[Jawjadawg]

I also worry about a lead ban as being devastating to value and field use. I also wonder about collector interest from future generations. The bottom line is that guns have not generally proven to be strong long-term investments. I'm not sure how replacing the pad and retaining the old one is of any harm to the value of the gun, if the old pad is retained. The old pad would still be fit to the gun, right?

My wife is on a kick about tearing the roof off of our house for a $200K face lift. Her stated goal was to increase our resale value, but in the next breath said she has no plans for us to sell the house. Our neighbors have been taking on these same projects and then capturing a tidy profit in the current intown Atlanta real estate market. I feel my questions to her parallel this discussion:

1) Do we know what the market will bring for our face lift investment years from now when /if we decide to sell? Will the market be stronger than current, or might economic conditions take another nasty turn for some unforeseen reason?

2) How are we to know what layout (see condition) the next owner will prefer? Might we be better off standing pat until ready to sell, at which time we can let the then current market determine if we should sell as is, or renovate and then sell?

I suggested that we should proceed with the renovation if the goal is strictly for our own enjoyment, but that we shouldn't presume that any investment in our home will necessarily result in a profit at an unknown future point in time. My current regret is that I didn't have that conversation before she had already spent $5000 with an architect.

When I hunt with my old guns, I like to think about the who's and where's the old girls might have visited. That's why I LOVE a little carry wear. Pristine, unused condition is a pleasure to see, but those guns also have a little less nostalgia in my mind. When I see a "restored" shotgun, I can't help but feel like the person who did the work forever washed away the hand prints of the previous owner, effectively exorcising their ghosts from the gun. That's just me. Obviously others see it different, otherwise people like Turnbull wouldn't be in business.