can anyone tell me what these would be worth? been looking at 2 1897s,one is a 12ga.with a polychoke that has been reblued and the wood refinished,i couldnt find any flaws anywhere,very nice work by somebody! the other is a 16ga., with a modified barrel, also very nicely refinished. i've seen a few at the local gun shows asking anywhere from $275 to $750 and those where in original condition, but have not seen any that have been redone. what do you look for that makes these valuable? does the refinishing of one hurt its value?thanks

kcfx---

Rebluing any gun detracts from it's value UNLESS it's done very well. A M-97 that's been on a buffing wheel is only worth the internal parts, OR what somebody is willing to pay for it.

Most people that are knowledgeble of used guns avoid reblued, refinished or refurbished guns like the plague unless they're *re-stored* to new or better (as in the case of prep work before engraving.)

Restoration is expensive and you can expect to pay considerably more than for a gun in original condition.

JBelk the wood has a clear coat on it,kinda like a high gloss finish.it doesnt look like something from that era,but it looks like a job well done.would this one detail reduce its value very much or could it catch the eye of somebody who loves the 1897s? i prefer the the old satin or matte low luster finish myself.the one that has a polychoke has "trap gun" engraved on it,do you know if that has any added value? thanks again!