COLT 1911 US NAVY Show off not for sale

[Durhamoutdoors]

Beautiful- but seriously you don’t need two.

One Navy one Army, I like both.

 

[sailor723]

Disagree. Should really only be done to remove a poorly done previous refinish. Wearing it’s original finish, even with very little remaining, is how that pistol should stay.

I've never really understood the "do not restore" school of thought. I don't mean a Bubba refinish but rather a careful restoration by skilled artisans to return a gun to it's original condition. People routinely clean, repair and restore original oil paintings, antique watches, classic or antique cars, vintage wooden yachts and motor launches etc etc .....why not firearms?

 

[lmar]

I've never really understood the "do not restore" school of thought. I don't mean a Bubba refinish but rather a careful restoration by skilled artisans to return a gun to it's original condition. People routinely clean, repair and restore original oil paintings, antique watches, classic or antique cars, vintage wooden yachts and motor launches etc etc .....why not firearms?

Every piece of art tells a story.
In the case of artwork such as a painting -- restoration is a result of a history of improperly stored or damage sustained during display.
People want to see the piece through the eyes of the artist using the media of choice at that time.

In the case of firearms, it is history of the firearm that tells the story.

A "new in box" 1911 in "perfect" condition only means someone stored it in a box and forgot about it until it was rediscovered a 100 years later.
Doesn't speak to what it went through (WW1, WW2, Korea)? Who carried it, what campaigns it was used in, how it ended up with the last owner, etc...

L