Win Pre 64 mod 94... Stock refinish or no?

I have a 1953 Model 94. Paid $300 a few years ago for it. I stripped the stock and tung oiled it. Touched up the bluing with cold blue. Removed the rear sight and installed a Williams peep sight and a set of sling swivels. It looks damn fine and I could probably get $350 for it, but it looks good and shoots great.

These go for between $300-$400. They have no collector value. So make her purdy, and hand rub that tung oil into the wood. And then go shoot the damn thing and have fun.
 
A buddy gave me a 1956 Model 94. It had been in storage in a vinyl covered case for the whole 20 or 25 years he had it. Some previous owner had tried to sand the barrel for some reason, probably to remove some rust and also installed a sling swivel with a wood screw into the side of the fore end wood.

I took the screw out and wiped the wood down with a cloth with Circa 1850 Tung'n'Teak oil and it looks a lot better. The metal won't take a cold blue though, it just won't stick.

The beauty of it is that with a Williams receiver sight on it, it shoots better than some of my scope sighted rifles at 100 yards.

And it looks like what it is, a well used but functioning 1956 Model 94. A shooter.
 
Here's a real world answer from a non-expert.

Despite what the Winchester aficionados might say, there is nothing really collectable (yet) about a regular pre-64 M94. Perhaps that might change a generation from now, but today they are still a dime-a-dozen, so to speak.

A gun is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. A properly done new finish in place of old worn walnut on a run of the mill pre-64 M94 will not take away from the value of your gun in the real world. It also will probably not raise the value, but it definately will help the gun move on the EE forum here at CGN. Been there, done that.

Sure, the Winchester aficiondados will tell you how special your gun is, how much it is worth and how it would be a crime to re-do the wood. But none of those guys will offer to buy the gun from you at the figures they are quoting. I heard it all from them while my pre-64 M94 gathered cob-webs in the EE. Then I smartened up and sold the gun at a fair price.
 
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