First, how do the barrels look compared with the rest of the gun? For instance, if the wood and action show a lot of use but the barrels are perfect it's time to suspect a refinish. Hold the barrels toward a good light and watch the reflection down the outside of the tubes. If there are "ripples" it indicates polishing was done on a wheel rather than by hand. If any barrel engraving looks soft or dull it probably has been refinished, etc. Basically, anything other than sharp, clean work leads me to be suspicious. Having said all this, a properly refinished set of barrels doesn't bother me at all, especially if it's older work that blends nicely with the rest of the gun. LeFusil is correct, many good refinished barrels are better done than the factory did. For instance, look underneath the original finish of a set of Parker barrels and you'll see numerous longitudinal scratches. Most quality refinished barrels will be hand polished to remove these. Oh, the presence of a weep hole drilled into the underlug near the forend loop is usually a good indicator of a refinish.....but not always.
Oh, one danger that can lurk under a set of nicely refinished barrels is they can hide flaws such as removed dents or even worse, bulges that have been beaten down and restruck. Here is where a bore gauge and wall thickness gauge are worth their keep. Everything can appear perfect and then suddenly the wall thickness dips to almost paper thin. Caveat emptor!
Last edited by Joe Wood; 05/03/16 10:47 AM.
