How much is too much for a full restoration?

[Chad Larsen]

I recently inherited a Parker Grade 3, made in 1884. It's been in my family for almost a hundred years. It was lost in a flood that took my grandmother's house a long time ago, but was recovered a year later. The barrels are badly pitted, stock has some minor, minor cracks. It's missing a hammer.

I sent it off for a quote from Turnbull and was a little shocked with the total. The gun has a lot of sentimental value, but I was only planning on keeping it as a wall hanger.

What is the average cost for a full restoration? I was prepared to pay $5-$10K so it will look nice in a display cabinet in my gun room but they are recommending building a new stock and re-doing all the engrave work which puts the estimate at $24K.

[Joseph Sheerin]

wow, that's crazy.... I knew Turnbull was crazy expensive, but that's a lot higher than I would have expected.

Although I guess they are only expensive if you don't have the money for them. :-)

[Joseph Sheerin]

One other comment... I guess a restoration is too expensive, if at the end of the restoration the gun is worth no where what you paid to have it restored. Unless it's some sort of family heirloom, but if that's the case... You are wiping out the family history by having it restored.

[Dean Romig]

Just my honest opinion here....

If all you plan to do is display it or hang it on a wall for posterity, why bother doing a "resto" at all? It's condition is part of the family story, hence part of the gun's story.

If I were you (and I'm not of course) I would clean it as best I could, put a light oil finish on the wood and leave it at that.






.

[Garry L Gordon]

Chad, we have no idea what condition your gun is in, nor do we know the details on the restoration, so I don't think anyone is commenting on the quote you received specifically (at least I'm not). However, for the amount of that restoration quote, you could buy a very nice quality, higher grade Parker.

[Andrew Sacco]

I agree with Dean, I would just hang it and use the battle scars to help you tell the story.

[Brian Dudley]

The answer to your question is more of what YOU are willing to pay.

Being a grade 3 and wanting a full restoration, the work will not be cheap by any means.

If the barrels are very bad, it may be a lost cause since you will be throwing good money after an issue that may not be able to be corrected unless the barrels are replaced. Barrels can just get so bad that it does not make sense trying to do anything with them.

I cannot comment on the price structure of Turnbulls quote, and I know
nothing about what condition the gun is in, but I would say that they will be at the higher end of quotes you may receive. But no doubt that the work will be top notch.

[Andrew Sacco]

An acquaintance of mine restored a Sterling MGB. Cost him $90,000 for a full on concours restoration as it was a rare model (don't ask me which one). He took first in show at a big car show in PA, he got a trophy and his photo taken. He then sold it promptly for $35,000. To this day he is convinced he came out ahead. But if it made him happy who is to argue, it's his purse strings.

[Craig Budgeon]

The latest published rate for restoration work that I have seen was $92.50 per hour which Griffin & Howe displayed on the internet. For $24000 dollars you get 240 hours of labor, new wood, and parts. A journeyman gunsmith ( the type Turnbull employee ) should get $30 an hour plus benefits, plus vacation, and holidays. A master gunsmith should $40+ per hour and that is cheap for the skills they possess. If you think that is excessive compare it to your hourly rate. I am surprised they could all that done in less than 250 hours based on your description.

[ED J, MORGAN]

Pictures would help make advice worth more.

[Milton C Starr]

The latest published rate for restoration work that I have seen was $92.50 per hour which Griffin & Howe displayed on the internet. For $24000 dollars you get 240 hours of labor, new wood, and parts. A journeyman gunsmith ( the type Turnbull employee ) should get $30 an hour plus benefits, plus vacation, and holidays. A master gunsmith should $40+ per hour and that is cheap for the skills they possess. If you think that is excessive compare it to your hourly rate. I am surprised they could all that done in less than 250 hours based on your description.

Reminds me of a story a gunsmith told me , he builds double guns and took on a commission to build a rather unique jones underlever . I believe he charged 10 grand to do the build . Well after a few years and it was ready to be delivered he said he had around 1000 hours into the build . He said he would never make that mistake again if he was asked to build another . I think his rate is or was $100/hr .

[tom tutwiler]

Falling into the FWIW, category, my local gunsmith basic shop rate to do soup to nuts work is $80 per hour. He is a journeyman meat and potatoes gunsmith, went to various gunsmithing trade schools etc.. At $80 per hour he has more work then he can do.

PS. Restoring this (or any) Parker is beyond his capabilities as he mostly builds benchrest rifles.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Brian is right! On these old guns the barrels are foremost if they are pitted and BWT is to thin, hang it on the wall and tell stories about it, Gary

[Mike Koneski]

Chad, if you want to shoot it contact Briley. They can make full length tubes for the gun with fixed or screw-in choke tubes. They can do the tubes for pretty much anything smaller than what the barrels are now and that will give you the peace of mind shooting a gun that has been badly pitted. Clean up the wood, maybe clean up the exterior of the bbls, even have them rust blued if you want to make it pretty. You'll be able to shoot it and enjoy looking at it and remembering the history of that gun in your family.