When to restore?
 

I'm new to the wonderful world of Parkers. Been looking at old threads ,reading as much as possible. Restored guns are amazing, the way they look,and the skill some people have. My question is, are there guidelines or unwritten rules, as to what should be restored,what shouldn't be touched,what guns should have maybe just the barrels done, or case hardened, what would be a complete waste of money or is there a lot of " because i want to"? Im not really talking about collectables. If they're collectables I'd think tyey pretty much have to be original.

Hi Kurt, and Welcome!

Yours is one of the hardest questions to answer because it is so subjective. Every gun is worn to the extent it was used (or even abused) and there are so many opinions as to how a gun should be restored, or even if it should be done at all. I'm sure a lot of Members will offer their advice and opinions and that's a good thing because it will give you a lot to think about.

Do you have a particular gun in mind that you are considering as a candidate for restoration? If yes, please post some pictures here so we all can give better advice.





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As you said, a search of old threads will yield some answers to your question because it has been asked here a number of times before.

I will lend some thoughts here now.
You restore a gun mostly due to lack of original condition, combined with your desire for a gun to look like new or at least newer than it does now.
Some "restoration" such as barrel bluing can be looked at more as maintenance.
Re-casing a gun is never nessecary from a functional standpoint and, in my opinion, is the last thing to be done when it comes to restoration work. It is the final piece of the equation next to barrels and wood.
Restoring a lower grade gun is nearly always a labor of love with no financial benefit unless it is in a rare gauge or configuration.

There used to be a show on cable TV called "American Pickers." It was about two guys who traveled the nation, digging up interesting old antiques.

The one maxim that they worked by is: "It's only old once." That made sense to me.

In other words, if an item is worn, used, and has the patina of age -- but essentially complete and perhaps functional -- then leave it alone. The chronicle of its travel through time is there as testimony to its authenticity. Restore it, and that heritage is erased. Forever.

Analogy: Should the broken nose of the Sphinx be fixed? Should Dan Gurney's GT-40 be repainted? Should the Czar's Parker be refinished? These questions answer themselves.

As Dean notes, MUCH is subjective. But remember: It's only old - or historic - ONCE.

I recently read an article about Wallace Gusler, the fellow who opened the gunsmith shop at Colonial Williamsburg and later went on to become the head curator for Williamsburg. As to restoration, he said that honest wear is part of the piece's character, and that he only tries to remove signs of abuse and neglect. There's still some gray area there, but I thought he stated the issue nicely. Us with double guns we want to shoot and show off might tend to be a bit more aggressive.

Kurt, I will chime in here and give my opinion, I am a hammer gun guy, that said when I find a high grade gun that needs to be touched up, I look at a couple things, rarity being number one. If the gun is one of a kind I see no harm in restoring it to its original condition. Where are you going to find another like it? Its like a dirty Corvette You have to wash them to bring out the original beauty of the car, Like Brian says if it is a low grade gun you will not get your money back, thats a fact. The only low grade gun I have had restored was a Folsom Trap gun made by Parker with the Flying Pigeon butt plate the gun was a 12 gauge and I had a 10gauge already the 12 being harder for at least me to find. If a Gun has 50% condition I will leave it alone, Gary

One note to the above post European guns are redone all the time! Gary

Regardless of the habits of our European friends, accepted by some of us, a Purdey in high original condition is worth much more than one that has been periodically refinished. The Brits are famous for grinding their barrels down, inside and out.

I guess it all depends on whether you plan to keep the gun or not. I generally don't buy to sell later and make a profit, I buy to enjoy.. so resale value doesn't really matter much to me. That said, a C grade or above that's in reasonable shape I'd probably leave alone. Now the C grade that Brian posted pictures of a while back was far enough gone that I'd of done the same thing and had it restored.

Wood refinishing/repair is fine when the finish is in poor condition or oil is present in the wood or there is damage.

Barrels that have gone silver or lost blue/pattern are perfectly acceptable to be redone.

As for case colors, I admit a gun with nice colors is a lovely sight, but I don't know that it is necessary. Especially when people take a gun that has nice faded but visible colors and completely recase color it to like new.

These are all my over valued opinions. Your entirely allowed to disagree.