Refinished stock tell-tales:
1. Sanding marks esp on the buttplate
2. Wood not proud to metal.
3. Checkering looks too sharp to be true. A lot of older guns had flat or semi-flat diamonds, not pointed up. Checkering does not match forend.
4. Wood looks a lot newer than case colors.
Metal Refinish tell-tales:
1. Barrels: hole in rib, perfect blue on an old gun, bead looks polished/sanded, sanding marks on bbls, lettering faint, sharp edges not sharp.
2. Action: engraving not crisp, holes dished, sharp edges round, no wear on sharp edges despite bores being pitted or oversize, bright colors on an old gun.
Replaced stock tell-tales:
1. Serial no (most american guns have numbered stocks) missing or mismatch.
2. Different finish, coloration, checkering stock vs forend.
3. Stock head not dark on an old gun. A refinished gun will often have telltale darkening, but a new stock will not.
4. Unusual stock dimensions or atypical shape.
On hand-made guns, restoration isn't a huge deal as long as it was done well. English guns almost always have reblacked bbls and many have replaced stocks. On serial production guns, it is a big deal because high condition originality is sometimes the only thing that makes that gun collectible. For example, restored Parkers are worth less than average condition original guns in many cases.
