I'm as torn on this as anyone. I do like some of the better condition guns that haven't been messed with. I also have some completely restored guns. I like them for what they are. They are original guns and have a history. They aren't replicas just because they have a new finish. But replacing stocks does make the stock a replica...I'll concede that. I think that enough badly done refinishes have been generated over the decades that any refinishing gets a bad rap.
I like the idea of taking an otherwise mistreated gun and restoring it. I have 3 that come to mind that fit this bill. A Fox AE that had a broken badly made replacement stock no finish and a malfunctioning ejector, a Parker GH that had a broken stock and no finish, and an Ithaca NID Grade 3 factory SST ejector that had no finish a bad wrist splice on a butt graft and some mechanical trouble. All are neat guns now.
