H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted February 26 Posted February 26 I am very seriously considering sending the Big Iron and the Small Iron to Turnbull to have them refinished nice, and possibly engraved. My thinking is, I'll never recoup the costs I've already sunk into them, and I want to enjoy them and for them to look impressive. And, these are my "special" guns, so I may as well make them more special, if that makes any sense. But I am wondering what Turnbull actually charges for stuff like this. Their website doesn't say. The only clue is that for engraving, they offer A, B, and C level engraving, as well as "standard" or "expert" I'd assume that those options get progressively more expensive. I'd also guess that they charge not quite as much as Colt charges for their engraving with the same names. Of course, Colt's pricing is... Well... Astronomically expensive. So it would be too hard to charge less than them, but still a lot. But who knows? As far as their refinishing goes, I can make a guess based on what other people charge, but I really am shooting in the dark here with guesswork. Does anyone actually know? Quote
Griff Posted February 26 Posted February 26 I've found they are just a phone call away. While I jumped the gun on getting a quote for some color casing on a Marlin, their shop foreman told me that costs go up the more of the refinishing work they have to do. Since I was sending a fairly badly pitted receiver, I was just going to sand the majority of the pitting away and lightly polish it, so they didn't have do anything but clean it if any surface scale developing in transit. If they just have to dump in with other work, it seemed quite reasonable. Removing the current finish and polishing is where the costs go up... or so I was told. 1 Quote
watab kid Posted February 26 Posted February 26 i thought about this for an item a while back but in the end decided to keep it as is , not saying uyou shouldnt but saying i have no idea of cost Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 26 Posted February 26 Call'em and find out. Also ask how booked up they are and expected wait time. 1 Quote
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted February 26 Posted February 26 Obviously, it's one of "those" things. If you have to ask > > > > you can't afford it. 1 Quote
Badlands Bob #61228 Posted February 26 Posted February 26 49 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said: Obviously, it's one of "those" things. If you have to ask > > > > you can't afford it. That's exactly what I was thinking. Quote
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted February 26 Posted February 26 Just an inflation reference here. In the early 2000's Turnbull would Case Color pistol frames w/hammer for $50 each dealer price if the dealer sent in 3 or more. That was for bare frames, the barrels and all parts had to be removed first. A dealer I was working for was sending in 3 model P frames so I just added my engraved Richards-Mason frames to the order (removing the barrel first was not difficult ). I think they are probably just a tad higher these days. Quote
Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 Posted February 26 Posted February 26 WOW, lots of opinions but not the answer? How about if anyone has had work done and doesn’t mind sharing, could you tell us what you had done and about how much? I myself have an original 1876 Winchester rifle and an original 1887 Winchester shotgun and have thought about getting them redone an make them family heirlooms as YES I know they probably not be worth more than the refinish and probably less. But I am interested in ballpark so I know whether to call or not! Same as asking ballpark on firearm prices that we offer numbers on here?! Since I have been on here early where a lot of information was shared made the conversation fun! Seriously if you don’t want to be part of the conversation on this topic don’t post! I am sure that as busy I hear Turnbull is getting questions based on other clients’ experience will shorten the call and possibly not exceed the patience. Make sense?!?! Quote
Tex Jones, SASS 2263 Posted February 26 Posted February 26 Bill Fuchs at Spring Creek Armory does refinishing as well as repairs/replacements. I don't think he does engraving although he may have that outsourced. Check with Warden Callaway. He has had guns done by Bill. Quote
Texas Jack Black Posted February 26 Posted February 26 16 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: What Nimble said. Could cast 10,000 f for a restoration Quote
Shawnee Hills Posted February 27 Posted February 27 According to a quick search on the web: The cost of Turnbull restorations can vary widely depending on the specific work needed, but it is generally considered expensive, often exceeding the value of the firearm itself. For example, a fully restored Winchester 1873 can cost around $3,995, while other restoration services may range from a few thousand to over $8,500 depending on the complexity of the work required. Cost of Turnbull Restorations Turnbull Restoration offers a range of services for firearm restoration, and the costs can vary significantly based on the type of work needed. Here are some general price ranges for common restoration services: Restoration Services SERVICE TYPE ESTIMATED COST Color Case Hardening $2,500 - $8,500 Full Restoration of Firearms $3,995 - $6,500 Specific Model Restorations Varies by model Examples of Current Inventory Prices FIREARM MODEL PRICE Turnbull Finished Winchester 1873 $3,995 Turnbull Finished Ruger Mark IV $750 Turnbull Finished Winchester 1892 Deluxe Takedown $3,995 Additional Information Quotes: For specific restoration projects, it is recommended to contact Turnbull directly for a detailed quote based on the firearm's condition and the desired work. Lead Time: Restoration work can take several weeks, depending on the complexity and current workload of the shop. Turnbull Restoration is known for high-quality work, which often increases the value of the firearm post-restoration. 1 1 Quote
Skiddsteer1 Posted February 27 Posted February 27 While I know that a 1911a1 is not a cowboy gun (could be wild bunch), about 20 years ago I had Union Switch and Signal 1911a1 pistol fully restored to what is known as a Dulite finish as per the original factory specifications as they were in 1943 (the only year they made them). It is a beautiful pistol. Doug Turnbull is the premier restorer of firearms. It is a long story why I had to have it re-finished. Remember if a firearm is re=finished, it is no longer "original" and it loses SOME of it's value. It should be considered almost a last resort in some instances. The cost to me was $2300.00 to have that pistol re-stored. I have another US&S that I will have re-stored by Turnbull soon for similar reasons as I stated before. I expect the cost however to be more than it was 20 years ago. Thanks Skid. #89233. Quote
Sgt. Hochbauer, SASS #64409 Posted February 27 Posted February 27 I cannot say anything about refinishing but if you want to have engraving done Jim Downing does amazing work. Hochbauer Quote
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted February 27 Author Posted February 27 Okay, all of this is helpful. Gives me a good ballpark idea of what they charge. I'll be honest, and say that I knew it'd be expensive, but didn't think it'd be that expensive. I will consider various options carefully. Quote
Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 Posted February 27 Posted February 27 (edited) 20 hours ago, Texas Jack Black said: Could cast 10,000 f for a restoration Really? What gun did you have restored for 10,000? It must be a beauty! Would you mind posting some pictures? I would really enjoying seeing their work! Thx Edited February 27 by Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 Grammar Quote
Texas Jack Black Posted February 27 Posted February 27 54 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said: Really? What gun did you have restored for 10,000? It must be a beauty! Would you mind posting some pictures? I would really enjoying seeing their work! Thx 54 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said: Really? What gun did you have restored for 10,000? It must be a beauty! Would you mind posting some pictures? I would really enjoying seeing their work! Thx 54 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said: Really? What gun did you have restored for 10,000? It must be a beauty! Would you mind posting some pictures? I would really enjoying seeing their work! Thx OP said two guns restored. I said this could cost 10,000 Check out the cost of full restorations and get back to me. I said COULD COST 21 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: What Nimble said. Could cast 10,000 f for a restoration Quote
Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 Posted February 27 Posted February 27 1 minute ago, Texas Jack Black said: OP said two guns restored. I said this could cost 10,000 Check out the cost of full restorations and get back to me. I said COULD COST Could cast 10,000 f for a restoration Oh ok, $5,000 each. Good guess I guess but H.K. asked does anyone actually know which I was interpreting as has anyone actually had a gun restored and the details. So I misunderstood thinking you actually had a gun done and was answering his question. My mistake thinking you had some restoration done and giving a ball park amount not wanting to give the details or actual amount Turnbull charged you. Got it! Still looking for actual customer(s) that had some work by Turnbull done. Thx Quote
Texas Jack Black Posted February 27 Posted February 27 29 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said: Oh ok, $5,000 each. Good guess I guess but H.K. asked does anyone actually know which I was interpreting as has anyone actually had a gun restored and the details. So I misunderstood thinking you actually had a gun done and was answering his question. My mistake thinking you had some restoration done and giving a ball park amount not wanting to give the details or actual amount Turnbull charged you. Got it! Still looking for actual customer(s) that had some work by Turnbull done. Thx I had a quote on a full restoration on an 86 .The quote was over 5 1 Quote
Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 Posted February 27 Posted February 27 53 minutes ago, Texas Jack Black said: I had a quote on a full restoration on an 86 .The quote was over 5 Thanks that would probably be a good guide to my 1876 as a minimum to expect. Thank you sir for that info. Quote
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