Posted by Snipe Hunter on February 21, 2008, 6:01 am
I was at my local gun shop a couple of days ago and like always I had to look at the used rack. I always feel sorry for those guns, they look like they have either been put in an orphanage or convalescent home. Either way, I like to do my part and make one happy by taking it home when I can. This time it happened to be my first Elsie. It is nothing special and rough around the edges. The bluing is almost gone off the barrels, the receiver has been blued at some point, and half the varnish is missing from the stock. On the plus side, it didn't look tampered with. It is a sixteen gauge field grade featherweight. The barrels are 28" and uncut, the stock is just a hair over 14" over the original plate, and the barrels have no dings at all. The triggers and safety all passed the test, the barrels rang nicely, and with the forend removed I could sense no play at all when sweeping the gun from side to side. The lever is right of center. After a good cleaning last night the bores look great with no pitting or scratches. So, while the gun doesn't look great on the outside and is fine to use like it is, I want to do a couple of things. I have a hard time looking at blued sideplates. It's just me, but I don't like the way they look. If I could somehow remove it I would like to do that. It wouldn't be necessary to have the gun re-colored. I would also like to have the barrels polished and rust blued. That would be as much for their protection as the appearance. The stock is something I thought about doing myself, at least the refinishing. How hard is it to strip the remaining varnish off without taking off any wood? Even though it wouldn't look original it is what I prefer. Lastly, since the wood is not oil soaked and has no cracks I want to get some bedding done to help keep it from cracking behind the lockplates. Who does this and what do they charge? It isn't something I would want to attempt myself. I appreciate any help and advise.