1897 - To restore or not?

[CeilingCat]

So here's my dilemma. I have an early 1897 12ga. Its in OK condition but not superb. It was originally a long barrel but was cut down at some point. I believe that its all original parts. However all the bluing is gone. It has the worn and used patina to it. I tore it down and cleaned every moving part. Mechanically its sound and works fine. Still needs to be racked vigorously to feed reliably though. The stock and fore-grip are both cracked and in need of repair.

So do I leave it as is and proudly display/use a 111 year old shotgun that has survived this long un-touched? Or do I re-blue every piece and replace any worn parts and replace/repair the wood to bring it back to as-new condition?

So in car world terms; should I keep it as a survivor or full restoration? If I go the restoration route, I might be interested in marking it and adding a heat shield and bayonet to make it a replica trench gun. Or replace the barrel and mark it to replicate a riot gun. I don't really have any plans to ever sell it as its not really worth a whole lot. So it would be more or a personal pride.

But before I deface a operating survivor, I wanted to poll you guys to see what the general opinion was.

-Greg

 

[IBEWBULL]

It has already been mutilated by shortening the barrel.
The stock is dammaged which can be repaired easily enough.
From what I see it is what makes you happy.
I once bought a trap door Springfield just so the guy would not convert it to carbine.
It was in great shape with orginal frog and bayonet.
He picked up a HR modern copy of a carbine.
I saved a piece of American history and then sold it too cheap.
I am talking myself into going for just a stock repair and keep the character which history has bestoed on your fine shotgun.
There are replica chicom trench guns out there but I like the American Made on mine.
Good luck in your choice.

 

[rcmodel]

and mark it to replicate a riot gun.

You would be doing future generations of weapons collectors a disservice by forging markings on it.

There are plenty enough fake & counterfeit riot & trench guns to go around already.

rc

 

[VA27]

It took years to get that patina. I'd do a partial restoration. Repair the stock, replace any worn parts but leave the finish as is.

 

[ruddy]

"It took years to get that patina. I'd do a partial restoration. Repair the stock, replace any worn parts but leave the finish as is. "

+1

 

[mljdeckard]

You said the key phrase. "I don't really plan on selling it."

And even if you did, it's not like it's the difference between thousands of dollars and nothing. It might make $1-200 difference. I really think that the whole "It's been restored/altered/worked on/it's not in original condition argument is a standby bargaining tool for collectors trying to leverage a better deal. As if how it looks is important if it doesn't function well.

My dad has two old '97s that came through his family. One is a gorgeous 12 ga he had restored many years ago, I think it was made in 1912, the other is a hammered 16 ga, which has also had a home saw job. I told him we just need to hand it to a gunsmith for a rebuild, but he says that will 'destroy the value'. Of.....a hundred year-old gun with a chopped off barrel and a wood section missing from the length of the pump? As it is, it isn't good for bird hunting, it's only kind of good for defensive use if you can find or load some buckshot for it, and the only one who has shot it in 25 years is me. One of these days, I'm going to corner him, and tell him I will pay for it, so that we can have a nice 16 for the kids and ladies to hunt with, and that way grandpa's shotgun will have something to do besides rust. I THINK that is what grandpa would have wanted. The collector value is already gone, but it doesn't matter, because I'm never selling grandpa's shotgun.

In fact, now that I think about it, I should find a gunsmith who will let my two oldest boys participate with him on the project, to make it more meaningful to them as well. That lockwork is one of my very favorite gun sounds.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Your gun was made in 1899, the same year my wife's gun was made, and she shoots it in twice monthly matches. Her gun is a solid frame, though. Some parts can't be found new, only from salvaged guns. The stocks are currently being made, so they can be replaced, if you so choose.

If it's mechanically sound, I'd leave it as is, and have the chamber lengthened for modern shotgun shells and just shoot it.

Hope this helps.

Fred