Tonight at my family Thanksgiving my aunt gave me a shotgun she had sitting around that was my grandfathers. Its a Win 1897. Model number calls for a 1900 production. It is a field 12ga with what looked to be a 28ish inch barrel. The condition is poor. Butt stock will come off, missing forend, internals though all there need a little work, will not slide, finish leaves a lot to be desired. Im not looking for information on value, I could care less what the thing is worth. Does anyone have experiences with these? Basically looking to make a decision on having it redone or keeping it the way my grandfather left it just for a keepsake. Dont get me wrong, if these show potential I would love to use this for birds and shooting some clays every now and then. The internet offers most information on the military models. Is it possible that I could refinish this without breaking the bank? I would want it to be in its most original state, but not overly anal about original manufactured parts. Would hate to get into a project that ends up costing a fortune in the long run. Whats your guys thoughts? I am still on my high just from getting it. Its a neat shotgun to say the least and I am happy to have a piece of my grandpa's history that hopefully my boys will be able to shoot in a few years if all works out well. Thanks for the help. I wasnt sure what section to post this in so feel free to move it if needed.
Brett
Brett