Altering Repros, does it make a difference?

[Bob Jurewicz]

Here is another Repro that has had the SBP replaced with a pad. The widows peak remains and the LOP went from 14 1/4" original to 14 3/4" with pad.



Bob Jurewicz

[Bill Murphy]

Not to belabor the point, but show me how you do it on a 28 gauge without losing either length or height of the butt itself. I have seen it done and it doesn't work. It should be no problem on a 12 or a 20. As a matter of fact, you could make a modified Monte Carlo out of a 12 or 20 stock and it would look great. The 28 gauge butt is too small to do any shortening of the height of the butt. Why did they do it the way they did it on the Cabela's stock. Answer, they couldn't do it any other way.

[Setter Man]

Regarding case colors; I had my 28 ga Repro re-colored by Brad. Unlike original Parkers, when the sprayed on repro case colors wear off what remains is a shinny nickel-finish receiver that looks cheap. When he did the colors I ask Brad to scrape the piano finish and put on a finish consistent with what would have been found on an original D-grade. The results were impressive and the gun is pretty much identical cosmetically to the $49K Parkers Galazan produced.

[WmRike]

Years ago I was spending some idle time with the Porsche dealer. The guy made a simple statement that I'll always remember, and I think it applies equally to guns. He observed that as a rule of thumb, whatever money was spent modifying a car will essentially reduce the car's value by that same amount.

[Ralph English]

If I might expand on Dean's remarks made @ 11:32, 7/19. Remingtons purchase of the Parker Shotgun took place on June 15, 1934. Remington continued to produce shotguns in Meriden, Conn. until mid 1938, then the opperations were moved to Ilion, NY. Remington produced aprox. 4624 Parker shotguns in Meriden. These guns DID HAVE mullered borders. After the move to Ilion, NY; Remington produced another aprox. 1332 shotguns. The Ilion Remington shotguns ( regrettably ) DID NOT have the mullered borders around the checkering.

[Duckman]

I like mine better than before Brad prettied them up. Since they are not for sale, and won't be while I am alive, it was the right decision for me (and for Wyatt). Like Jay said, my 28 ga., which I bought NIB, was a sickly grey after two seasons.
Variety is the spice of life!
-plc-

[Setter Man]

I didn't wait for my original "case coloring" to wear off so I did it in 5-minutes with a tube of semi-chrome. Here's my 28 ga Repro after Brad worked his magic. I think it's not unreasonable to think this increased the value of my Repro, but....

[Walt Kowalski]

Originally Posted by Jay Gardner

I didn't wait for my original "case coloring" to wear off so I did it in 5-minutes with a tube of semi-chrome. Here's my 28 ga Repro after Brad worked his magic. I think it's not unreasonable to think this increased the value of my Repro, but....

That looks gorgeous!
In my humble opinion, I think you have enhanced the value of your gun by having it case colored like it should have been done in the first place.
I would have my own done like yours if and when the original "coloring" should wear off. May I ask the cost of the work by Brad?

[SXS OHIO]

I would say it sold for less than the asking price///? How much less...don't know? It would be interesting to know...SXS ohio

[WmRike]

There is no way you can modify a repro to increase its value. That's a starting point.

There are working repros and collector repros, but I would venture to say that the collector attitude holds sway. A person looking for a working gun will not slide as much money across the table as the collector. A gun modified to make it more "workable" is automatically fishing about in the lower pond. A gun modified to make it look better may in fact have added appeal, but the fact remains that it is not original, and that will be a buyer's bargaining chip at the time of sale.