kibler fowling piece brass

[2 shots]

 Hi all, i was wondering that since this represents a low end gun would the brass  have had some file marks and or remains of some deeper pits ,ect. left on them  or would the finishers still polish  them to perfection???  thanks in advance... mike

[Dave B]

I have seen originals with the brass polished on the outside and just cleaned up on the inside of the trigger bow with no attempt at polishing it, say done with fine single cut file. There were still some pits and some heavy scratches present. The inside of the trigger bow shows this workman like dealing with an area most wont look at. The two shots of the English trade Fowler butt return and wrist  inlay show the standard finish of a piece meant for use in the back country by trappers and indians. They didnt remove all the scratches from the filing but they did a little better than the underside of the trigger guard. Hope this helps. I would guess they took it down to 320 grt then slapped on some polishing compound and brightened it  up but it still had some scratches left in the suface.

[2 shots]

 thank you sir

[Tumbledown]

"Low end" or "high end" would be expressed in the amount and intricacies of details like carving, engraving, castings, etc. Whatever the level of detail, anything visible would generally still be finished with a degree of professionalism. Yes, some tool marks might remain visible up close, but by no means should things look half done.