Winchester 1906 Restoration
I recently acquired a Winchester 1906 circa 1919 that has been stripped of bluing, apparently an unfinished refinishing project. It has not been polished down and has fine pitting. The wood is in fair condition, no cracks or chips. But it has apparently been coated, probably with varnish, which is worn and spotty. Mechanically it appears to be in excellent condition, and the bore looks good, albeit badly leaded.
It's collector value is low, but I would like to have it restored to some acceptable condition, at least polished and blue. I don't know how much this would cost. Do you folks think it would be worth it?
It's collector value is low, but I would like to have it restored to some acceptable condition, at least polished and blue. I don't know how much this would cost. Do you folks think it would be worth it?
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Short answer,,,no,,imo 0 -
Would make a great DIY project. I have and love my 06. It shoots really well with the Remington 513T it wears. Yeah it's blastfimy but it was what I had to replace the 12 in cutdown with. Its your money and gun but if you don't do the work yourself I doubt it will be a good investment. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by awgrizzly
I recently acquired a Winchester 1906 circa 1919 that has been stripped of bluing, apparently an unfinished refinishing project. It has not been polished down and has fine pitting. The wood is in fair condition, no cracks or chips. But it has apparently been coated, probably with varnish, which is worn and spotty. Mechanically it appears to be in excellent condition, and the bore looks good, albeit badly leaded.
It's collector value is low, but I would like to have it restored to some acceptable condition, at least polished and blue. I don't know how much this would cost. Do you folks think it would be worth it?
Considering the condition that you say the rifle is in, IMHO it would be worth it to keep it from deteriorating any more! Sure, it will never be really collectible ever again but it isn't now, so why worry! As stated, do it yourself or it will not be a good investment due to the costs involved. Besides, when you are finished and if you did a great refinish job, you will have great satisfaction and be proud of what you accomplished!
I would advise go to the website at the link below and order the Combo Pack which includes Van's Instant Gun Blue, Citrigun Degreaser, Arrow Wood Finish and Supr-Fine Oil. That is all you really need to do the refinishing other than 000 and 0000 Steel Wool, sandpaper, several clean cloths (rags) and a clean tooth brush or similar bristled small brush.
http://www.MPIonline.biz0 -
Was in the same situation as you, but the interior of my bore was almost mint. The exterior was fine rust, brown patina, and bare metal. The buttstock was snapped in 2 and "repaired" with masking tape...maybe 1/4 a roll was on it! I bought it for a song,rebuilt it myself (new buttstock, and a polish and reblue with "Belgian Blue" which leaves a low gloss blue) put on a tang sight and it is now my #1 squirrel gun. Shoots absolutely fantastic with PMC standard velocity loads and I have great pride of ownership with it.
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Yours has no collectors value, heck, they made close to a million of them I think. I would clean the bore up very carefully, get a gunsmith to verify it is safe to shoot, then see how it shoots. If it shoots poorly there is your answer, no use spending good money on a gun that wont shoot good. If it shoots good then make sure to check extraction...many a 22 barrel I looked at that was good, but the chamber was gouged and caused massive extraction problems. Examine the fired case carefully for bulging. A bad chamber is the same as a bad bore....no use pumping money into it. Then you have the decision. Since I do my own work I dont know what a GOOD gunsmith charges for a refinish of the wood and the metal, basically you will have to check the ones in your area yourself and then determine if it is worthwhile. I will tell you these and the related 1890's are just about the funnest 22's out there to shoot. i'll pick one of these up to plink with over a high capacity 10/22 anyday, they are just a blast. There is a reason the design, 120 years old, is still being made today by Rossi and Taurus!0 -
I found out the value of 350.00 for the restored rifle I have before I purchased it and was able to keep the restore under that. With everyone singing the blues the price is more than likley less now.
There is a gunsmith local here that does reblueing at reasonalbe rate and if you can polish the rifle, which is most of the work getting it ready you may be able to get a deal.
Emmett0 -
Thank you all.
Thanks for the info on restore products Huntsman. I'll check it out.
Beautiful gun Dandak, it would have been a shame to have tossed that fine old gun. I'll take your advice and delead the barrel and check out the function of the gun before going further. I have been looking for an excuse to get one of those electrolysis lead and copper removers, I've got a Gunslick Foul Out 3 Bore Cleaning System on my wish list at Midway.
Sound advice Emmett. I'll check locally for the cost of bluing.
If I find it cannot be restored within reason, it will certainly have value for parts. But it would be a shame to just write it off without trying. Perhaps it would be best to pass it on to someone who is able to do a proper job of bringing it back to life. It's a choice I have to make with the help of folks like you. Thank you0 -
quote:Originally posted by dandak1
Was in the same situation as you, but the interior of my bore was almost mint. The exterior was fine rust, brown patina, and bare metal. The buttstock was snapped in 2 and "repaired" with masking tape...maybe 1/4 a roll was on it! I bought it for a song,rebuilt it myself (new buttstock, and a polish and reblue with "Belgian Blue" which leaves a low gloss blue) put on a tang sight and it is now my #1 squirrel gun. Shoots absolutely fantastic with PMC standard velocity loads and I have great pride of ownership with it.
[img][/img]
Yours has no collectors value, heck, they made close to a million of them I think. I would clean the bore up very carefully, get a gunsmith to verify it is safe to shoot, then see how it shoots. If it shoots poorly there is your answer, no use spending good money on a gun that wont shoot good. If it shoots good then make sure to check extraction...many a 22 barrel I looked at that was good, but the chamber was gouged and caused massive extraction problems. Examine the fired case carefully for bulging. A bad chamber is the same as a bad bore....no use pumping money into it. Then you have the decision. Since I do my own work I dont know what a GOOD gunsmith charges for a refinish of the wood and the metal, basically you will have to check the ones in your area yourself and then determine if it is worthwhile. I will tell you these and the related 1890's are just about the funnest 22's out there to shoot. i'll pick one of these up to plink with over a high capacity 10/22 anyday, they are just a blast. There is a reason the design, 120 years old, is still being made today by Rossi and Taurus!
Great advice and a great job on the restoration! That is a sweet looking '06!0 -
quote:Originally posted by awgrizzly
Thank you all.
Thanks for the info on restore products Huntsman. I'll check it out.
Beautiful gun Dandak, it would have been a shame to have tossed that fine old gun. I'll take your advice and delead the barrel and check out the function of the gun before going further. I have been looking for an excuse to get one of those electrolysis lead and copper removers, I've got a Gunslick Foul Out 3 Bore Cleaning System on my wish list at Midway.
Sound advice Emmett. I'll check locally for the cost of bluing.
If I find it cannot be restored within reason, it will certainly have value for parts. But it would be a shame to just write it off without trying. Perhaps it would be best to pass it on to someone who is able to do a proper job of bringing it back to life. It's a choice I have to make with the help of folks like you. Thank you
It is great that you are following some very sound advice! However, I would only take the gun to a Gunsmith if I could not do the re-bluing myself as most re-bluing jobs cost anywhere from $100 to $350 depending on how big the item is and how many individual parts there are that need to be re-blued! Everything that you will need, is included in the Combo Pack that I provided a link to. If the rifle is a shootable gun and you can do all of the restoration yourself, then you will come out ahead and feel good about it!0 -
quote:Originally posted by huntsman53
It is great that you are following some very sound advice! However, I would only take the gun to a Gunsmith if I could not do the re-bluing myself as most re-bluing jobs cost anywhere from $100 to $350 depending on how big the item is and how many individual parts there are that need to be re-blued! Everything that you will need, is included in the Combo Pack that I provided a link to. If the rifle is a shootable gun and you can do all of the restoration yourself, then you will come out ahead and feel good about it!
It would be great if I could get it done professionally for around $200. The two things I worry about are the polishing and the durability of the bluing. I've never done such a thing before and know not what it takes.0 -
quote:Originally posted by awgrizzly
quote:Originally posted by huntsman53
It is great that you are following some very sound advice! However, I would only take the gun to a Gunsmith if I could not do the re-bluing myself as most re-bluing jobs cost anywhere from $100 to $350 depending on how big the item is and how many individual parts there are that need to be re-blued! Everything that you will need, is included in the Combo Pack that I provided a link to. If the rifle is a shootable gun and you can do all of the restoration yourself, then you will come out ahead and feel good about it!
It would be great if I could get it done professionally for around $200. The two things I worry about are the polishing and the durability of the bluing. I've never done such a thing before and know not what it takes.
Although Van's Instant Gun Blue IMHO is one of the best on the market, it may not be what you want! I don't have any evidence other than seeing how it works when applied but it is marketed as exactly the same as what the Gun Makers use. However, it can be used as hot or cold blue.
There are instructions in the Combo Pack but also a wealth of information on the Web for learning how to re-blue and refinish guns. You might purchase a cheap parts gun or just gun parts and practice on them until you get knowledgeable at doing it, then you might feel comfortable about doing it on the '06. If it were a $2,000 or even $10,000 collectible gun, then I would go the expert route but your' '06 in it's condition, has no real collectible value. Who knows, maybe it will have collectible value to someone when you are finished and especially to you!0
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