I was all set to buy the military reproductions until I saw the awful-looking raised lettering. That ruined them for me. I agree with the observation that it was penny wise and pound foolish. It also indicates a philosophical problem at the decision-making level of not understanding why someone would want to buy these guns.
Same here!
I had several opportunities some years ago, once the first of them had been out a little while...NIB 'used' ones or just about as new and no Box, were popping up 'reasonable' and I would have got one or two, but for the raised edges of the tests/rolls.
I thought about getting one, removing the raised edges, and, re-Blueing it, but, never did.
I know how fast and easy it is for these to be Draw Filed off, it would take about ten seconds or so, per side, or say, 20 seconds total, per 'Slide', and about ten seconds per Frame...'tops', and really, for someone in their stride with it, likely it would take a lot less than that time-wise.
Draw filing leaves a surface which is ready for Polishing.
So, an Operative, doing the Draw Filing process, could certainly do a great many Slides and Frames in a day, without breaking a sweat.
Even if say, it took one Minute per Frame-n-Slide 'set', that is still 60 an Hour, or 420 for a 7 Hour 'day'.
If being paid $25.00 an Hour, for the 'day' ( including lunch and two breaks ) then, basic cost would run out to about $200.00 then for say 420 Pistols, or, at most, about 47 Cents per Pistol.
I am not practiced Draw Filer, and, I am sure I could do 500 Pistols a 7-hour-day, or at least as long as I could have my Coffee and my Pall Malls at my Bench and not have anyone bothering me with "Honey, can you go to the Store and get some Milk?" or any other jive.
Others tell me that the removal of the displaced 'edges' was done by the 'hard' wide-face Leather Polishing Wheels, without Draw Filing, where, no extra 'Step' occurred at all.
The real problem, in my opinion, is one of any longer caring....or knowing how to.
That combined with being ignorant about HOW to do things intelligently ( verses 'corporately' so to speak), how to treat/motivate Operatives so they can Work efficiently and still care, and how to have informed or knowledgeable Pride in what one does, all the way up the ranks.