I hate to say anything negative about your friends gun but it looks like he bought himself a parts gun. The fact that the barrels are cut and the cost of relaying the rib don't leave many options. Putting the gun back on face and redoing the Damascus finish alone will cost at least 500.00 to 800.00 conservatively.

Brian, thanks for explaining about the screw. It wasn't obvious to me, but I am pretty ignorant about these things and that's why I'm here. I appreciate the explanation.

Wayne, you aren't saying anything negative. The gun is what it is. I'm here to collect honest feedback and I appreciate you guys very much. I don't think the owner has much in the gun at all (see my post above about the other two guns he bought in the package--I think the Colt was the most valuable by far). However, he is the only one who can make the final decision about where to go next.

Thanks to everyone. If anyone else cares to post an opinion, please do. I've forwarded a link to our thread to the gun's owner. I'm sure he will be interested in all feedback.

Patrick

check wall thickness OK go to step 2
check pits, not deep go to step 3
top rib at end not too loose, only a little loose, Brownell's low temp solder in voids, go to step 4
put on face and remove dents, go to step 5
screws in correct holes, go to step 6
shoot it with RST and enjoy it for a $200 additional investment, go to step 7

save money for the refinish/repair of a better gun. been there before.

Hey, J.A.,
The gun is not mine, but I've been thinking along your lines. I realize we are writing on a collector forum, but I'm not a collector, per se. If I had bought this gun with hopes of making it a shooter, I would not be thinking of collector value. I'd be thinking of how much fun and use I could get out of it.

Who, among us, ever buys a new car with the thought of what it will be worth when we are through with it? We don't think that way about cars. We use the heck out of the car and then we go out and repeat the process. Technically, we lose money every time we drive a car off the lot, but we don't care. We keep buying them and using the heck out of them.

If this gun were mine, and if I'd bought it for a few hundred dollalrs and really wanted to make it a shooter, and if I found it would be a safe shooter, I wouldn't balk at $1,000 or more. I might not balk at further investments for upgrades as time went on. I'd get my investment out of the pleasure of USING the nice old gun. If I determined that it could be a safe shooter, I'd invest in it as I pleased and then, I assure you, I would absolutely use the livin' heck out of it for as long as I could walk behind a dog! I'm not kidding!

But it's not my gun. At least I had the fun of looking at it and exchanging thoughts with all of you gracious members today.

One of these days, I'll come back here with a Parker that IS my gun. In the meantime, please keep chiming in, as you wish, about my friend's antique store purchase.

Patrick

You'll find as many if not more shooters here than high end collectors

And it would not take much searching to find several posts where a "parts gun" has been resurrected without hope of recovering the investment

I wish your friend luck on his project

I don't see a lot wrong with this gun once the rib end problem is taken care of.