all the time etc" That's true, Kimber does make special editions every now and then, ant currently they don't cost any more than any other model they have (generally speaking of course) that does not mean that long term value will stay along the lines of non-special edition Kimbers. The thing about value is that right now when items are plentiful they are not as valuable, but later on down the road who knows. My father-in-law was the proud owner of a GTO Judge that be bought brand new off the show room floor, he drove it like a regular car....because that's what it was back then, a regular car. He later traded it for a washing machine and $200 after he got married. That car today is worth quite  or rather would be worth (the guy who bought it painted it purple and wrapped it around a telephone pole within three months) a bit more than a Maytag.

Bottom line is that you can't see the future and maybe it's not such a good idea to take sanding paper to your special edition gun. Yes it's your gun and you can do whatever you want to do with it, but we can all still call you a bonehead for it.