doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com effect of a re-stock on value?

I think it will depend on how well it was done ,qulity of wood ,the gun itself and what was wrong with the original stock . Nothing looks worse than restocked good quality gun with an original worn forend wood .Unlike rebarreling by anotherit will only have a minoreffect and in some cases will actualy enhance the value.
For example I have recently re stocked a William Evans ,the original stock had been cut down to 12&1/4 inches ,it had then been extended twice . Was it worth more then or now with 15 inch stock in slightly better than original wood .[forend reovated and re checkered to match,of corse.] ?

Should note that the fore-ends were re-done as well to match.

Re-stocking, if improperly done, is very detrimental to the value of the gun in the eyes of someone who can spot it.

I have often found myself advising a client that a gun has been re-stocked and the stocker got something wrong regarding the stock shape, forend profile, wrist shape, comb shape, chequering border or style.

This matters where the gun is a standard type, such as a Purdey game gun on the Beesley action or a Holland & Holland 'Royal'. Each has a house style and if an otherwise typical gun, perhaps in very good condition which suffered an accident and damaged the stock, has a replacement which looks out of place, it will weaken the appeal of the gun to the knowledgeable.

A stock with poor inletting, clumsy drop-points etc also weakens it, as will one of odd colour or figure or shape. I have a Westley droplock just come in and I won't let one of my clients buy it because he is a collector and needs a good representation of a droplock.

This one has lovely wood with great figure and a matching forend, all done by a man who could work wood very well. The work to metal fit, the finish etc is all excellent. But the stock is wrong for the gun. Many buyers would not know. They would just see a lovely figured stock and a gun that they could shoot well.

The gun will suit someone who ants a nice gun and wants to shoot it and likes it for what it is. It is not a gun for a collection.

In many respects, the distinction is not if the gun is worth more or less because of re-stocking. More it is to decide if it is a gun which will appeal to a shooter or a collector. Potentially the gun will make the same money but will sell to a different kind of buyer.

If a new stock has been done absolutely correctly, forend too, it will not adversely affect the value of the gun.

I'm really glad to hear from Small Bore that if a restock on an English gun is done properly, it will not diminish the value of the gun. That is why I hired the expert Paul Hodgins to restock my Holland Royal, with that hope in mind. I think, however, on American guns, such as the Winchester Model 21 or a hi-grade Parker, the original stock does matter a little more in terms of value, as compared even to a high quality restock. I know for a fact Win 21 collectors value originality above all else. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but a restock on say a 20b Grand American would be a little devalued as compared to one with the original stock.

Buzz, absolutely correct. Americans and American guns value originality over anything else especially Winchesters. We can spot a bad reblue from a mile away. I would not touch a M21 with a restock, even if Trevallion did it.

I bought a Grant one time that had been re-stocked with a nice piece of lumber. I knew it up front going in. The problem was the forearm was original and the wood did not match. After awhile of looking at the gun in the safe and seeing the difference daily I dumped the gun.
Did it fit? Yes Was it a nice job? Yes Did it bother me? Yes
Oh by the way there is a Holland Royal on Gunbroker right now that has been re-stocked, looks nice but you can tell definatly it is not original to the gun and probabley not by Holland.
Take a look fisrt hand and let's hear what you think.

Several high end Parkers around with restocks that the sellers went great lengths to conceal. I'm talking top end guns and dealers here. Restocking a collector high grade Parker is a deal breaker when you're trying to get top money.

+1..... I totally agree Dig.........

So many owners now days pick their own wood rather than instructing an experienced stocker to choose grain and feather for originality....The results are disasterous grade for grade......

In some cases they even change the 'type' of wood and of course the checkering pattern, comb style and on and on......

The gun ends up looking like a Ferrari with a metal flake paint job IMO.....

"If a new stock has been done absolutely correctly, forend too, it will not adversely affect the value of the gun."

From everything I've ever seen, this is not true. All things being equal, I don't anyone who pays the same amount for a restock as an all original gun. The only exception may be a restock that letters as having been done by the original maker. If it doesn't letter, forget it.

But for a fee, I'm sure Dig knows where you can get a stock done absolutely right. Or he can sell you a restocked gun that is worth just as much as an all-original one (at least when you're buying it).

OWD

OWD my reflections are based on my observations of the market in the Uk for English guns.

Perhaps you know better than I.

Unlike barrels, re-stocking is pretty irrelevant who did it as long as it is done right.

Many old guns were very short. Re-stocked to modern preference for around 15" and done correctly, the re-stock makes the gun more attractive. Or perhaps you prefer a gun with 13" of original wood and a 2" extension?