Will the value/price be affected if a gun is reblued and the wood is refinished?

[Guest Asanders]

Hello all,

 

I have a shotgun that I bought in rough shape, and I had it reblued due to that reason.  The new bluing job was perfect, but now the wooden stock needs to be redone since it negatively stands out.  Will the value of this gun depreciate or will it go up if a great job is done?

[Hozzie]

May have no affect or great affect. Really depends on the gun. Usually any rework decreases value unless it is a run of the mill gun. Since you have already reblued it, doing the stock isnt going to hurt it anymore.

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[Jonnin]

It depends on the gun.  If the gun has no real value as-is due to poor condition, commonplace model, etc, then you can actually increase its value with work.  If its a rare example of an antique, or worse, one of a kind, having work done ruins the value in a hurry.   And there is the in-between of that too... you have the destructive a-hats like mitchel mauser who ruin collectable guns and then try to sell them at 5 times the value to suckers ... so even if you ruin it, you can always find a sucker to sell it to who is like "oooo... shiny".

Edited December 6, 2013 by Jonnin

[Guest Asanders]

I reblued the shotgun (Remington 12 ga model 12) because a previous owner took a wire wheel to the top of the barrel, so I was able to buy the well functioning gun at $150.  I believe it dates back to the late 20's or early 30's, but I appreciate the feedback though!

[gregintenn]

An NEF Partner or Mossberg pump, no. It will not affect the value to any extent. If you refinish, say, a Model 21 Winchester or Purdy, you've lost an astronomical amount of money.

[gregintenn]

In your case, the previous owner devalued the shotgun.

[Guest Asanders]

I thought that was the case, and the gun was pitted outside of the barrel and receiver.  The shotgun practically looks brand new now that it has been reblued, but I would not have opted to take that step if it wasn't for the wire wheel and pitting. 

[Smokin45]

 Is it a Rem. model 12 or a Win. model 12 ?

[Guest Asanders]

I apologize, it's actually a Win. model 12 (12 gauge).

[Smokin45]

In some cases with a Win.m.12, a great recondition can still bring a good price from a buyer who is not into collecting with original finish. Get the wood refinished and you will have a great looking Win.

[Guest Asanders]

_{I appreciate the insight because I was a little concerned that I might not be able to recoup my $150 if I ever wanted to resell it or I actually have $205 in it if I was to add the bluing job into the mix.}

[I_Like_Pie]

_{I appreciate the insight because I was a little concerned that I might not be able to recoup my $150 if I ever wanted to resell it or I actually have $205 in it if I was to add the bluing job into the mix.}

 

 

If you have a Winchester 12 that you got for $150 - You have nothing at all to worry about.  It can only go up in value pretty much no matter what you do to it.

 

.....Actually you may be VERY surprised what one with a good reblue job and good refinish will fetch.

[johnk4jmk]

I have a remington model 31 that i want to have redone in a bad way,I love to shoot the gun and like to let other people shoot it because of the smooth action,I think it would look so nice redone, what do you guys think,I know its not a high doller gun anyway and i do have fun with it,its not a safe queen.

[Guest Asanders]

Yeah I got the gun on what I think was a good deal since it still shoots really well, but the exterior was really rough though.  The stock seems to be complete which means that it doesn't have any cracks or chips in it, so I should be able to refinish it very easily since I have a lot of experience doing that.

 

Johnk4jmk, I would say to keep asking around like you are, and check to see  what the gun is currently selling for (gunbroker) before you do anything.  I didn't have a choice in the matter since my gun was fairly beat up with surface rust and a wire wheel...