I’m a huge fan of shotguns and revolvers, but I’ll shoot pretty much anything with a trigger. When I’m not working or dealing with the cold, I spend my time reloading and restoring vintage wood-and-steel rifles that I find at pawn shops. Happy to be here.
Looking to talk to you guys
- Thread starter ginoKD
- Start date
Welcome! We have very similar interests. Black guns have their purpose, but I really appreciate the old wood and blue guns. I especially enjoy old cowboy era guns.
4stringdude
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2025
- Messages
- 68
I would love to learn more about restoring old firearms. I have a couple of long guns I inherited from my step father. These were truck guns and probably killed a lot of ground hogs and skunks. The bluing is in pretty bad condition. Also some rust pitting and such.
On one hand, I would love to take them down to bare metal and re-blue them. On the other hand, I like to think about the rust, scratches and nicks as history.
On one hand, I would love to take them down to bare metal and re-blue them. On the other hand, I like to think about the rust, scratches and nicks as history.
That is the hard question. Collectors go nuts when you talk about restoration. To me they were made to be used and maintained. Keeping them in good working order is responsible ownership. Honest finish wear is fine. Active crusty, rusty brown is not. Damaged wood is not. By the time they are degraded to that point, they usually have little value anyway. And there are guns with such prominence they should probably be preserved in their current state. Maybe they should be in a museum for all to enjoy.
