Quote:
Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon
When I visited with Brad Bachelder last summer we talked about this. He told me that his restored guns were averaging about 85+% of what a gun in strong original condition would bring.
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I humbly, and with all due respect to Brad and his legacy, must disagree with that statement.
Lets take, for example, an 1893 Grade-1 16 gauge top-action hammer gun with the 'fish tail' lever and with 28" Laminated Steel barrels on the lightened 0-frame with absolutely perfect screws. Add to this 99% original barrel finish and 98% original case color and the wood is 100% original finish with just three or four very tiny dents from handling. This is a benchmark gun in every way....
Now lets take a gun of the exact same configuration that has been completely restored by Brad's shop, or any reputable shop for that matter. I have seen and handled dozens of restorations done by such shops -
and they are very good at what they do! - but there is an obvious difference between the two guns. We have a benchmark original gun - and we have a professionally done
attempt to bring a used and worn gun to "like new" condition... operative word, "like". But several nuances of the benchmark gun have been overlooked on the restored gun and don't look nearly as nice as the benchmark gun - such things as checkering; buffed or worn-from-use hammer knurling (for lack of a better word) worn engraving - even if the engraving has been 'picked up' or recut it still doesn't have the same crispness of the benchmark gun. Butt plates and grip caps may have been replaced by plastic reproductions or simply the checkering of the DHBP may have been recut. Some of the screws may have had their slots recut (sometimes too wide maybe?) or repaired and polished (edges rounded) before recoloring.
I could go on, but I won't. I will say that despite the efforts of the shop that attempts to bring a gun back to look like a 99% or 100% gun... it still falls short and it's value
might only approach 50% of the benchmark gun... IMHO.
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