I think he did an OK job on the S&W and Browning A5 but in my opinion just a bit too much engraving loss on the A5 and here were still a few areas on the S&W that could have been a bit better. I would have thought that after the high polish he would have chased the engraving to get it back to factory specs. I know it is quite difficult to find that happy medium between a perfect polish job and keeping the integrity of the factory engraving, that is why real pro's would have chased the engraving to make it look original again.
While chasing the engraving requires a high degree of skill and he may not have that, there should still be someone who would come in or that he could send it to who does. That would have put the capitol P in Professional refinishing - but yes it would have drastically increased the cost. On a 1- 10 scale I'd give him a 7.5 - 8 because of that. For just a run of the mill rusted up gun, his work would be good enough however for a real authentic restoration I know no one better than Doug Turnbull. If you do use Turnbull, break out your bank book, be prepared to wait over a year, but in turn you will get the best there is IMO.
I am a very picky and discerning guy. I can't help it, being a perfectionist myself. That's why I could never make money if I had been a professional GS. I would have to cater to ultra wealthy clients who wouldn't care how long it took or how much it cost.
