Refinish and/or Restore?

[Zeke Menuar]

To refinish and/or restore? Or leave it alone?

The gun in question is a Winchester Model 1897 take-down model with full choke. This particular example has been around the block. There is about 60% bluing left, and the wood is only fair. There are some scratches here and there. There is the remains of a red recoil pad. The buttstock was cut down about 1.5" to fit that pad. There is shallow pitting in the bore, the bore is a little dull from 30 years of neglect in gun cabinet hell. A little bit of JB's should clear things up. There is a slight ring at the end of the barrel, about 005". The SN is 343XXX D indicating a 1906 or 1907 date of manufacture(thanks to http://www.marauder13.homestead.com/index.html). The gun has been given a clean bill of health and I can start shooting it.
According to my Grandfather this gun belonged to my Great-Grandfather. Plan to research the ownership of this gun a bit more also.

I have a Mossberg 500 for a main shotgun. I would like to have a nice, clean old-timey gun just to say I have one. I'll be sending off soon for a replacement barrel. The original barrel will be kept, not used. I may thread the new barrel for tubes. I am undecided on whether or not to reblue the entire gun and restore or replace the wood. I am not made of money so this project would take a while to carry out.

What would you do?

ZM

 

[Dave McCracken]

I'm far from free of bias here.

I like family guns and I like using them, the way I reach past a mess of good Orvis graphite fly rods to use Pop's old South Bend bamboo.

I like 97s, and find it typical of our times that one of the best pumps ever made was also one of the first.

And this one made it past inspection, so it's a shooter.

In your shoes, I'd bite the bullet and do a full bore restoration, knowing that I couldn't ever get my money back out of it, but ending up with something to pass down for another century.

If the wood's close to your dimensions, restore it. If not, save it and get utility grade wood from Numrich or Wenig.

HTH...

 

[Zeke Menuar]

Step one will be to turn it into a good shooter that fits me.
First a replacement barrel. Either a new barrel from Numrich or a good used barrel from a gun show or auction site. If I get a used barrel I might ream it out to modified choke. Don't use full choke much. I have a collection of Win-choke tubes for my other shotgun. Might thread the new barrel for Win-chokes. It would look kind of funny on an old-timey shotgun. Haven't made that decision yet.
I am leaning towards having the original buttstock sized to fit me and also put a Decelerator pad on it. Since the original buttsock was already cut up adding a pad wouldn't be a big deal. Having a gun that actually fits me would be a new thing. The goal is to make it a comfortable, shootable alternative to my Western Field 550 (Mosberg 500). I really like the takedown feature. I am already looking for a suitable travel case for it.

ZM

 

[Dave McCracken]

After getting a new barrel, check with Briley about tubing the thing.

Getting the fit right may just surprise the heck out of you and your shooting buds.

A couple spacers added to the old stock plus a pad can make it the right length. Pattern it when you do and see if that does it. If so, then refinish and go shooting.

 

[sm]

I for sure would take plenty of photos before any work is done. I hope you will also record on tape along with written records any history/stories of yore. Do the same for restorations. This old classic will speak volumes to future family .

 

[HSMITH]

I would not touch a thing. I would cherish it and use it just as it is when possible, when not practical to use it I would use something else.

I don't like re-writing history, and as far as I am concerned a gun like that is a piece of history with character given to it by the men that used it. I would not polish and blue that character away.

just my opinion....