Jim, Welcome to the PGCA.
In your 4th picture, I'm seeing something I have not previously seen in a grade 2 hammer. Could you take a close up of that hammer, maybe even both hammers.
I am generally on the side of not restoring a gun, when original condition is acceptable wear, and not abuse.
I don't know if you are a shooter, but I am and have a variety of pieces to take out. I have a grade 2 16 that was reasonably well restored before I bought it, and I think it's one reason why I take it out often and enjoy the heck out of shooting it. The monetary value of a 30" 2 frame 12 is not a huge amount, so the argument that it's value is diminished by restoration is marginal at best. There is little argument that the cost of the restoration will not be recovered if you sold it, but since you are unlikely to sell a family gun, that, too is moot.
If I were in your situation I think I would get the gun back on face and into a shooting condition. Try it out at some sporting clays, or trap, and then decide. If you do decide to go further, seek out the advice of hammer gun people. There are well know gunsmiths out there whose case color restoration is just plain wrong on these guns, and a few who have a good handle on what it should look like.
There are a few good, and relatively affordable gunsmith's who can get your gun back to looking like the pictures Mark has posted of his. There are a variety of good smokeless loads which are safe, and adequate for hunting or clay busting. Barrels used on a grade 2 are very sound and, providing they are checked for this, are every bit as safe as steel barrels, providing you don't use excessively potent loads. Anything in the 1200 FPS range is fine.
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