I posted this on another forum, and got no responces, perhaps this is the one I should have posted it on. I just bought a Winchester 101 skeet three barrel set the other day 20/28/410. The gun is in good shape, with the reciever, and barrels being being in about 95%. The forends are good, but the stock has some small dents, and scratches. I'd say it's in about 80%.

My question is should I consider refinishing the wood on this gun, or leave it alone. I don't plan on selling it, but you can never tell what may come up, and I don't want to ruin the value. Thanks I appreciate any comments.

Charliebuck---

The value WILL go down as a result of refinishing. Win 101s aren't exactly a collector's item now, but they do sell well if in good condition.

When a gun has a refinished stock there's no way for the buyer to know what condition it was in before being finished.....maybe it spent a month on the bottom of the Colorado River......or was scorched in a house fire, or exposed to acid or lye. All of those can cause internal problems with the metal parts too.

It's best to leave a gun original unless you can improve on it out of the box. Most wood stocked guns can be improved on but once they're discontinued you're just messing up a future collector's gun.

Original finish always worth more. 101's were hard gloss or satin polyurethane, I believe.

You can steam out the dents and repair the scratches without harming the original finish - just ask if you don't know how to without drastic measures.