Documented factory done repairs and refinishes keep a gun's value well above comparable non-factory work, especially if the gun's condition is greatly improved by the factory work.

My favorite "not quite original" Parker with Remington repair codes is a high condition 29" Titanic barrel DH Grade 12 gauge with cyanide colors. The seller didn't know the barrel length, according to his answer to that question. The gun turned out to be an original 29" gun, sold cheap.

When you say "documented", are you referring to a receipt for the work performed by Remington? Thanks for all the replies.

If a receipt were available that would be the perfect documentation. Remington kept no records on exactly what was done to a gun as far as we know. All we are aware of in the way of records are the IBM cards produced when the guns were made and they tell very little.

Angels on pinheads. Who cares?

Some of us do Jeff - or at least we find it an interesting topic.

A bit off the subject: A lady friend has an old Remington Hammer 12 gauge gun in nice condition. It has been in the family since new. A letter from the Remington Arms "Historian" dated 1974 was very disappointing in that it gave very little information about the gun, and was primarily devoted to telling the owner not to shoot Damascus or Twist barrels, as they could blow up. (This gun has STEEL barrels; one could only wish it were damascus.)

I have a S&W M 1905 Target 1911 production. I believe it was refinished by S&W, serial number has a star stamped beside it, considered by most collectors to be a mark of factory refurbishment work. Other than the star no documentation of the re-work exist.

Bought it for about a third of what the same revolver would have sold for with the original finish in the same high condition. My opinion Re-finished even by the factory makes a difference not only how much a gun sells for how long it sits for sale too. This gun was on the market for some time before I bought it.

It's a nice shooting vintage target revolver fact that it's been refinished makes no difference to me at all, however did not pay factory original finish price for it either. Selling it may bring a little premium over a non factory re-blue, not much.

William

Now I never thought much about other firearms having been refinished. So reading the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson Written by Jim Supica, the section on Factory refinish he says that the star mark after the serial number means that the gun was sent in for rework of some kind and that a gun that has been sent in for refinish will bring a price somewhere between original finish and non-factory finish.
So if i understand it right. I believe that a gun that was sent back to Remington for refinishing, could be worth as much as a non refinished gun to a certain group of buyers if the quality and condition of the work is as well executed?

Using the S&W analogy, I believe there is a diminishing pool of S&W Revolver Collectors, and as the pool gets smaller collectors remaining are more careful about what they buy. This makes the re-blues, even if very good factory re-blues slow sellers. Not a lot of shooting activity with old Revolvers to push up demand.


Shotgun shooters seem to be less concerned about alterations and finish upgrades. S&W equation may not be relevant on a Parker. In the end suppy and demand sets the price no matter what the alteration. If I was looking at a well done re-finish on a gun that suited me otherwise would not consider it a negative.


William