GHE .410 another landfill story

Bill Murphy · 06-23-2017, 06:37 PM

Don't do anything for at least five years. If you do anything, it will be wrong in five years. Maybe 15 or 20 years ago, I bought a field used VHE .410 Skeet. I have not done anything to it in 15 or 20 years. In that 15 or 20 years, I haven't seen an absolutely original field used VHE .410 Skeet. I think that mine may be the only one left. All the rest are refinished. What do you think the serious collector will be searching for? I would love to buy the .410 pictured by the original poster, but I guess a refinisher will end up with it. I have a 20 gauge VHE full optioned gun with similar wood and I have avoided refinishing that heat damaged wood on that mint gun for more than 20 years. It will be worth thousands more than a refinished gun when I choose to sell it. Refinished wood means refinished metal---who can tell?

Dean Romig · 06-23-2017, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

In that 15 or 20 years, I haven't seen an absolutely original field used VHE .410 Skeet. I think that mine may be the only one left...(?) All the rest are refinished...(?)

They're out there Bill. Take a drive up north and have a look at John Dunkle's VHE .410 Skeet gun with everything but a ventilated rib... All Original! They are scarce, granted, but I have handled three in the last few years and Lord knows that is only a fraction I'm thinking.

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C.O.B. · 06-23-2017, 07:49 PM

I know of an original VHE 410 skeet as well.

edgarspencer · 06-23-2017, 08:05 PM

Between the few extremely qualified stock people we know who frequent this board, and others, whose reputation speaks for them, I would trust this gun to them. If Alan's gun were mine, I'd want to admire a beautiful gun, not one that once was, now is not, but 'still original'. Why do we pay these craftsmen? If I had to worry about whether something as easily fixed as the wood finish will hurt my exit value, I probably wouldn't have half the guns I do have.
A lot of people pound the table in the name of originality when it's someone else's gun, but they don't hesitate to 'tidy up' their own.