Posted by SGT on September 20, 2007, 4:13 pm, in reply to "L.C. Smith heirloom"
With all due respect to David, I would stay away from WD-40; it is a penetrating oil and will be absorbed into the wood (not good); and it can also negatively impact some vintage gun wood finishes. As you are obviously a novice, I would suggest you not disassemble the gun; it's too easy to booger-up screw slots and get things out of alignment when you don't understand how a Smith gun functions. I would suggest you have the gun inspected by a competent gunsmith fluent in the nuances of vintage guns. Have the internals inspected for wear or breakage, and proper operation; and especially have the stock inspected at the head of the action and around the lock-plates for cracks and damage. If everything is in order, the gun will be safe to use with low-pressure loads and not cause any damage to the gun. Most older Smith guns that have been used much will exhibit stock cracks as despribed above, this is the weakness of a Smith gun; but if this is true in your case, your gunsmtih can reccommend a proper fix. As to finish restoration, there are many artisans nowadays who can restore the look of this gun to "factory new"; but it is expensive time-consuming work, and will add little to the actual value of your gun due to the fact that field grade Smiths are so common. Collectors want high grades, small bores, and guns with nearly all original factory finishes intact. Regards