Belt Auction - what does Re-Parkerized in gray finish mean on a gun.?

what does Re-Parkerized in gray finish mean on a gun.?

im looking at a old smith and wesson pistol and is said it was Re-parkerized in gray finish i dont know what that means hears the link. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=122315982

Public Comments

It means they redid the Parkerizing process to refinish the gun. The finish was most likely old and worn and it's previous owner wanted it to look cool
it means the owner had it refinished. Parkerizing is more durable than bluing. But, refinishing a firearm does lower the value, especially so when it is not a copy of the original finish. shoot safe
Parkerizing (also called phosphating and phosphatizing) is a method of protecting a steel surface from corrosion and increasing its resistance to wear through the application of an electrochemical phosphate conversion coating. Parkerizing is usually considered to be an improved zinc or manganese phosphating process, and not to be an improved iron phosphating process, although some use the term parkerizing as a generic term for applying phosphating (or phosphatizing) coatings that does include the iron phosphating process. Parkerizing is commonly used on firearms as a more effective alternative to bluing, which is another electrochemical conversion coating that was developed earlier. The Parkerizing process cannot be used on non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, brass, or copper. It similarly cannot be applied to steels containing a large amount of nickel, or on stainless steel.
It means it's been refinished. In this case the "victory model" revolvers S&W made for the UK were parkerized originally. Also it is a gray tone to the finish not a dark grey-black or the green-grey some processes have resulted in. So it is not worth anything close to what the same revolver with original finish in the same condition is in. Refinished guns are not nearly as collectible but they are perfect if you want one you can go out and shoot, carry and hunt with while not losing value quickly like an original would as it got worn.