Blue Book Price Check

[Rex Northen]

I believe the wood has quite a bit of impact on final selling price - many PRs have great wood, but there are also more pedestrian versions.

DT guns bring a premium.

A beavertail on a 28 gauge is not nearly as common as the splinter and will sometimes bring a premium.

[Bill Murphy]

Your question could address a gun that was heavily used or abused in its past life, or with other problems, which would make all estimates obsolete. Study all "sold guns" on auction sites, ignoring all "guns for sale". Many unusual catalog versions and aftermarket diversions of Repros sell for much more than common catalog iterations. Prices range from $2500 to $10000 for catalog versions. A Turnbull metal refinish would only add $1000 to $2000 to a catalog gun, a minor addition.

[Setter Man]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

A Turnbull metal refinish would only add $1000 to $2000 to a catalog gun, a minor addition.

$1000-$2000? LOL. I wish that were true. Not even close.

[Bill Murphy]

Jay, please give us your answer to the question. We have very little experience with Turnbull refinished Repros. I feel that some buyers prefer a mint original Repro to a Turnbull refinish. Some buyers prefer the Turnbull gun.

[Setter Man]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Jay, please give us your answer to the question. We have very little experience with Turnbull refinished Repros. I feel that some buyers prefer a mint original Repro to a Turnbull refinish. Some buyers prefer the Turnbull gun.

Not being boastful but you’ll be hard pressed to find a 28 Repro as nice as the one that I just sold. 2-barrel set; double triggers; btfe, straight stock. Case coloring by Bachelder, wood refinished with an original type Parker finish. It looked as close to an original DHE as possible. It sold for what I paid for it before I had any of the work done. A friend who is a prominent dealer if very high end firearms told me the ONLY reports that are commanding premiums are those unfired and in completely NIB condition. He warned me no one would pay extra for the work that I had done. Think about it this way: why would anyone pay a $1000 premium for work that they could have done for less than that.

[MD*GSP]

Originally Posted by Jay Gardner

Not being boastful but you’ll be hard pressed to find a 28 Repro as nice as the one that I just sold. 2-barrel set; double triggers; btfe, straight stock. Case coloring by Bachelder, wood refinished with an original type Parker finish. It looked as close to an original DHE as possible. It sold for what I paid for it before I had any of the work done. A friend who is a prominent dealer if very high end firearms told me the ONLY reports that are commanding premiums are those unfired and in completely NIB condition. He warned me no one would pay extra for the work that I had done. Think about it this way: why would anyone pay a $1000 premium for work that they could have done for less than that.

Why not acquire an original DHE, or one that's got honest wear and can be re-habbed if that's what one wants? A PR will always be a PR, no matter the enhancements, no?

(no judgment here or opining on someone else's choices w/their own property - just playing devil's advocate, and curious to hear opinions)

[Setter Man]

Originally Posted by Scot Cardillo

Why not acquire an original DHE, or one that's got honest wear and can be re-habbed if that's what one wants? A PR will always be a PR, no matter the enhancements, no?

(no judgment here or opining on someone else's choices w/their own property - just playing devil's advocate, and curious to hear opinions)

If it were only that simple. What's an original 28 ga DHE, BTFE, straight stock, with a second set of barrels going to sell for, IF one could even find one for sale? $20k-$25K? And even if you bought one who would hunt it as hard as you would a Reproduction? The mistake I made was trying to age the repro's spray on case color with Semi-chrome. The result was a nickel bright receiver. Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets. My point is thinking that having Bachelder, Turnbull, do work on a repro will result in a dramatic increase in value is wishful thinking. I should also mention that I didn't lose much money having what work done. I paid $6k for it in 2004, had the work done in 2011(?) for less than $500, sold it in 2013(?) for $6,500, and bought it back in 2018 for $6,000. As has been discussed in multiple threads, Repos, like every other double, are not selling for what they did even a few years ago. The gentleman who bought my Repro paid a very fair price and I am glad it is in good hands.