doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com White whale in sight! Rem. M17E

Rob,

I would NOT use steel wool, its way too easy to take remaining finish off.

Rather, buy some Kleen Bore Formulae 3 and use the edge of an old copper 'wheat' penny to remove the surface rust. Using a fresh bronze brush stuck in a suitable handle can work on the engraving and if you are handy you can make a handled 'point' using a portion of a brazing rod & the same formulae 3 to do the chasing of the engraving with much better results. Take your time and you will be very pleased with the result and there is no issue with a 'slip' if you make one as the copper & brass are both softer than the steel and its surface blue finish. I'm assuming you will have the stock removed, if not be even more cautious as a slip w/ a brass 'point' could easily put a new gouge in the wood.

edit/addendum: 'The Formulae 3 w/copper penny edge or brass point will not harm the original blue finish. Steel wool can certainly do so. I most certainly would NOT use anything stainless steel on the outside of that gun's metal, you are guaranteed to leave scrathes & marks, doing more harm than good.'

You have excellent advice from others about not going overboard on it, you can easily exceed its value which will be that of an interesting high grade shooter.

As to fair price, and this is only my own opinion, I would think that somewhere around $400, but not further north than $600, taking into consideration that all model 17's are 20's, so even though it is a desirable ga. it is not at all rare from that perspective. The grade does make it a lot more desirable, but the condition will kill much of that. I could not determine from the pics if it has a solid rib and that too would hurt from a desirable featurs perspective I would think. No matter, they are wonderful shooters. I realize that this has been a targeted acquisition for you for a long while & am glad that you are finally getting a shot at it, but keep in mind that anything above the range mentioned is 'gifting', IMHO. The market is very soft at this time and that may or may not enter into your thinking, but at least be aware of it. There are true collectors here, much better informed than I & on other sites for more varied opinions, but I'll stick to mine. Perhaps something here will prove of assistance to you.

kind regards, tw

Thanks TW, good restoration advice but the acquisition will be the thing. $600 is what I had offered last time and was refused. I know he wants around $800 for it now.

It's a matter of $200 and I'll never see another so I may have to swallow my pride and shell out the extra cash. Probably won't miss it in a few months...

I use heavy guage copper wire in an antler or wood handle in one of my other interests,flint-knapping. I chizel sharpen the copper to pressure flake the stone. I've used this same tool to remove stubborn rust on a gun without marring the finish...Geo

0000 steel wool won't remove finish, but it will remove rust and rust has already removed finish. So what you're removing is not something to preserve.

I probably wouldn't use steel wool in the engraving as it doesn't always get in the figure of the engraving...it's too "bulky". Kind of like using a pillow to wash your car.

I'd give $800 and wouldn't blink and eye. That is going to clean up into one heck of a nice gun,I believe.

Rob:

Did you ever buy the 17E owner the Mossberg you were going to get him in '06.....?

If you get the gun:

1. disassemble the complete gun and pull the barrel. Strip all the parts in a mild diluted acid bath solution which will remove the rust and blueing (which appears bad anyway)...white vinegar works well....without damaging the engraving or any of the sharp edges, it will not even attack the guns tool marks including all the engravers tool chatter...... Wash immediately in a fresh water bath. Re-dip if more cleaning is necessary, but watch very closely. No wheels or buffing or abrasives........

2. lightly polish all the metal etched surfaces with 600 wet or dry in "one direction only" and do it lightly by hand with a water bath. The engraving looks o.k. in the photo's, but have a pro touch it up if you deem it necessary.

3. clean or dip in acetone and re-rust blue the entire gun, hot blue or nitre blue the screws based on what the factory did. You can buy new screws from Numrich to replace the buggered ones and blue as necessary.....or engrave and blue.

4. refinish the wood and recut the checkering.

5. reassemble....should look new if done with patience and care.

6. I agree with the above posts, $800.00 all day long Rob on that gun...

7. No service is available to letter Remington guns...D.O.M. dates are available on the Remington web site for some models, or by calling Remington in North Carolina @ 1-800-243-9700.

Good Luck......

Doug

Nice looking 12-C. I have my grandmother's. It's my favorite .22 for greys here in PA.

Cheers
Marcus

I'm with RDH, if the pictures are accurate I'd give $800 pretty fast actually.

DLH

I might give $800 for an original Remington, but not for a refinished one.

Did anyone pay any attention to what that F grade Model 11 brought at auction recently? It was in the thousands, these graded repeaters get a lot more attention these days than they did not long ago.

DLH