[quote=PA24]Why do people change the barrel configuration of nice old period guns?

I would say that for the most part, people do not. You can't put the tooth paste back in the tube. Someone else has usually made some adjustments long before I get my hands on an old gun. They likely did it when the gun was contemporary, not a period piece. Tinkering with stuff is human nature. They started it. Tasteful adjustments or improvements don't necessarily further devalue the guns. There is no such thing as mostly virgin.

Also, many of us are not true collectors. What we shoot and work on are not museum pieces. Cool old guns but not so collectable. I don't have a gun collection...I have an inventory.