Would you restore Dad's old rifle?

C

cdn shooter

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Wondering what peoples opinions are on restoring firearms that have been passed down?

My Father passed several years ago and left me his go to everything rifle. It's a push feed Winchester Featherweight M70 in 7x57. I have fond memories of it, I grew up with it always around. He was a very active shooter and used the rifle when he shot rifle rodeo style competition, and it was the only rifle I ever saw him hunt big game with. He handed it to me the day I shot my first deer, and it was on the hunt the day my son took down his first.

These days the rifle is pretty rough. The stock has whats left of a bad refinishing job from back in the 80's, if the barrel loses any more bluing it's going to look like a stainless. And now I think it's shot out. I have no idea how many rounds he put through that thing...many thousands. I still bring the rifle out to local rifle shoots and have fired maybe 100 rounds a year since I've had it and sight in groups are getting pretty bad.

If I rebarrel it, it will mean new bluing. If it gets new blue then I should finish the stock again. But if I do all that it won't even look like the same rifle. But if I restore back it's full glory, it'll be used regularly and won't be condemned to the safe (he would hate that). And I could pass down a fully fuctioning version to future generations.

Well, what would you guys do?
 
If restored and brought "back to its glory" that rifle could live on. If you want my opinion. If refinishing something like that to let the legacy carry on needs to be done it's well worth it. Better then using it till its past the point of no return and your left with nothing.
 
It depends on what you want out of it. How much money you would spend, if you have different needs out of the rifle. It could easily get rebarreled to 257 Roberts or 6mm rem, or back to 7x57. A lot of the cosmetic stuff can be done by you, a barrel is going to run about $500 plus gunsmithing to have it reamed, and fitted. Going back into the above calibers should be simple for feeding. If you look up the bolt face it will give you a idea of the other common calibers for that size bolt. Probably would be $1000 when you are all finished.

Or it can sit in the safe if you have other rifles.....course no new memories while it sits in the safe.

Just never sell it.....
 
It will always be a 7x57...and HELL no I'll never sell it. I'm pretty familiar with gunsmith fees etc. If it does get restored it's getting the best! And it'll still go hunting, rain, shine, snow, sleet...use it like he would have.
 
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Redo it. Engrave the family name on the new barrel.
Give it to your kids or your grand kids as the case may be one day, after spending some good quality time shooting or hunting it with them.
 
Sounds to me like you already know what you were going to do with this treasured heirloom. Enjoy it, pass it on.

cdn shooter said:
It will always be a 7x57...and HELL no I'll never sell it. I'm pretty familiar with gunsmith fees etc. If it does get restored it's getting the best! And it'll still go hunting, rain, shine, snow, sleet...use it like he would have.[/QUOTE]
Click to expand...
 
I would have it completely refinished & a new barrel installed. That way your Dad can continue to hunt with you in spirit.

Kind Regards
Jay
 
I think I would rebarrel her and not touch anything else. That way I'd have a shooter that still was well worn and bruised by my dad. There is something to be said for a field worn hunting rifle. A complete refurb looks almost antiseptic, if you know what I mean.
 
It's a shame you'd have to rebarrel her. If it were mine, I'd feel a bit of a connection to the old barrel itself, and would have a hard time replacing it. I assume you've investigated every other possible cause for the widening groups.

How bad are the groups getting btw? Personally, if it was still shooting minute-of-deer-vitals, I'd just settle for a reblueing of the barrel and a modest tidy up of the stock. I think I'd have a hard time "connecting" or whatever to a rifle that looked nothing like what my dad was carrying in my most recent memories. That's just me though. I'm sure whatever you do will be a fitting homage to pops.
 
Have you given the barrel a really good cleaning? Built up metallic fouling will affect accuracy and can give a bore a washed out look. A 7x57 should be good for many thousands of rounds and retain hunting accuracy.

Another option would be to look for a take off barrel. You aren't likely going to find one in 7x57, but these rifles were made in other calibers. This would be a very economical option, and would retain factory markings.
 
I would do some checking before I re-barrelled.  Is the barrel actually shot out?  Or is it just heavily fouled?  I'd try an electrolysis cleaning first, then check the grooves.  Has it been cleaned a lot?  Has the cleaning rod been dragged on the grooves at the muzzle, thereby "filing" it out of round?  That'll open up your groups.  If it still shoots large groups (and what are "large"?) as long as it shoots hunting groups at the desired ranges you shoot, continue to hunt it.  As for the bluing?  I'd even leave that alone...completely restoring a rifle won't have Dad with you.  Every scratch on my father's rifle has a story and he can tell you where each came from and what stupid thing he was doing when it happened.  If I took those out, it wouldn't be Dad's rifle and I'd have a lever action in my cabinet that I would never use since I don't like levers.  But since it is Dad's, I use it for close hunts.
 
My dad gave me his old Mauser in 7x57 when he stopped hunting because of age and infirmities. It was the only centerfire rifle he had and it was very well used. The stock was broken and repaired and the blue was rough. I put a new stock on it and a better trigger and safety and re blued it. I use it at least once a year now and for some reason I have taken more game with it than with all my other rifles combined. I call it my lucky gun and it feels good to carry it.
I'm glad I restored it so it can be used regularly.
 
If It was me I'd restore it as well, a worn out gun is just that. Of course verify it really needs a new barrel and not just a good cleaning and bluing, then go from there.
 
I think what you need to do, is ask yourself what your dad would want you to do. I re-barreled my grandfathers rifle, with a used barrel that closely matches the remaining finish. But that was an SMLE. I also kept the original.

As to engraving the family name, it's fine as long as the rifle remains a family piece, if however, at some point in the future your family fell on hard times and needed to sell it, the value would be greatly depreciated.

Points to consider anyway.
 
A trophy to me isn't the biggest rack on a buck, or the best plumage on a bird, it's the memory of a great hunt. That's why my mounts are those of fond memories. Every ding, every dent, every scratch, even a bad refinish is all part of the memories of a rifle. About 50 years ago the front sight was lost from my grandmothers rifle, my father filed a roofing nail to fit the front dovetail slot and it was used that way until the 80's when my dad made a nicer one by hand out of brass. I could source a new sight, refinish the wood, reblue the metal and have a very nice rifle. But it will have lost all the marks and history of its life with those that came before me.

If it was me, I would try and make it shoot, and leave it alone. And if it doesn't shoot, I would put it away and find another just like it to hunt with where the old girl can't go.


But I am a sentimental fool....
 
Id refinish it. It may not look like the same old rifle anymore, but you will have its use for the rest of your life knowing that it was your dads go to gun. At the end of the day you and your children will get more from having it restored to its former glory than sitting in the safe as a tired worn out rifle.
 
In terms of refinishing, I would go with a functional but nostalgic approach. Rebarrel with a light refinish of the stock. You can strip it, but not sand out all of the character and memories, then apply an oil finish to restore some lustre and protect against the elements. Good shooter, good looker, still not too painful to add more "memories", and easy to blend them in with more oil.

I have one fom my father and one from my father in law that I did this to, I regularly use and love them both.



 
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