"Rescuing a Relic: When Is An Old Gun Too Far Gone to Save?"

[the_leper_colony]

Interesting question!

Rescuing a Relic: When Is An Old Gun Too Far Gone to Save?

Sometimes you have to wonder when you run across an old gun, one that has seen better days, if it is worth saving or just scraping for parts?

www.ammoland.com

(One observation - I didn't see any mention in the article about the Winchester being a legal "antique", which often increases the value of a functioning firearm!)

 

[Hvymax]

Awesome write up. Disturbing original Patina beyond basic cleaning does destroy collector value. Since the barrel was still good I would have cleaned it and kept a coat of Eezox on it.

 

[contender]

I think it's a good thing when an older gun that is a quality gun can be saved & put back into some form of use. Yet,, I've also seen guns that were (a) cheap or (b) beyond repair. It's a case by case,, careful study of each gun to decide if it's worth saving.

 

[eveled]

I think it's a good thing when an older gun that is a quality gun can be saved & put back into some form of use. Yet,, I've also seen guns that were (a) cheap or (b) beyond repair. It's a case by case,, careful study of each gun to decide if it's worth saving.

Good points. Sometimes you just follow your heart and do the right thing. A labor of love.

Not a gun, but a relatively cool old knife. I ended up with it "free". Because it came with a sheath I wanted.

I thought it was a common KA-BAR blade. Then I realized it was a much more desirable WWII USN RCC blade. The handle was trashed, and the pitting and corrosion was bad.

I spent about $10 putting a new handle on it. But far too much labor into it. But I've wasted more time on dumber things.

I just couldn't throw it away. Seriously It could have been on Iwo Jima. It certainly looks like it spent sometime in salt water on some island!

Almost all collector value is gone, in fact it has very little monetary value. But at least it is a useable knife, and won't end up being tossed by the next guy.

 

[eveled]

I found a "before" picture. The leather washers were turning to dust and someone dipped it in brown paint.

 

[contender]

Exactly my point. Sometimes,, you have to look past the surface flaws to see true potential.

 

[moparclan]

Anything is possible if you work at it. This 1873 Winchester made in 1881 was in some of my dads collection when he passed. Internals were clean the barrel has some rifling left and the outside was pretty rough with no stock and forearm was carved out of redwood and held on with wooden match sticks. Found some original replacement parts and unfinished aftermarket stock, it is now a shooter with my 44-40 black powder loads.

 

[eveled]

When I hear about these replacement stocks, it makes me wonder if a nicer rifle was parted out. The donor might have been better than the recipient. Lol.

I remember in my youth taking parts off of cars in junk yards that were in better shape than the car I was working on!

 

[KIR]

Vintage is 50 years old or more.
Antique is 100 years or more.
Anything else is my pet...
My Winchester Sporting Rifle was mfg. in 1908.