doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Restore/Refinish - Yes or No

Hi all, I know there are several schools of thought on this, but I'd just like to hear what you all think.

What are your thoughts on restoring/refinishing a gun to make it cosmetically more attractive. Talking here about stock refinish, recheckering, reblacken bbls and re-case coloring.

I'm only speaking here of shooters, no collector grade guns.

Also, do you think a restored gun adds value (if the buyer knows it's been restored) or decreases its value?

For me, if it's done right and looks good, I'm all in favor.

Your thoughts?

All the best!

Greg

I don't do another man's thinking; it seems you have a good handle on it. "Done right and looks good" to me is just a blush, as the women say, to make old and used look a little better.

In my opinion the question should be, What will it take to make me smile everytime I look at this gun? I have a Parker repo. that I bought years ago that is a beautiful gun that I can't do anything to personalize it so it's going to find a new home this summer. All my guns will have damascus barrels that I've redone, stocks that I've refinished and other touches that make them mine. Remember it's your gun, try to make it look like a well cared for old gun. Good luck: Mike

If you want to take a shooter, and make it look like a much nicer gun, why worry about what others think? You will be lucky to recover a small fraction of the money it cost you to do it. But if it makes you happy, and you have it done right, there is no possible harm. In fact you will be giving work to skilled craftsman so they can earn a living and be available to others to use in the future.

For a decade I hunted over a set of hand craved decoys, once a year. It was my tribute to those who made them, used them and passed them on to me. If I had the right set of circumstances to use them even now I would. The set is worth tens of thousands of dollars. I felt then, and still do, that a collection should be used gently instead of put on display like fragile china. Guns are the same way.

A dealer tried top buy my decoys and told me they should be displayed in a "direct light" free room, in controlled humidity. Like a closet I asked. He thought that was the perfect place. Nice safe, dark, protected and just waiting for the next owner. What is the point of that. These decoys are about 75 years old and need to be gently cared for. But fine china they are not. Guns were made to be used and enjoyed not kept in a closet of others.

if restored/refinished true to the original gun, I think it adds value to the gun. However, spending the money to do so properly probably results in spending more to get the work done than the improvement to the value of the gun.

Greg
I agree with what's already been said. However, most "restorations" are done by first time amatuer gunsmiths and unfortunately end up being either untrue to the original quality of work or even much worse.

I recommend not just jumping into a restoration job, no matter whether you are planning to do the work or you are hiring gunsmiths to do the work. First, I recommend you learn something about each of the various finishes on your gun and why they were done that way.

Many a sxs shotgun has been ruined by hot salt blueing the barrels and having them fall apart either in the blueing salt tank or months or yrs later when the solder fails.

Colorcasehardening is not just a decorative finish, it imparts the casehardening that makes the parts wear resistant and stronger.

Stock finish has as many ways to be applied as there are finishes. But the preparation for a re-finishing of a stock is a lot more complex than when the stock was originally made. The biggest pitfalls are how you do the removal of the old finish. Many stocks that are refinished are over sanded and round off features of the original and undersize the area where the stock meets the metal. Sanding should be kept to a minimum. Chemical stripping helps preserve the shape of a stock. But I don't recommend flushing the stripper with water. Wipe with papertowels and final clean with acetone.

Each step of a restoration is a learning process...and not all that many gunsmiths are attuned to vintage sxs gun restoration finishes. Doug Turnbull in NY state being one of the most recognized for his expertise in this area.

My opinion is that much of the restoration process is not all that difficult to do, but some things like making new screws or re-slotting screws, re-laying ribs, and other mechanical work can be something most are not willing or capable of doing.

Learn all you can about it, then decide if you want to do it yourself, send it out, or something in between.

Unless you are VERY handy at doing gun-smithing things yourself, you sure won't make any money by having an old classic restored. Nothing wrong with removing rust, cleaning and maybe refinishing stocks, and thorough cleaning of operating parts, though. You will learn a lot more about your gun doing those things, and when it is time to pass it along, it will be a better gun...Geo

It is your gun and your money, do whatever will make you happy!

Craig

I say don't do it - unless you want a gun with that "restored" look. Ick.

There are very few people out there who can make an old gun look new or more appealing. Most of the time they just mess them up - ESPECIALLY the checkering. That's where 99% of them really blow things.

Personally, I think old guns should look old. I like the wear, the scratches, the dings. That's the gun's history. As long as the gun is mechanically sound and secure, I say leave it alone.

Just call it "patina" and people will pay you a lot of money for it.

If you want something nicer, sell the gun and buy a piece with more original condition.

I will not buy a refinished gun, so no, I don't think it increases the value.

OWD

It depends on whether you consider a gun an 'investment', a tool, or an object of art. Also depends on the gun.. American collectors are obsessed with originality, but many other places (i.e: UK) refinishing periodically is SOP.

A true professional at restoring guns can fool even the most trained eye - the restored gun will appear to be 'as original'. I have a friend who restores a truly beat H&H DR and it was assessed by a couple of H&H employees as a great example of the quality of work they turn out. In this case, the restorer has over 40 years experience making old, used guns better.