Refinishing older guns advice

[BaldAssCat]

I’m helping a friend who had some guns left in a closet and wanted to sell them. One of them was in a sock and is rusted and pitted pretty bad. It’s an early 70s Ithica model 100 side by side and if it was in better shape would be worth something. Because of the pitting and rust though I’m not sure she’ll get much for it.

It got me thinking about refinishing the gun and what that would do to the value. I was also thinking about my Browning A5. My dad bought it new in 1950 and I’ve had it for 10 years now. It’s in ok shape but it has been used a lot in its 59 years of life and shows it. I’ll never sell it. When my kids are old enough to appreciate it one of them will get it so the real value of it isn’t measured in money.

So the questions are, is it worth refinishing an older gun before selling it? Would anyone here think of refinishing a gun they have no intention of selling, ever? How about older guns that you might sell but are a little threadbare? Does refinishing devalue them?

 

[VinS]

I re-finished an old .22 rifle early this year. It is not worth much (saw a used one in Cabellas for $79) but I have had it for 30 years and wanted to make it look good again.

The stock was done with a Birchwood Casey kit and I did the barrel in black oxide from Caswell Plating.

I was very happy with the way it came out and have had it to the range a number of times since.

Lots of fun and a real learning experience.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Refinishing greatly diminishes any value as a collectable. Refinishing a gun makes sense if it is a "shooter" where utility, rather than collection value, is the iem of concern.

 

[sig shooter]

You do not want to "refinish" you want to "restore" your gun to a much better condition. I would take off all the wood and soak all the metal parts in Kroil or CLP. I would wash down the furniture with minwax antique wood refinisher (its keeps the patina well and does not harm the wood) if the gun has a oil finish.

I would keep the metal in its original state after a good soak with rust remover and protective. A reblueing would ruin the guns old time patina and make the gun look less attractive IMO.