doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Does restocking hurt a gun's value...

A little while ago there was a discussion about restocking a gun and the impact it could have on the gun's value.

Well, I think we have a unique chance to find out a little truth on this subject. There a restocked Boss coming up at Gavin Gardiners. The work was done by Boss, so it's as good as it gets. The gun also has new bbls, again by Boss.

You can read more about here on my blog.

http://www.dogsanddoubles.com/2012/04/original-vs-redone-the-real-cost-of-a-restock/

WW

OWD

I don't know but it seems to me that the rest of the world doesn't seem to care a whole lot about a gun being refurbished as long as it was done well. Only we do.

I think the collector market cares a lot more than the shooter market. This one Gregg mentions at GG has new barrels, a new stock, AND a reproduction label. Sales price should help set the benchmark for a fine shooter, but won't give much insight into a collectable gun.

Hammer guy is right. Different buyers will be interested. Of course, a re-stocked and re-barreled gun will make less than a totally original, totally mint example with the same dimensions.

The variables, however, are infinite. a 1930s gun with the then fashionably short barrels and a short stock will not attract interest from someone today who wants one with 30" barrels and a 15" LOP.

All the sale price at auction will tell you is what that gun was worth on that day in that room.

It seems pretty clear new barrels have an impact on price. There have been numerous discussions about the impact of this and sleeving here and elsewhere.

OWD, if you are trying to gauge the impact of a restock, I don't get how this example will help, given the new barrels. Too many variables on this example.

A lot depends on whether you are buying ,selling or just argueing a point . A well restocked gun is preferable to a gun with a short stock or a stock that has been well worn or god forbid repaired . It has no real effect on the value as would having been rebarreled by another or having had other "modifications" or refinishing.There are of course the purists who would never buy a gun unless it is absolutly 100% original ,in its original packingetc . But then again thoses people never seem to buy any thing

In my opinion, the buyer part of the market can be see in four pigeon holes: Collector, Collector-Shooter, Shooter-Collector, and Shooter. The Collector prizes scarcity and original condition; high Brand Value level and high Original Quality grade tend toward scarce supply. On the other end of the envelope, Shooters prize high utility.

A restored used gun without a good explaination of what was done by who and when is much like shopping cars without an odometer reading. Restoration or replacement of any part begs the question, "What else was done?" Like most used markets, guns have tell-tail signs that buyers tend to use as "odometers" of use. Deviation from OE reduces value anywhere in the world. The split is gaged on the split between Collectors and Shooters.

DDA

I like your pigeon holes, rocketman. I suspect I am a collector-shooter.

How the world has turned upside down. There was a time the barrels were considered the heartbeat of a gun and today it is the action . I know of a Purdey made in about 1845 that was converted to a breechloader in the '80's. The barrels were considered so important that Purdey made a one-off action just to save them!

On the topic at hand I consider any major alteration to negatively affect the value of a collector type arm, regardless of who does it. Itisn't part of the original gun.

I suspect a lot of the guys here are C-S; for sure I'm one. It took me awhile to understand that a major part of my enjoyment of shooting had to do with the gun itself, not just shooting well, often, or both. Guns in my safe must work for me on all levels - shooting well enough, aesthetics, history, lessons learned, etc. We have to understand that there are many varied manifestations of collecting. Also, market is set gun by gun and each auction gun price is set by the two guys most intent on owning said gun.