restoration question

[clark1117]

I have a Winchester m1897 16ga. Not sure of its year. But wondering if its worth it to restore it or not

[jpscoot_21]

It sure is! It's probably 100 yrs old, and a very good design.

[WDE91]

wait up here

If you restore certain guns the value of them just tanks
some guns also look better with patina

[GeeDog]

Absolutely right. You can take the original finish off a gun or replace parts and it might work as well or even better, but collector interest and value will suffer. However, if you the better part of a gun and want to make it whole, it's another story.

[chuckdc]

if it's already been altered, go ahead. If it's "unmolested" and still functional, leave it alone. If it's broken/non-working, fix the broken stuff. If it's a rusty mess, broken wood, etc. Go ahead and restore it.

in the end, it's yours. Do what makes you happy. The only exception would be a piece of documented history.

[spamsucker]

You should post pics and the serial number minus the last few digits. Then these guys can be very helpful instead of speculative.

Chuckdc seems to have the best solution matrix so far by my book.