doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Refurbished shotguns.....

There is a stockmaker/customizer not far from me who has a buddy who did it for me, not sure if he does it as a biz or not.

http://www.giacomosporting.com/home.htm

From his 2006 price list....

"RESOLDERING:

Price includes bore and choke measurements, slow heat disassembly, regulation, reassembly, hand polish and slow rust blue. We are not responsible for barrels that are unsafe to be soldered once disassembled. There will will be additional charges for ribs that need to replaced."

Resolder and reblue ...$385

After a famous SxS guy butchered my barrels, I contacted another famous SxS shop and asked them if they could relay the ribs. They said "Why don't you take them to Giacomo?...that's where we'll send them."

OK. The fact is, the purchase price for each of those projects really was <$1500. Maybe I didn't play fair, but the rules really weren't spelled out very well. Bill Soverns seems to be talking about making a decent wage at it. I don't. I do my own stockwork. These are personal guns I can use and enjoy and if I sold them for a pittance someday, I'd still think it was money well spent. I never buy a gun with the intention of reselling it for more, but I'm pretty sure I will on these.

Craig said it well....



The first gun I completed 5 yrs ago. The Fox cost me $900, the blank $350, $135 to turn it, $135 for colors and I slow rust blued the barrels. Actually, I lied already....invested $1520. But it's a 30" 16ga...I was ahead of the curve

The second is a 20ga Fox I bought 15yrs ago for $800; the metal had been freshly 100% recolored. I put $400 into the turned blank.

The third one is a current work in progress. Being a 12ga Fox, I picked it up for $400....they're out there. This blank was $450, but you can have xtrafancy feathercroth black walnut for $250. You can stll get them turned for $150. You can have all the metal professionally polished and refinished (including disassembly/reassembly) as I will, for $650. It's a 32" 12 ga.....laugh if you want, but I'm still ahead of the curve

I only wish I'd bought that new Hemi 'Cuda in 1970 for <$5000.....you know, the one that just sold for $2 million.

I am going to chime in here...

As already mentioned, I think there is a considerable market for refurbished field grade classics that have modern dimensions and modern appeal.

For example, I bet that someone who could find and refurbish old Foxes, Elsies, NIDs, and Parker field grade guns with new bluing on 28-30" barrels, that are on-face, and still have the original action patina or perhaps even new case colors, and a new stock straight grip conversion with modern dimensions would be able to sell those guns at a decent price.

The question for me is access to old guns at reasonable prices and some kind of stock milling machine like Rich Cole's that would keep the cost and handwork of restocking the gun down. My guess is that the total cost of the original gun, re-blueing, any action work, and the new stock could not exceed $1500 as previously stated and that the gun would have to sell for $2500 to make it worth anyone's while. The reason I personally have not embarked upon a project like that of my own is I just don't know if that is truly possible...

But I do know I would like to have one like that! Tried to buy a Fox from Silvers like that, but was a day late... And those are so real beauties pictured above in this post!

WOW! Those are stunning! You must have near the price of an original gun in wood alone.

I have been watching this thread with great interest because I have re-furbished a couple of guns and am in the process of doing another. By the way, I define re-furbish as stripping and re-oiling the wood, replacing hideous recoil pads those that are period correct, a total cleaning, lubrication and recut checkering. I am taking the next step with my current project by having it re-case colored and the small parts either re-cased or blued (as the case may be)

I know that I will most likely never be able to recover my total investmet, at least not right away. But that is not why I am doing it. I am doing it for me. Because I love the damned thing and I want it to be able to show it off at shooting events. If I lose some dollars along the way...... oh well. After all, I do this as a means of relaxation and hobby, not as a means of investment. I have enough pressure and stress at my profession, I don't need it in my hobby.

I like Steve's attitude. I feel the same way. I seem to be drawn to guns that need work. Sometimes the work needed is the reason others won't buy it.

Here's a couple redone guns that I found after someone else had put a lot of work into. I like both very much. That little Nitro 410 has taken a lot of wild birds lately, including a wild SD phez a couple yrs ago. The Crass has taken wild quail and both have been great clay game fun.

I too suscribe to Steve and Chucks "minimalist" approach to renovation because I think it brings a shotgun back into presentable condition without destroying the collectible value. I think this approach is appropriate when I shotgun is in tatty condition but I also have no problem with a total renovation as described earlier in this thread when the gun is a wreck. While the result will have no collector value at least it's useful life has been extended.
Jim

Jim,
I'm of the opinion that a total restoration, faithful to the original, will have some collector value , especially if very few good examples are available. I believe as these guns age further, the faithful restorations will increase in value as well. But, of course, all guns are going up as well.

Chuck:
You may very well be right regarding the collector value of totally restored firearms. I guess it will depend on how our hobby continues to evolve. As we all know great value is placed on totally restored cars in the collectible and classic field.
On the other hand; stripping the finish and totally renovating a piece of 18th Century furniture is frowned on in that collector community.
A not so well kept secret is many of the Lugers seen in pristine condition haven't been that way since day one. They used to call this fakery but I'm not sure what they call it today.
Jim

My .02 is that most of the old guns we find should be minimally restored. I mean, first things first. You HAVE to clean them up and stop any rust or pitting or other corrosion. Some may have to be blued. Stocks should be repaired and in some cases replaced. But, if you can essentially give it a boost along its way and still preserve what it was/is that is a good thing.

At some point, a gun is trashed enough that there is no sense in trying to "preserve" it or "be faithful" to what it was.

I personally think "project guns" which are going to be essentially rebuilt, like a blazing Phoenix arising from the flames, should indeed come from sound but trashed guns. The barrels have to be good enough support the project but if a gun is going to be annealed, newly engraved, restocked etc. then it should be one which can't be rehabbed.

Now the real issue for all of us who love these old guns is what is going to happen when the powers that be ultimately outlaw lead shot. It makes me shudder.

Regards to all, Jake