Received my Letter but found wrist cracked. Ugh!
 

While cleaning grime off the stock I found the wrist is cracked. I was cleaning it to determine if it needed to be refinished due to lack of finish and oil, it definitely needed to be. The finish is gone and it's nearly black from oil. The checkering is also worn on the butt stock and forearm along with the chipped toe and broken butt plate.
Now I need some advice as to how far to go with a fix. Is a crack repair, refinish, re-checker crazy expensive? I plan to use it for trap occasionally and maybe some hunting. The barrels are brown but have blue under the forearm and are 30 inches like the letter states. The letter doesn't seem to say the gun is special so will a full or partial restore hurt the value? I realize the value is minimal with the cracked wrist but the bores are nice with no pitting. any advice will be appreciated.
I will add pics and the letter to my album. Thanks, John

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as a family piece - only you can say what it worth to you

the repairs will not be cheap, and 12ga VH Parkers are not hard to come by

the best way to find out is to contact one of the experienced gunsmiths on the board who do such work

maybe one of them will post their advice

Check out this website for a new butt plate.

http://www.connecticutshotgun.com/pr...n/butt-plates/

make sure if your VH has the spur butt plate or if it just flat.

I'm gonna be in trouble, that store is only 1 hour from me right on the way to my in-laws and a few miles from my sister in-laws. I quickly browsed their website, some very nice firearms.

What ever you do do not leave your wife in the car expecting a quick in and out. You will want to spend some time there.

The CSMC showroom is a true experience that everyone should take advantage of if possible to.

And... A 1904 gun would have a spurred buttplate. All did until the mid 1920s

John,
To directly answer some of the questions you asked, your gun definitely needs work, if for no other reason than to keep the crack from expanding. In the shape that it appears to be in judging from your photos and description, a restoration will definitely enhance its value, not diminish it. The question is whether the value enhancement will approximate the cost, and the answer is probably not, as 12 gauge VHs are not rare. At a minimum though, the butt plate needs to be replaced, the crack needs to be stabilized with acraglass and perhaps pinning, and the wood refinished to protect it from the elements. Beyond that, everything else is cosmetic and up to you to decide if its worth the cost. Please post more photos of the gun so we can get a better idea of what you've got.

That gun has a straight grip, which to many has some enhancement to value (I love 'em).
I would definately have the stock repaired, and then just shoot it, and worry about any other cosmetic features in the future. Would make a great "long bird" gun with those barrels and chokes, if I had it I would be enticed to start waterfowl hunting. I have a little VHE 20 with similar stock issues and will likely have it repaired soon, so as to be able to hunt with it for years to come.
Oh yeah, I'd fix the buttplate--just let whoever fixes the stock fit one--if it is too short for you, then would be a good time to add a pad.

Thanks for everyone's input, I decided to remove the oil myself and see how the stock looks and decide the next move when that's done. A couple more small cracks have shown up and A LOT of oil has come out. The cracks are small and not very deep. There was no finish left on it.
I started by cleaning it with dawn and Murphy's then soaked it for a day in 1 1/2 gallons of acetone. I removed it, brushed the checkering with a tooth brush ans went over stock with a nylon scrubby. A lot of grime came off.
I have kept it soaking except for when I remove it and use a heat gun to raise the oil, today I put it in the oven for an hour at 100+ degrees and MORE oil came out. I need to change the acetone now as it's getting very discolored. I have also been wiping it down with denatured alcohol when I take it out of the soak tank.
Let me know how i'm doing, any advice is appreciated. I'm doing as minimal as I can so I don't do any irreversible damage. Here's some pics.
John