Thanks Bruce for the inspiration-I may need to get her camo dipped for Spring turkey:)

It has been my experience that Murphy's oil soap tends to soften the wood to the extent that even when using a soft brush you will expand and lift wood fibers.

I am fortunate to live near a great wood guy and was discussing having the oil removed from the stock head before I move from the area this summer. It seems a shame to have to refinish an otherwise very clean original finish, but he said there is no other way to do it. If I have him do it, I'll go ahead and have a new pad installed--he said he would put a Silvers on a Parker, reserving a leather covered pad for English guns. Plus, with this much DAH, he feels they're too slippery and generally doesn't like them. No argument from me on that point.
What is the consensus on a refinish of the wood?
Thanks for any input,
Bill

There isn't enough oil in that stock head to worry about at all - I shoot my DH all the time with no ill effects at all to the wood and mine has way more oil in the head than that beauty. I wouldn't touch the originality of that gun!

I agree with Dean. I wouldn't touch that gun.....Except to shoot it.....OFTEN!!

Geze Bruce thats an easy one! William nice one.

William, what's the deal with the nice tooled case in the picture?

Hi and thanks to everyone for the advice-confirmed my initial hunch to leave the finish alone.
Bill,
The LOM is a very nice tooled Heiser case I was lucky to get from another fine PGCA member, Karl Ferguson, a couple of years ago. I think the case is from the 20s or 30s although not too sure. It is a beauty, and while not the same vintage as the DH, fits it perfectly. Know anything about them? My Dad had an identical one I remember as a kid.
Cheers,
Bill

A friend was still ordering Heiser products until about 1955 according to his correspondence which is in my collection. They were still offering the tooled option as I recall. Please post a good picture of the whole case.

Drop Points
 

The drop points shown in the photos of this "new 1893 DH" are about as nice an example of a skilled stock maker properly weilding the gouge to make the points and valleys. Perfect continuity of the curves, and artistic symmetry.

Best, Austin