Rich is right about getting that leather lace-up pad off to see if it has buggered the finish yet. This gun doesn't need much to spruce it up. Get the bluing off the receiver, get new floorplate screws or have those repaired, and take the barrel dent out as much as possible and you're in business. I have a 24" steel-bbl PHE-16 that is absolutely deadly on woodcock and grouse in tight cover. And don't go away; make sure to post pictures of the gun after it's been fixed up.

Anyone steer me in the right direction to a guy to do the restoration. Western or eastern Washington state?

Don't limit your self to a smith in a particular region of the country. You want the best and will have to ship the gun anyway. My recommendations would be Brad Batchelder in Michigan or Doug Turnbull in New York state. I have a Parker that Doug did and it's fantastic and I know Brad and have seen his work which is also excellent.

16 ga, O frame , straight grip PH--wow, what's not to like! You could get that dent fixed, and then just shoot the gun to see how well you like it. You can easily remove the bluing from the frame yourself, and you'll have a great shooter. Later you can adress the buggered screws. Has the stock been cut, does it still have the original butt plate? If you get tired of that gun, you know where to find me.

The elephant in the room when I see a gun like this with a buffed and blued receiver is did the same shade tree mechanic also hot blue the barrels?

Harold, how easy is it to removing the blue? How?

I have used Birchwood Casey Blue and Rust Remover and a Frontier pad. I believe some have used vinegar--but maybe others will weigh in. You don't want to buff the metal.