Sweet gun Joe. I'd contact Brian Dudley for the woodwork and leave the metal alone. He can freshen up the checkering and make it match the rest of the gun. You have a very desirable gun there.

Great advice, Daryl. Years ago, I bought a wonderful Tournament Grade two barrel set from a shop in Annapolis. It was about the same condition as the one pictured here. I sent it away to have the metal reblued. It was a great job, but I just couldn't live with that great old gun in new condition. I sold it cheap, because no one wanted a shiny new 100 year old Model 12. I won't make that mistake again. Somehow, Winchesters are not the same as old double guns. You can't bring a Winchester back from a bad refinish or even a good one.

Congratulations, Mr. Joe, on such a great find ! What a neat piece in swell shape at an advanced age. Got to be a rather hard to come by specimen. Good job ! Thanks for
the pictures and enjoy shooting it.

Thank You, Brother Joe. Your opinion means a lot to me. It is good to see you on the boards.

Daryl, I took your advice and contacted Brian Dudley about just what you recommended. I also learned from what Bill Murphy related about restoring a Winchester model 12. Brian agreed to accept the work which amazed me (given the extremely high caliber of his body of work). Long story short, Brian soaked the wood to remove oil and refinished the stock and forearm to a level commensurate with the condition of the gun. He also brought up the checkering beautifully. He has such a gift of harmony with the wood that I trusted his judgement implicitly. The gun is finished now and will be on the way to me directly. To my surprise, I had an email this morning with some pictures of the gun!! I could not be happier with what I see and am anxious to examine it gun-in-hand. I am sure it comes as no surprise to members of this board and it has been proven once again, Mr. Brian Dudley is one very talented and capable man. Thank You, Brian!

a couple more
 

Click picture to enlarge....! :corn:

That's just great Joe. Brian has done quality work for me. Bring the old girl along next time we are together.

If I thought the "fill" in the checkering consisted of old gun oil + sweat + skin fragments, none of which can do the wood any good, I'd definitely very gingerly clean it out, but that wrist checkering doesn't look too bad when you enlarge the pic.

Thanks for the mention Joe. I am really happy with how it cleaned up. Those photos are a little on the dark side. I am sure you will be very happy with the gun in hand. I was able to pull a good amount of oil out of the head of the stock and the fresh finish really evened out the color from front to back.

That’s a great gun. I had one in Black Diamond configuration that I foolishly let go of.