As a follow-up to the remark below about Col. Blackwell and me owning "all the HW 55's"....this little gang of 'em belongs to a mutual friend, who prefers to remain off-forum. Downright disgusting, ain't it?

I believe the guns are arranged from left-to-right in order of age, except for the HW 55 CM at the bottom. The two on the left are pre-Rekord trigger guns with solid cast aluminum buttplates, and a milled-steel "turret" style early sight on the first one. The third one is not chrome or nickel as it may appear, but in the process of being restored from a pitiful state (said friend--in addition to his obvious skills at procurement--being a professional-level artisan in both wood and metal).





Here's a close-up of the "M" and "CM" stocked ones:





You more often see museum-grade walnut on Walthers it seems, but there certainly are exceptions:





And last but not least, note the correct vintage iris units, palm rests, and other goodies on each rifle. Sigh.

They look all look brand new. Amazing collection.

Frank

....as I mentioned, this gent has powers with both wood and metal that truly amaze. He often re-finishes the stocks on guns he gets, not because they are beat-up etc., but simply because the mass-produced factory varnish job does not meet his standards.

He re-builds the mechanicals to state-of-the-art smoothness as a matter of course....but considers a chrono an insult to the guns' pedigrees! He does not alter metal finish, beyond thorough cleaning, unless the piece is truly a basket case.

You can argue over how all this affects collector value etc., but most of his airguns quite literally ARE better than new. I for one would pay a pretty penny if I could ever talk him out of one of these!

His collections of Walthers and FWB's are even larger than his HW pile, with many unusual examples and much spectactular wood.

Now chew on this....his very favorite springers are two early Diana model 60's. He did NOT re-finish their stocks, told me he couldn't improve on them! Food for thought!

Room use to be the problem, now it is keeping up with where they are.LOL...GB

Not to sure who posted that picture first, but I will tell you it is one of about six pics I cycle through as my wallpaper. I had thought they were all original and did not realize that the finish had been redone on them. Nonetheless they are breathtaking aren't they!

Yup, I think I have posted these here before, but it's been quite awhile.

I'm probably opening myself up for major flaming here, but to my eye the re-finish work on these guns does not diminish value due to its sheer quality. That wouldn't be true if I had done the work!

I don't think many people would say an old target rifle's value had been diminished if, say, Jan Kraner had re-done the stock. This fellow's work is at the same level.

Personally, I don't buy into the philosophy that a collectible should not be refinished/rebuilt. I think it depends on the gun, and the shape that it is in. There's no black and white.

Here's a couple shots of the SM I rebuilt a few years ago

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I don't have any before pictures, but what was left of it was a dog before i went over it.

It's still the smoothest shooting 55 I've ever shot. It's fitted with a JM kit and Theoben seal, and has a rather odd piston that seems to have built in spacing, shown below.

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I'll never regret refinishing the guns that i have done. They may not be worth what a collector will pay for a pristine original, but they're "worth" more after a refinishing because they were not in great shape anyway.

The bottom line really boils down to how you feel about a gun. If you feel those guns are worth their salt in clove hitch, that's good enough for me.

Regards

Keith Knoblauch

I hope you did not think I was demeaning the 55's in the pic mentioned above. I had just somehow thought that was how pristine examples little touched from the factory looked. I myself have refinished a couple of my older hy-scores simply because they will never be worth more, or less, due to my efforts. What you were able to accomplish with that SM is very smart indeed.

A while back I lucked into a great deal on a BSF54 that I will soon be putting up for sale. I would rather have some cash ready if a 55 pops up.

.......I'd never disagree with a fellow who won't touch a gun so that it's character can visually display it's history, and I'd always pay for a clean original sample of a gun before I bought a refurbished example ( assuming the price difference made sense ).

Also, I don't agree with those that are bringing in guns and "fluffing" them up to get a little more from an online sale.

Sometimes you have to take what you get and make the best of it though, and if I keep seeing people asking 30% premiums to what I'm willing to pay, I'll probably be picking up a few more beaters! LOL

Keith

Well as Gaines has so eloquently described elsewhere in this string, there are different levels of collectibles, different levels of damage/wear, and different levels of craftsmen. The trick is to correctly assess what you have and proceed appropriately.

An amateur re-finishing a hand-made, top-grade antique firearm worth 5 or 6 figures is a crime. But let's face it, even many very nice examples of the classic airguns we all love, are mass-produced factory items with varnished beech woodwork, with values in the low 3-figure range. It's hard to see how a guy with your abilities re-working one of those could be regarded as anything but positive.

The HW 55 "S" stock is my personal favorite for all-round handling and utility. That's a gorgeous example you've put together!

The beech stock must have been replaced in the past,because it is from a later model.


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Clear markings on the breech block,with the early "Seagull" logo.

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Another different Weihrauch diopter that belongs to this early model.

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The rare Weihrauch double set trigger.

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-----------------------------------
Frank

sometimes know as "highboys" than can lose $500,000 quickly by refinishing as well as destroy history...why I never refinish any of mine. The Lewis and Clark gun is no doubt an exception...Or perhaps a Griffon. I like my airguns well cared for an original but they do not all come that way. If they do they stay that way but many have been refinished , more often poorly or neglected and deserve proper care. Mike and my friend is highly skilled and restores guns correctly....Keith and Frank obviously do as well. Production airguns , Even HW 55's were sprayed with lacquer or shellac on a line, hardly hand rubbed oiled. Checkering was on the crude side but bluing often very lustorous and beautiful. If intact for the most part I like to keep that though it can be improved perhaps with the exception of bluing. If neglected they deserve as good a restoration as can be done. I do not think value is affected that much at all, plenty of folks like both.

I am fortunate to have found some nice original early 55's and in my life time that will stay as such. They represent countless hours of search and a fair amount of money. I have also received my share of neglected guns and junk and hopefully all will get restored. I expect the cost will probably exceed the value in some cases but they deserve it.

This 55 T is gradually being restored, stock will be refinished, new internals and a soft old reblue. I have a bit less than $300 in it delivered. It HW T stable mates get Rem-Oil !!:

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This Gullwing M will not thought it is a bit rough and now has a patina ...personal choice.

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This LG 55 T deserves a refinish, lots of dents and bumps but will not get it from me...next guy, have at it !! I like it as is, honest use and strangely wood is not my priority.. Since this picture it gets a touch of a restoration oil Arnold was kind enough to send me. The second picture shows the effect...thank you Arnold.

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This LGV was destined to be parted out....pure junk...but the first one I bought out of Germany....Jan Kraner beautifully restored it:

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This pair of 55's were bought from the son of the original owner who did not shoot. My favorite two HW's. Beautifully cared for but shot over 50 years they will remain untouched by me. Note the finger grooves on the T:

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And it's mate:
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They both have original lacquer , sprayed on and could be filled and improved but I would burn them first ...LOL

These two DST HW 55 M's will stay unrestored though both could use it:

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This 55 T must be stolen Walther wood. It has a urethane finish that needs removing and will be restored :
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This LG 51 was pretty bad...Frank Korn nicely restored it for me.
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And lastly, this 55 M had been heavily revarnishd. It is slowly getting restored:
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My belief, each gun is different, let them tell you what they need. Just listen a bit....they have stories to tell.

GB

.

Thank you very much! I had an almost religious experience! Whew...

x

love the history you can see in these guns....

i'm new to the 10 meter guns (just bought 2 from Jim E), i can see it's going to be a long, delightful trip.

it's a real pleasure to hold these and imagine the history of each gun, and the workmanship & quality of manufacture is absolutely amazing.

we're all very fortunate that all of you are so willing to share your experiences with them.

matthew noe