doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com cutting barrel length

Craig,
We can't make up this guy's mind for him. But, I tried to show him the futility of cutting the barrels for weight loss. People will do what they want to with their property and money. All we can do is provide information.

the barrels are fluid steel. the serial number on the fore-end does not match the rest of the gun so it doubtful the gun has much historical value thus i'm considering it as a project. new wood, custom engrave and re-color, and maybe try to cut some weight off too. you've given a valid argument against cutting the barrels, thanks.

Why spend all that money renovating/altering a utility gun that some feel has value as it stands?

You mention custom engraving. So you have to anneal the frame/furniture, have it engraved, have it rehardened. What kind of money will that cost? You're trying to turn a truck into a sportscar. Sell it and buy a gun that suits you. Add up the figures and either wait to find a nice high grade Lefever or buy an alternative gun from CSM if you like American guns made to your specifications.

I've never understood the prediliction of my fellow Americans to spend all this money on these hardware store guns rather than buying a good quality gun that suits them in the first place.

(Now if it was Grandad's gun and you want to freshen it and pass it on to your daughter I can understand that...what price sentiment?)

It costs little more to renovate a suitable high grade gun than a utility gun, and it's money better spent, IMHO.

snowcat you've really opened a can of worms now. i bet ken hurst doesn't like to hear that stuff. the answer is easily explained. take autos as an example. ever seen a tricked out old clunker? many of those guys could go buy a ferrari or porsche, used or new, but they don't because they get no personal attachment with it. to get a semi custom gun where i get to choose the wood, measurements, and engraving pattern will cost me minimum $10k probably closer to $15k. i could have that done to my lefever for less. i could buy a new gun off the shelf but what fun would that be?

lastly i take the "english best" stuff with a grain of salt. the american "hardware store" guns such as fox, lefever, parker, lc smith are just as good functionally as the english. what english gun can compare with a model 21 as far as durability and function? just because a gun is hand made doesn't mean it functions any better. so if the guts are good why not throw some personalized embellishment on it and have some fun?

As much as I find vintage American guns interesting - they can not hold a candle to the best of the English.
Sorry to be the one to tell you this ol'bean!

I believe the lad mentioned "functionally" , Thorny. As in, bringing something to bag, actually using, being within the grasp of ownership ($$$$) and all that rot.

Funny, when one gets away from the gunroom, the snifter of $500 a glass bourbon, the cigar smoke, and the pictures on the walls of game in it's element, the English name on the rib most likely should be taken with a grain of salt. I doubt the game cares if it is taken with an Ivory Johnson, or a Boss.

The "Empire" guns weren't "Royals", ol 'sod. Not by accident, either.

Thinking is clearer, when it's in tangables. A bird in hand is worth two engraved on the sidelocks, even if they are 24K.

That being said, don't look to me to borrow a hacksaw. Too many, best and otherwise, have met that end already.

Upgraded and personalized is one thing, pimped is quite another.
Best,
Ted

Jumping onto the bandwagon, we may think we own these old guns because we shelled out the bucks for them and some folks may even think they should use them up - as they would other consumables like beer and pork rinds - and toss them away when they're done with them. . . but we don't really own them. We are nothing more than custodians and with that comes a certain responsibility. To alter them simply to fulfill an impulsive whim is arrogant irresponsibility. JMHO, but please reconsider.

DAM!...well said....

Yes, well said. However, I fear that we are too far down the road to stem the tide of altering old guns due to arrogant irresponsibility.

The "ME" generation has set in motion many things that I'm, sadly, not sure that our Grand Children can overcome.

The "Me" generation has done a great service in conserving these old guns. It'll be the future generations, who will stand in line at the junkyard grinder with their great grand-daddy's M21s in hand!
Pamper them now while you can - their days are numbered.
Just remember when passing these prize guns up the family tree - you'll only get 'em arrested in our near one world future.