Hi,its been a while since I posted here and I would like to tap into the collective ideas of this forum and ask a question that has been on my mind lately.

Should I completely strip the original varnish to remove the odd scratch and bump found on a used but otherwise standard FWB 300s with a walnut stock?
Will the complete removal of the factory finish on the stock reduce the airgun's value because it would no longer be in its original state?
Any ideas how to best tackle the stippled area?

I am really tempted to go for stripping the wood bare and re-do using a semi matt natural oil finish.

Thanks in anticipation...
D

Hello Heywood,
I think I can see your line of thought, accidental self-inflicted dings and scratches tend to carry a particular story of place and time....

The bluing is still very very good. However the minor nicks and scratches on this gun were done by someone else and as such do not carry any personal reminders of years gone by for me, therefore I would not personally be missing anything of the gun's history if they are removed.
I rarely buy used airguns and I am still struggling to accept such blemishes as part of the gun's history.
Maybe if the collecting bug really takes hold of me, I'll start to view things differently!
Then I can begin to understand a new school of thought when it comes to marks on previously owned guns.
Time will tell!

But for the time being,
This is a recently acquired gun and I want to start with a fresh page with this gun!
Call it a bonding process if you will:^)
I shoot all my guns on a range and they are no gun-safe queens, but I do take care when handling them and when laying them down.
Some of them I have had for more than twenty years from new and only have pressure marks due to handling, but no scratches or dings and I can live with that.

I'll post some pics eventually before I take any sandpaper to it, because I am away from the gun at the moment.
Thanks.

...and, not being much of a woodworker, truly it's worth no more than that!

First let me say I agree with Heywood 100%, as the owner of many older guns I don't mind their bumps and dings at all. They are old and have stories to tell...kinda like me, LOL.

As for re-finishing, I have been amazed over the years at the range of opinions about that which has been expressed here. Some will say never ever touch the original finish unless the gun is plainly in a disastrous state. At the other extreme, I have one friend who despises factory varnish and lavishes every new acquisition, new or old, with a pro-quality oil finish. Some say value is not much affected as long as you do it well and stick to the original factory materials.

My own personal point of view is that the quality of the work is the most important thing. Tru-Oil slapped over an amateur prep job will always lower the value of course, but it's hard to see how sensitive quality work in superior materials can hurt too much?

Thank you very much for your informative replies and insights.
I think that I can see the reasoning behind re-doing a good but standard stock finish.
I know that some manufacturers try to get away with the most economically viable solution to their finished article and gun-stocks are no exception.
Preparing and finishing a stock with oil (IF DONE WELL) is always going to be better and more expensive than applying a synthetic varnish which can only take so many knocks before it starts to look really tatty.
I think that oiled wood can take small bumps and pressure marks a lot better than varnish and still look good.
Varnished wood with scrapes and dings looks like abuse whereas the same wood with an oil finish seems less so in my opinion.
Its a shame that some good walnut (and beech at times)is covered with sprayed on varnish rather than wood oil and hand polished.

It is deliberating time and I'll post some pics when I decide to go the re-finishing route.
Thank you all.