Small restoration project.

[Kev18]

I asked a few questions on the gunsmiths thread awhile ago so I decided to share what came out of my adventure here.
I always like my rifle but was never fond of the rust all over it. Then it accord to me that I could attemp and little restoration project.
Let me know your thoughts. Im not sure if il keep the light brown color or even the blued loading gate and mag cap. Maybe a darker brown could look better, Im not sure.

[45workhorse]

IF, it where mine I would keep clean, oiled, and fed a steady diet of cast bullets. Would not change a thing, just me.

[Kev18]

IF, it where mine I would keep clean, oiled, and fed a steady diet of cast bullets. Would not change a thing, just me.

Ya I do that already. Im just not sure of the color. .. Do you think a darker brown would be nice?

[veeman]

I wouldn't do a thing to it but shoot it, clean it, oil it, shoot it, clean, oil, ect, ect. Leave it be as is.

[Battis]

Many years ago I stripped and plumb-browned a repro Colt cap and ball revolver. I was the same way as you - I kept wondering if I really liked the brown. Eventually I restripped the brown and lightly blued it (cold blue) and it came out an antique looking gray/blue. Yours looks fine as is. It's all a matter of taste.

[Shawlerbrook]

Looks fine to me, unless you are going to go for a full on professional restoration.

[Kev18]

Im not a huge fan of cold blue. I know the finish you're tlaking about. I did it on my lever. For now two get a dark black on my hammer, levée and mag cap. I browned it lightly, then cold blues it. Also make sit hold better I find.

[Kev18]

Only thing I'm doing next is buffing out the barrel, then I should be done. And i dont even know when that will be.

[Kev18]

Looks fine to me, unless you are going to go for a full on professional restoration.

I might just do that. Looks decent now.

[Jeff Michel]

Depends a lot on what changes you implement and what effect it would have on any resale value on your firearm. I've sworn to never sell an awful lot of firearms over the years that for some reason or another suffered that very fate. If I modified an original firearm, I always got pinged when I peddled it. In my defense, I've re blued, cut dovetails in the receivers of .22 rifles, re barreled, restocked, refinished and about everything you can alter, I altered. I didn't care, to me, a gun is primarily a tool, if it needs adjusted in some manner to make it more practical from a user standpoint. I don't have guns that "sit" I use them all. Collectors are a picky lot and will undoubtedly consider my comments a blasphemy. Do what you want, it's your firearm but there will likely be a price sacrifice when of if you go to sell it. Just my opinion. Nice rifle by the way.

[Kev18]

Depends a lot on what changes you implement and what effect it would have on any resale value on your firearm. I've sworn to never sell an awful lot of firearms over the years that for some reason or another suffered that very fate. If I modified an original firearm, I always got pinged when I peddled it. In my defense, I've re blued, cut dovetails in the receivers of .22 rifles, re barreled, restocked, refinished and about everything you can alter, I altered. I didn't care, to me, a gun is primarily a tool, if it needs adjusted in some manner to make it more practical from a user standpoint. I don't have guns that "sit" I use them all. Collectors are a picky lot and will undoubtedly consider my comments a blasphemy. Do what you want, it's your firearm but there will likely be a price sacrifice when of if you go to sell it. Just my opinion. Nice rifle by the way.

I'm the exact same way. I change everything and with this rifle, I don't care about value. It's my first rifle I bought so il hopefully die with it.

[Wayne Smith]

Personally I'd put another coat on it if it will get rid of some of the yellow. But that's my opinion, and worth exactly what you paid for it!

[JoeJames]

I ain't ever been much in favor of banning anything, but I might consider it when it comes to grinders, sand paper, and varnish. I have seen some firearms that might have been quite high priced, if one or two of the previous owners had just left them be. Worst I thing I ever saw was a WWII issue MI Garand obviously owned by a feller with money burning a hole in his pocket. He had removed/ground off the rear sight assembly, removed the upper handguard, put a buck horn rear sight on it, and changed out the lower stock for a schnabel stock that ran to near the barrel end with an end cap. He had a table regularly at local shows, and we'd all go by to look at it and shake our heads. Dropped the value from say $1,000 down to what $150 maybe. The above restoration is certainly not near as radical as that one, just saying - be careful and think about it.

[Baltimoreed]

I used to see a rare Johnson Rifle made into a sporter regularly at the Raleigh show many years ago. Damn shame. Guess it finally sold, hopefully it got put back right by whoever bought it and didn’t get parted out. People do stupid things to historic firearms sometimes. When they do it gives us something to do. I’ve remilitarized two 1903 Springfield sporters in the last few years. They look pretty good now. To the op, I’d leave well enough alone. You have a nice rifle there, you don’t see them with half mags too often.

[Kev18]

Personally I'd put another coat on it if it will get rid of some of the yellow. But that's my opinion, and worth exactly what you paid for it!

Thats waht I was thinking, the light yellow or orange is what bothers me.

[Kev18]

I ain't ever been much in favor of banning anything, but I might consider it when it comes to grinders, sand paper, and varnish. I have seen some firearms that might have been quite high priced, if one or two of the previous owners had just left them be. Worst I thing I ever saw was a WWII issue MI Garand obviously owned by a feller with money burning a hole in his pocket. He had removed/ground off the rear sight assembly, removed the upper handguard, put a buck horn rear sight on it, and changed out the lower stock for a schnabel stock that ran to near the barrel end with an end cap. He had a table regularly at local shows, and we'd all go by to look at it and shake our heads. Dropped the value from say $1,000 down to what $150 maybe. The above restoration is certainly not near as radical as that one, just saying - be careful and think about it.

To you it might seem stupid, but maybe to the man that had the rifle it was the best thing that he ever laid his eyes on. To each their own. If you buy something it stays yours

[JoeJames]

To you it might seem stupid, but maybe to the man that had the rifle it was the best thing that he ever laid his eyes on. To each their own. If you buy something it stays yours

I understand that, but sometimes I've had a feller's heirs drop by for my opinion on their daddy's firearms. It is kind of tough to explain that if nothing had happened to it, it would be worth so much, but now ... On that Garand it was a professional job, and he must have spent a chunk getting it done, but it was kind of a shame. Like you said, just my opinion. I took a picture of an M1 Carbine customized front sight at a gunshow a few years ago. It would be tough to restore it.

[Drm50]

I’ve got several old Wins and Marlins that are brown patina. Excellent mechanical shape and bores like a new dime. Wouldn’t touch them for the world. I learned my lesson with a original muzzle loader. Gun had been painted to use in Thanksgiving pageants and I bought at church sale. Some of the ladies were in 80s and said they used it as kids in 30s & 40s. Anyway I took great pains to get metal separated from stock and the whole project in general. It was a signed gun from an Ohio Smith. Collector gave me $650 for it and told me he would have doubled price if I had let it be. He sends them to professionals to be restored, not refinished as I did.

[Kev18]

I’ve got several old Wins and Marlins that are brown patina. Excellent mechanical shape and bores like a new dime. Wouldn’t touch them for the world. I learned my lesson with a original muzzle loader. Gun had been painted to use in Thanksgiving pageants and I bought at church sale. Some of the ladies were in 80s and said they used it as kids in 30s & 40s. Anyway I took great pains to get metal separated from stock and the whole project in general. It was a signed gun from an Ohio Smith. Collector gave me $650 for it and told me he would have doubled price if I had let it be. He sends them to professionals to be restored, not refinished as I did.

I wouldnt tinker with anything if I would want to sell it. I have alot of rifles and I wouldn't touch them.

[Shawlerbrook]

Luckily, I love the looks and character of old, well used guns. Unless something has been abused or bubba’ed , I like to keep them as original. I have actually modified more new or newer guns than old, vintage ones. But I do agree, it’s your gun to do as you see fit. I do wish that all shade tree gunsmiths would live by Dirty Harry’s words....a man’s gotta know his limitations.