It is an English gun and if it had been used for these past decades, it would have been regularly updated by the maker. But instead it spent a very long time in someone's closet just getting old. The finish on this stock can hardly be called patina. My choice was 1) restock the gun with a nice blank of English walnut that I have waiting around for a project, or 2) refinish the existing stock and see what might be under the "patina." In any case this gun will be a shooter for me and no matter what I do the gun will never be worth what I'll wind up in it. I don't buy guns that I expect to flip. I buy things I want to keep forever. I committed no sin by refinishing this stock. You, however, should take the log out of your own eye, to use Biblical analogies, before accusing anyone of committing a gun sin. The refinished damascus barrels look really beautiful, by the way. The gun has never been anywhere near an acetylene torch though. Now back to the original topic.
