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I am thinking the stock was replaced by Pachmayr in the 60's and not original.
In all likelyhood nobody was thinking original then. The stock and the workmanship was probably the best that could be found in SoCal at the time of the fire.

Pachmayr was capable of fantastic work, but your stock could be original and just restored; carefully remove the screw/s in the trigger guard strap and lift up same, original Smith stocks will have the gun grade and serial number stamped in the inletted area beneath the strap.

Tom, My Pigeon has a Monte Carlo that the comb is not nearly as prominent and is factory, and for sure the pad on this gun is aftermarket.

Your Pigeon was a special order piece; and Hunter was always willing to meet any special customer request within reason, so check the grade and serial number on the stock as above. If you have a match there, I'd say its original; it's common to replace old and perished pads.

The latest issue of The American Rifleman has an L. C. Smith featured in the This Old Gun column. I found it interesting that the writer valued the gun, which was nicely restored, at 50% less than an unrestored gun in like condition. Also, the cost of the restoration exceeded the restored value of the gun.

Of course, we all know that the gun might not sell for years at this appraised value, or someone might come along willing to pay a good deal more.

No serial or grade under the triggerguard strap.

That's a good sign the stock has been replaced. Fire damage can run the gamut from a little soot and water to blistered varnish to warped separated barrels and even annealing of hardened parts. That makes putting a value on your gun difficult. Did the wood get a bit scorched from brief exposure to 450 degrees or did the gas tank of the car it was in explode and cook the wood to ash and the metal to dull red? Big difference.

The problem is everyone was in grade school or younger when the restoration occurred. The fact that Pachmayr did the work would leave me to believe the gun was shootable after the work was completed. The friend who was in possesion of the gun, was fairly well off and felt terrible about the fire. It was a big deal to have the gun restored at all and a bigger deal to take it to Pachmayr. My father-inlaw had told him to forget about it.

The fact of the lower grade second factory barrels is not unheard of. Sometimes the extra barrel was fitted at a later date and the owner didn't want to pay the higher price for the high grade barrels. The gun wouldn't have brought a high price in the 60's, as in this area, a field grade would only bring about $75, and I was offered a field .410 in that period for $125.

Hello All
If Pachmayr did the work, it is FIRST CLASS, August was at the helm in those days and the work was awesome.
Mike