Turnbull Restoration...

Are you looking to 'restore' the guns? (Don't) Or do you just want to detail strip and clean them?

There's no magic to detail stripping and cleaning a 1911. You can do it yourself.
 
turnbull restoration

If all you need is disassembly & detail cleaning, I can do it for you. A friend nearby(salisbury) is an expert on 1911`s I`m semi retired & would enjoy it. PM if interested. BTW,my ears perk up when I hear "restoration" & old guns in the same sentence! Generally better left in orig. condition.
 
Turnbull is probably the best in the world at what he does, but I believe he mostly works on old Winchesters, Colt SAA's, etc..
 
Turnbull does specialize in "cowboy" era guns but does do whatever.
I had an 1889 Marlin 44-40 lever gun redone by him.
Not an "economy" job, or fast, but it came back in stunning condition.
As others have pointed out, many guns are far more valuable in "unmolested" condition. But if your individual situation is to go for a restoration, he is one of the best.
 
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Turnbull is best know for his Case hardening finishes and complete gun restoration. Perhaps you should just have a qualified gunsmith do the detail strip etc. And then decide if you need something more.
 
Try www.santurriltd.com He's in North Attleboro, He just took apart an old Colt for me. When I picked it up he said. I had to replace a few things now it's safe to shoot.

He did a great job and I picked it up in two days. I thought it was real cheap for what he did.
 
It is indeed a small world. Doug Turnbull used to work at the now defunct Creekside gun shop in upstate NY which his parents ran. This was a large shop in the boonies, row up on row of rifles you could pick up and look at, plenty of handguns and the best part - a free rifle and handgun range behind the shop, and an area where you could shoot clay birds if you brought you own thrower. When I was a 16, one of the things to do when bored on a summer day was to borrow the family car, .22 rifle and 12 gauge and head out to Creekside. Only on rare occasions would I encounter a clerk who asked if I was 18 before selling me ammo.

Years later I found out a woman in the USPSA community I have dealt with on-line is his sister.

The shop was great, and I bought just about everything but guns from them. Unfortunately, they tended not to have Four Seasons style prices so I went to smaller local shops for those.
 
I met Doug Turnbull at a Convention in Vegas several years ago. He handed me what looked like a NIB Third Gen Colt Single Action in .45. I wasn't very impressed except that the Case Color was just beautiful.

I kinda ho humed it and said "So, what? He handed me pictures of an old tired and beat up 1st Gen Colt that had gutta percha grips warn just about smooth.

Same pistol. He re-engraved the grips and re-roll marked the frame while rebuilding the action. It was all original and fully re-stored to NIB condition.

Then I was impressed. Course, so was the cost.

Find a local Smitty who can detail strip and clean that 1911. Either that or buy a good manual and do it yourself. It's not all that hard.
 
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