Please advise on G 12 gauge
Hello, Friends,
Today my cousin brought #78254 to my house for me to see. It belongs to his friend, who recently bought it from an antique store in Kansas. It has a few problems, but I doubt that any of them are insurmountable. The owner would like to make a shooter out of it. My cousin asked me to photograph it, post it here, and seek your feedback.
It is a G grade, hammerless, extractor gun on a size 2 frame. I'm not equipped to measure chambers, bores and chokes. We did fit a 12 gauge shell into one chamber. Top rib is stamped "Damascus Steel". The gun has a thumb safety. It has a capped pistol grip and rubber butt plate with dog, well-worn, but not broken. Wood is not fancy. I forgot to measure the barrel length, but have asked my cousin to send that info to me.
It has some bore pitting which will need to be evaluated by someone who is equipped to measure the barrel walls and pit depth. It is slightly off face and the top rib has come loose at the muzzles, but is not bent. It also has two shallow dents in the left barrel and some long scratches on the left side of the wrist and comb. I speculate this damage all happened in the same fall. The barrel finish is worn, as we would expect from a well-used gun. No traces of case hardening colors remain on the outside of the receiver. Strong colors remain on the metal inside the fore arm. Engraving is present on all surfaces, but will not show well in my photos.
My first thoughts are: Evaluate bore condition and wall thickness. Evaluate dents. If those problems are not too serious, have it brought on face, remove dents, re-solder the top rib, have it professionally cleaned and start enjoying it. Consider barrel re-blacking at same time as rib repair. Consider repair to deep stock scratches now or in future--in that order.
I am not sure what the owner paid for the piece, but I know he can have the various repairs estimated in advance. Only he will know how much he is willing to invest beyond his purchase price.
I'd be very interested to know what you would do if you owned this gun.
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