I have had good dealings with Charlie. Many imported guns from the UK have been refinished at some point in their lives. I am sure mine was. At seasons' end in the UK, guns were routinely shipped back to the gunmaker who would strip and clean, re-blacken metal parts as needed and refinish woodwork as needed. It is mostly with collectors in the US who devalue guns because of refinishing which has nothing to do with a gun going "bang-bang".