The Gunsmith: A Practical Guide by Leo Knox

Author:Leo Knox [Knox, Leo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crafts; Hobbies & Home, Antiques & Collectibles, Firearms & Weapons, Crafts & Hobbies, Metal Work, Reference, Encyclopedias & Subject Guides
Amazon: B00J3GRF1E
Published: 2014-03-18T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10– REBUILDING The Junker

The Question Of Restoration Versus Customization Gets One Answer Here!

This 1896 Mauser military pistol was turned over to the author with an inoperable safety mechanism. All metal surfaces were pitted deeply, numerous edges and contours had been obliterated by amateurish work with a file.

After its customization by Jack Mitchell, the handgun boasted garnet-blasted areas in recesses, mirror-finish bluing over the rest of the surface. Ivory was chosen for the grips because of contrast.

NEVER DO any work on a gun that will lessen its overall value. That rule was preached more than once by gunsmithing instructors during my training at the Colorado School of Trades gunsmithing school. I‘m sure this sage advice still is being heard at that and other serious gunsmithing institutions around the country. Any gunsmith found guilty of this practice would be branded forever as a gun hack not to be trusted with quality firearms.

A gunsmith earns his reputation by the quality of his work and, equally important, his honesty. Horsetrading for a firearm and getting a good deal is good business. Stealing a valuable firearm fromsome poor widow by paying her a fraction of the gun‘s true worth is the second fastest way I know of ruining a gunsmith‘s business. The fastest way is to take in work that will reduce the firearm‘s value. This is one instance, incidentally, wherein the customer is not always right.

The best example of this doctrine occurred for me while a student at gunsmithing school. A fellow totally unaware of the value of a nice Browning Superposed shotgun walked into the school one day and requested that one of the students cut the factory thirty-inch barrels down to the minimum legal length. He knew nothing of hunting or the gun‘s value and simply wanted a man-stopper around the house for protection. After careful explanation to the fellow that such work would greatly depreciate the value of the shotgun, he still wished the work to be done.

The instructor informed him that he would buy the gun at a fair market price, but refused to cut the barrels of this fine shotgun. The customer departed quite angry, but the instructor was adamant in his refusal. He may have lost a paying customer, but he maintained the integrity of the school.

Knowing how to restore a gun expertly is an art almost unto itself. Knowing when is equally difficult. The key seems to lie in the ability to evaluate its condition initially. There are several good books available dealing with the subject of restoration. One of the best is the NRA Gun Collectors Handbook. This book lists three fundamentals for evaluating condition and value of a collector firearm: 1. What it is (constant). 2. Present demand (variable). 3. Condition (constant). We will deal with these factors presently using our test gun in this chapter as an example.

The NRA Gun Collectors Committee, working with other NRA-affiliated gun collectors associations, has put forth a set of condition standards that have been officially adopted by the NRA.

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