value of POOR condition 1842?

A friend of mine was given this rifle by his father, the garbage man...he found it in a dumpster. He's not really a gun guy, and I've been trying to talk him out of it. My main interest in it is the same as his; wall-hanger, but I'd like to semi-restore it....at least put a better stock on it. It looks like it may have been through a fire (judging by some of the charred wood), so I wouldn't try to fire it. It's 1500 miles away from me at the moment; I snapped these pics when I was there on vacation a while back.

What would be a reasonable offer for it? Considering the condition, I'm thinking about $100...

-WRM

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psz0x5xaov.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...pswtyncri0.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psncnfjcku.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...pspf1ubnqo.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps3pjebpbn.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psaqo0gkjb.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psl1odtqsx.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps7wjq9pdw.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...psegaoxj2w.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps5oq6ehhh.jpg

I'd pay $100 just to salvage the parts.

Its worth what its parts out for. A decent one at gun shows here will bring $400.00. I think $100.00 is a fair offer. Some might say as much as $150.00 I suppose.

Might be a fun project for a wall hanger I'd guess.

I see around $400 in parts assuming the lock is in working order and the barrel isn't bent. In this case the sum of the parts seems to be worth more than the whole.

Thanks all for the input; I think I'll keep hassling him to sell it to me. Since I plan to invest more money into it to make it complete and put it on display, I'll stick with my $100 offer (since I don't plan to part it out).

-WRM

The ramrod looks like its countersunk if thats the case check to see if the barrel is rifled. Many 1842 muskets were rifled before the Civil War. Finding a stock will not be easy.

GREAT project gun - the stock is the only really bad part, and I have some ideas on how to fix that. It is worn to the point that the caveats about deep level refinishing really don't apply. It will take a lot of TLC, and figuring your time is worth NOTHING, but with work that piece could shine!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 03collector

The ramrod looks like its countersunk if thats the case check to see if the barrel is rifled. Many 1842 muskets were rifled before the Civil War. Finding a stock will not be easy.

---

It'll be quite some time before I'm around it again (probably this coming November), but I'll definitely check while I'm there. Unless of course, he decides to sell sooner and ship it to me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dick Hosmer

GREAT project gun - the stock is the only really bad part, and I have some ideas on how to fix that. It is worn to the point that the caveats about deep level refinishing really don't apply. It will take a lot of TLC, and figuring your time is worth NOTHING, but with work that piece could shine!!

---

Unfortunately (fortunately?) I've never been known to value my own time if the project is for myself. With any luck, it'll end up on my wall at some point.

-WRM

Ahh, first thing with an OLD firearm.....
IS IT LOADED??
Restoration or left as is?
Good luck.
Ohh, soda blasting is less invasive than bead blasting, if you decide to do that effort.
And check if it has any history....
Model A Ford, bought for $2,000, spent $25,000 restoration, now valued at $18,000.
Just A thought.
coastie