doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Upgrading plain jane field grade guns

The way I see it, there are two ways to look at it: Either a quality made, but plain, field grade gun makes a great blank canvas from which to start an upgrade, i.e., nice engraving, etc., or, it's putting a gold ring in a pig's snout.

Curious what the prevailing opinion here is between the two.

'pends on whether you picked a good piece of canvas or a pig...and how well it's work on the upgrade was done....IMO.

I think even a plain-jane bottom-of-the-line gun that's in very high condition should be kept as is--as they used to say about land--they're not making any more. I'd say that about a Nitro Special or Win 24, not to mention an NID or a Field Grade Elsie. Anything else--it's a free country. Just do your homework and make sure that the "grade" is actually "up"!

In the 1960s and flush with some disposable income for the first time, I sent a pair of early A grade Fox guns to Savage for upgrading to Fox D grade wood, extra barrels, and metal refinishing. They were beautiful, but a few years later, they had gone the way many of my doubles have gone.

As I reflect on this pair - a 16 and a 12 - the wood was almost overpowering. Roe Clark had done his best in its selection and fitting. I don't think I'd do it the same way again. Today, and with a field grade L.C. Smith, for instance, I think I'd be inclined to specify a little bit better grade wood, but leave the checkering in the field grade configuration and let it go at that.

I don't think there's any real right or wrong answer here, but now I wouldn't want to get too far out of wack with how the gun was originally constructed. Might fudge a bit on wood quality, as you've seen, but thats it.

I upgraded a Fox SW pin gun. A new stock of English Walnut and engraveing by the guy that did the first Fox for Galazan. If the work is quality and you like it I don't see anything wrong with an upgrade. A friend was telling me that taking my SKB Model 150 and restocking it and taking the blueing off and case coloring the reciever was putting spats on a pig. When he saw the finished work he wanted to buy it. Go figure

Another consideration--I am having an 00 grade elsie upgraded. Someone tried an upgrade previously and the case colors were wrong. I decided to get it corrected by having it engraved by a first class engraver. Maybe he will post pictures when he completes the work.

Tom McDevitt

Saving one from the scrap heap is a good thing.
...but other than that, its nice to have those old things around.

There's always those "in between" condition guns that are still shootable but look like crap, shortened, cracked or broken stocks, rusty, etc. I'm all for restoring or upgrading these guns.

JMO but the only reason to upgrade a gun is if an original high grade is so rare as to preclude buying one, i.e. Sousa Specials, Optimus, $1000 grades, those Parkers that tthere's only 3 of , whatever they are.

Otherwise it seems like it would be cheaper to but a high grade original than to redo a field grade's wood, metal, engraving, polishing internals, inlays, etc.

Just me but I'd have more pride of ownership in a good origianl condition field grade than an upgraded gun.

Then again I prefer natural 32's to silicone 38's.

I've never upgraded a project gun significantly. Reblue, restock (only once, to fit me, and maybe a nicer piece of wood, but, nothing out of line) recut checkering, new pad, etc. More along the lines of maintenance to mechanics and finsh. Might just be me, but, I like the way a low grade gun looks when it's all cleaned up. And, I suppose, I'm cheap.
Best,
Ted