Criteria for Restoration

[Bill Hulbert]

What would you consider to be criteria for putting a gun through the restoration "process" vs. just leaving it alone....unrestored. I have a CHE that I am considering having restored. I've talked to the Turnbull people and it's an expensive process but because the gun is fairly rare one it might be worth doing.

[TARNATION !!!]

To me it would depend if I'm just looking at it as a display piece or if I am shooting it.

If it is a matter of safety issues that are repairable then a repair

If it is a matter of personal preference cosmetics for an already fully functional gun, then originality suffers but it should look very nice and it's the owner's decision.

Would enjoy seeing the "before" pictures.

Cheers,
Jack

[Old and Reliable]

I am not a big fan of restoration- just me, but the honorable nicks and scars from previous owners who enjoy their Parker(s) or Smiths or Fox guns years ago, tell a story. My criteria is proper mechanics- safety, triggers, ejectors, good POA patterns, proper stock fit-

But- Turnbull, Del Grego and many other high grade gunsmiths have a backlog, so that tells me there are many who do not share my view- A CHE is a scarce higher grade Parker indeed-good luck with your decision.

[Double Play]

Bill is it the 12 gage (http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=847) that you posted about a while back? If so I stand by my previous suggestion to replace the funky pad/spacers and shoot it. If the stock doesn’t fit and a slip on pad and perhaps a little stock bending doesn’t work for you then I would have a stock made but retain the original.

[Gill Frye]

If indeed it's the gun Larry is speaking of.... I wouldn't do a thing to it but replace the pad, a very nice gun.

[Autumn Daze]

I agree with Larry and Gill...

[Bill Hulbert]

Thanks for the advice. I am appreciative of the knowledge on the forum. In a perfect world I agree that an unrestored anything, as long as it is safe and functional, is the best. Alas, I'm very sorry to say, I need to sell my gun and am just looking for the best return. I also have a Browning Superposed 20ga and an exceptional Luger American Eagle that I need to part with as well. I would keep them all if I could but..........

Yes it is the same gun as in the referenced thread.

[TARNATION !!!]

Bill: Unfortunate situation. A restoration will limit your market but there are likely enough who will be interested regardless. In the situation you might want to take a look at the "asking" prices on the major sites like Guns America, GunBroker, GunsInternational, Puglisi etc. There should be enough out there to compare condition to yours to get a ball park idea for asking price by averaging several of the comparable condition asking prices. Now add to that the cost of restoration and see how many are asking that price. I understand your point is to maximize your cash in hand at the end of the exercise. You certainly would want to fully recover the restoration costs and would hope to more than recover by a good percentage, otherwise, what would be the point. A bit of a gamble. If it were me, I would want to maximize my potential buyers for an unrestored gun that is priced in line with current market and leave a restoration decision to the buyer. Wish you well.

[Chuck Heald]

Bill
While I do not honor nicks and dings, because I feel they are simply damage, I do agree with those that say the market historically doesn't pay well for restored guns. I think restoring the gun would end up being a monetary loss in the end. By the wag, I like a properly restored gun.

[Chuck Heald]

Bill
While I do not honor nicks and dings, because I feel they are simply damage, I do agree with those that say the market historically doesn't pay well for restored guns. I think restoring the gun would end up being a monetary loss in the end. By the way, I like a properly restored gun.