doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How far do I go....

I have several LC Smiths that I love to shoot, that are field grades. They need some preservation. Obviously they are not really worth total redo and maybe they couldn't be made like new. So the question is how far do I go. I want to at least stop any further deterioration due to oil in the stock, lack of finish etc.

Example: My favorite duck gun is a long range field w/ ejectors. 80 years of duck hunting has taken a toll on the finish. Mechanically it is still great. I recently made up my mind to give it a new life before it continues to degrade from duck hunting.

Was intending to have it re-cased, but when I took it apart it was a bit of a mess inside. In preping it to go to the case man.... I began to realize the outside has quite a few pits in it. Without annealing it first, I really can't get the pits out by sanding or draw filing it. So is re-casing it like putting lipstick on a pig?

Should I just "french gray the receiver" and call it good. I personally will rust blue the barrels and refinish and checker the stock. (I did this with my 10 ga Damascus Ideal and it is also one of my duck guns) I realize this Long Range will never be a desirable collector, but it is a great shooter and I want it to continue to be there for many years.

Note that I asked Turnbull's guys at the last show I was at how much to re-case an LC Smith and they said the prep work could go up to $1000. I don't think that would be a wise investment.

In addition to this Long range, I have a 20 ga field ejector (28") , a 16 ga field (28"), and a 2 3/4" field Wildfowl (that someone turned into a trap gun!) How far would you go with these. I am thinking my money would be better spent on restoring my 30" 16 ga 3E or possibly the 2 3/4" Wildfowl as these two guns are pretty rare.

So What would you do?

Jerry

i have had several lc s redone by buck hamlin everything from a quality #3 10ga with a split stock to 2 barrel speciality grade n skeet special plus a couple others.he has done case colors stocks n reblue on all the above.and he is hands down far more reasonable than turnbull!will i ever get my $back out of them,who knows but i made the way i wanted them.they are all shooters on a regular basis too ,not closet queens.

I would fix them regardless. I'm not into this with one eye constantly focused on their 'down the road' investment value.

If I wanted an investment I would consult a stock broker and buy a piece of paper.

If they are "shooters" I wouldn't worry about value. That is never going to change. So why worry? I'd fix up the chips and nicks as best I can (and that is "pretty good" if they are shooters) and enjoy shooting them. I'm an amateur woodworker and if it's wood, I figure I can fix it and do a good job. But I wouldn't touch anything with collector value.

R.

To all I agree that the reward is better than the money spent and I don't mind if I have more into them than they are worth, that will be my kids problem someday!
I own stocks and real estate for investment.

My question was will guns with pitting look "funny" if they are re-cased?

Buck just repaired my very nice LC smith Specialty ejector. The barrel hook moved. He repaired, relaid the ribs and rebelled in less time than most gunsmiths would call you back! But quiet about it, I want to save him for my projects.

Jerry

I once engraved an old English rook rifle that turned out to be so pitted it made me think of Swiss cheese. I ended up peening down the whole surface of the action to close the pits as much as possible before cutting and when it was color cased it looked just great...far better than I had hoped or expected. There was just no other way to treat the pits. There were some larger ones I was able to fill by inlaying bits of soft steel wire...something that is not all that hard to do.

Look into classic case colors llc. Getting good smith colors.

If you are not going to prep a frame to a like new surface for coloring, then why both coloring at all?

I wouldn't bother with the case colors. The colors are a by product not the purpose of the case hardening, and the lock plates and frame are as hard as they are or were supposed to be. Refreshing the checkering, getting the oil out of the stock head and raising any bad dings all makes sense as does a re-blue on the barrels

Surface pits can sometimes be micro welded. I'd rather add metal to the pit areas than remove metal from the areas around them. As to the need to remove them it depends on their size, the location and your tolerance for them. Some of us can ignore anything and others are bothered by the slightest thing.

From what you have said I'd think about it in other terms. Which gun will you use the most and get the most enjoyment out of? That's the gun I'd do first and I'd put as much money into it as you reasonably can because you will get the most bang back for your investment. Plus you will be adding some condition in a cosmetic sense which will help prevent future wear and loss of condition.

KY Jon,
I think you understand my question best. The rust must be stopped and removed. That is the way to preserve the gun for the future.
French Gray??? an alternative that preservse the metal and protects it. ON a gun that does not have historical or high collector value, it is one of the alternatives I have done before.

Jerry

PS I can afford to do whatever is reasonable, it is not a question of money as much as how will it come out with all of the pits and can they (or should they) be fixed