The collective advice you get here is invaluable. It's why I joined PGCA and you should too. There is no other place you could go to get better advice. All of these fellas are extremely helpful. And it's free, except for the $40 it cost to join.
I'm fairly new having only been a member for a couple of years so I dont have the experience others have so the advice I can give you is limited. The best advice you have rec'd here is go slow and only do a correct factory new restoration. The bad news is it's going to cost a lot more then you think but you'll get your money out of it if done correctly.
I have the same concerns as Dean, ie whether anyone will still be around who is qualified when you get around to doing it. The biggest challenge for you seems to be the engraving and barrels. They will probably be the biggest expense too. To insure they are done by someone qualified, maybe you should consider doing it in sections. For example, scrape up the funds to do the barrels. That will take some time to do and give you a chance to save up for the next part of the project. It may take years but so what? You'll have a lifetime to enjoy it along with the satisfaction.
There will always be someone who can, for example, refinish a the stock. But you'll need folks with years of experience to get the engraving and barrels right. That's why you might want to think about getting started.
Good luck! Ray
|