I didn't really expect to win this HW55 auction

[KWK]

I placed a bid and thought, "I'd only pay this much for it". It's a beater. I already have some nice ones. Should I install the Vortek 11 ft lb HW55 kit and keep a scope on it? Bend the barrel up. My xxx big man size hands (8 1/2 " long) like the pistol grip. The swell. No set back triggers needed most are too close.
Not really my style, most all my guns are well kept. Except some of my rarest prewars. This thing's ugly.
Maybe put a Chinese diopter on it and let youth etc shoot it "no concerns". Maybe.
Anybody want an old Glenfield scope?

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

Scoreeee!!! Heard lots of good things for that brand

 

[JDR]

Sounds like a deal even if you have to spend several hundred dollars to fix it. Heck, I could spend $500 and still think I got a deal but I am clumsy with repairs. and would have to farm out everything.

 

[KWK]

I don't think it's worth spending much on this one. I won't, anyway.

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

There is another option. Usually my first (sometimes only) thought is; Can this be brought back? What will it take? Is it worth it? Well maybe that’s the wrong approach. How about; Can this be brought forward? What will it take? Is it worth it?
There is something very charming about a buttery smooth old relic that shoots like crazy and just feels sooo smooth in the hands. This picture is of a brand new Colt reproduction 1911A1 made in 2001. The other is the same brand new gun made into that relic. It’s still brand new. Which is your favorite?

 

[wijib]

Good deal! I bought a 55M that was pretty beat and paid a lot more for it. I refinished the stock and had the action re-blued. Just look at how it turned out.

 

[beerthief]

i bought a beater HW55 got home and it is only putting out 8.5 FPE , haven't had time to fix it yet , maybe soon

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

Sometimes like KWK is saying that when one already has a particular model in like new condition and the same comes along that isn’t worth spending the time or money to restore, then what. The gun is in that ugly/abused state.
Get it shooting really good. Buttery through the cocking and firing cycle. Then with a magic eraser, wear the bluing to a cream puff looking, heavily used action. The stock can be buffed (when finish is removed) on a buffing wheel, more so in the handling areas to make it feel really good in the hands. Leave the dings and dents, maybe even add some. Very dark stain to high light the ding and dents. One coat of oil rubbed deep in and wiped off immediately. You now have a beloved shooter that matches it’s age. A one-of-a-kind.

 

[KWK]

I think it's gonna be a Rat Rod.

 

[survivor45]

I really prefer buying used guns. Maybe save a few bucks to go towards aftermarket upgrades. And I also consider my guns “tools “.
They don’t need to be in showroom floor condition. A ding here or there even a little rust has never stops me from purchasing a gun. If anything it catches my eye. In hopes of getting it for cheap.
Nice score.

 

[rodrigo571]

Looks nice.
I feel envy!

 

[maxtrouble]

Nice purchase, some kid is going to be having a lot of fun soon!

 

[MDriskill]

It's hard to tell much from the auction pics...but it doesn't look that bad to me - don't see any major damage, heavy rust, etc. Has the stock been re-finished maybe though? It's a beech HW 55S stock but of course the action would fit any other that the 55 came with.

The HW 55 is a highly sought-after collectible. For whatever my heavily prejudiced and unsolicited opinion is worth, lol...I'd sell it before I'd make a "trunk gun" out of it. Wijib's HW 55M (which fills me with envy every time he posts it!) shows the potential; a few years ago I took Tru-Oil, Van's Blue, and some Maccari bits to a much worse-looking 55 than that, sold it cheap to a friend who loves it dearly.

 

[KWK]

A lot of collectors would say you guys ruined them. You stripped away their honest history.

 

[specie]

A lot of collectors would say you guys ruined them. You stripped away their honest history.

Interesting comment. The museum conservation folks would say "conserve" and repair damage and abuse, but keep the sighs of honest wear and patina.
What do you guys think?

 

[specie]

What should I do with this?
Here'a a 1961 HW55MM that some clown placed in a vise, damaging the otherwise almost perfect original stock, and then mangled the cocking lever pivot!

 

[MDriskill]

I agree with "conservation vs. restoration." I generally go for the best condition I can of course, but that seldom means minty which is just fine. I fix what's broken, clean, lube, adjust...and quit.

But every case is an indiividual. There are some things, like a previous amateur refinish, that cross the line from "history" to abuse (the 55 I mentioned above was received with the stock finish stripped, and the metal spray-painted black over mostly-gone blueing. Yuck).

If the gun just above were mine, I would repair the bubba'd wood to blend back in with the rest of what was obviously a well-cared for rifle. The breech pivot could be cold-blued to improve its appearance, or replaced with a proper factory part. YMMV.

 

[bf1956]

The paint saved it?

 

[KWK]

My point is this: if an item has very little collector value because it’s been abused I’ll do as I wish with it. It’s nunya!
I’ve probably put more vintage guns back into service than any of you.
If you’ve done more bless your soul!

I enjoyed this old beater:

https://airgunwarriors.com/community/metal-shop/1912-bsa-truck-gun/

I have put many of these back into service. Collectors want them as found.
Not restored. I currently have over 30 prewar BSA
1906-36. I’ve had to locate (takes time)or make many parts.

 

[MDriskill]

The paint saved it?

I may be misunderstanding your comment, but my post above describes what that particular HW 55 was like when I got it - not what I did to it. Spray-painting a terrible-looking action, before taking low-res auction-site photos, is a trick that I've seen several times.

I put some finish on the bare wood, stripped the paint off the metal, cold-blued it, cleaned and lubed the innards with a new spring and breech seal, and found a set of OEM sights. It still looks old and used, but no longer like a torture victim. I sold it cheap to a non-airgun-collector friend who loves it and shoots it quite a bit.

I've had 200+ vintage airguns pass through my hands in the last 30 years or so. That's the only one I've ever done anything that drastic to. I did refinish three other stocks - two with the finish heavily water-damaged in shop storage, another with all finish stripped by a previous owner - but generally I just leave 'em alone. I'm not a machinist or a qualified mechanic, so I just don't buy guns that need those things, LOL.