Restoration recommendations
 

Greetings,

I've got a hand me down parker that I would like to restore. To be honest the end goal is to sell it as it isn't anything that my wife or I will shoot. I don't mind putting the sweat into it but I don't really know where to start and at what point I'm doing more harm than good. It's a 1923 Parker, frame size 1 mod 0 grade VH. Looks like it has been dropped a couple of times with the stock being chipped and the foregrip has a crack in it and is held together with a small piece of metal. From the metal it seems that someone put a new stain on the wood but didn't bother to take it off the gun.

What's my best course? Repair the stock and foregrip or find a new one? Should I just clean, polish, and lube the metal or have it re-blued?
Not to put an ugly edge to it, am I spending my time wisely for something I'll very likely sell off once I'm done?

Thanks!

Anyone who knows these guns will spot a repair and it will be worth no more than what the market commands which is not a whole lot for that model. Then again there are a lot of fools who pay top buck for a bad example with poor repair/refinish work "because it's a Parker." I can tell you what I'd do. I'd sell it as is. I have two project guns I was going to have professionally "turned right" and either will cost me North of five grand and I'll be lucky to get that back out. That's my two cents, Merry Christmas.

If that gun were mine I’d reblue the barrels and then I’d put a one inch pad on it and if any of the busted toe area was left I’d get whomever was doing the pad to try and blend a piece of walnut in the toe . And at that you’re gonna most likely be in $700-800 .

I didn’t notice when I first looked you wanting to turn it for profit . That being the case I agree with sell it as is and let the next guy deal with the negative aspects . Certainly the easiest ways to get your fixer uppers fixed is to SELL THEM :cool:

If you are just going to sell it, then sell it now for what it is worth to someone in parts.

You will spend double or more on a proper restoration than the gun will be worth.

That's why I figured I would ask! Thank you for your insight. What am I looking at price wise in it's current condition?

I don't think it would be worth more than a couple hundred dollars. You can sometimes find a decent lower grade Parker for around $500

I think 3 to 400 dollars at most and that's for folks who want the parts. To the right guy looking the barrels (if sound) are worth 300.

I respect my friend, Tom's, estimate. $300 for the barrels if in undamaged and unpitted condition, $305 as an unrestored shooter. That said, I would take the latter path and work on this gun for ten years, the way I have on many orphans in the past. Watch the obituaries.

No one mentioned it, but unless I am blind it looks like the right muzzle is pretty buggered, with a blunderbuss shape at the end. The barrels would be a big part of the parts value, and they may not bring much. Sell at best offer. I don't think you should put anything into it.