Worth restoring Inland mixmaster?

[Orlando]

Nice looking pea shooter!

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

I'll give you $400 for it and you have doubled your money.

Um, thanks but no thanks... nice try though! Just hate the thought of turning a bargain into a loss, I've seen it done a time or two. Think I'll put the Inland trigger housing on that I already have coming, snag up an Inland slide, then keep an eye out for the other parts I need as long as I can get them at a good price. Eventually, it'll be good to go or I'll get tired of looking for the correct parts and then it's off to Tim for a park job.

Spent an hour or so last night stripping the nasty varnish from the butt of an extra stock that came along with the carbine only to find out that it's an IBM subcontractor. Oh, well, guess I'll finish the job. Somebody will want that stock later on.

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

This photo shows what a hard life this poor little carbine has had, the barrel looks like someone clamped it in a vise, although it may have been from the cheap clampon compensator that came with it... more photos here.

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

So, this should give some of you a good laugh... along with the "carbine in a box", I got an extra stock. Finally looked at the stock carefully last night, looks like a WRA stock (Type III?) with crossed cannons and inspector's cartouche, "W" marked recoil plate. I think the stock may be worth what I paid for the rifle! It's on my NPM now until I can find a Trimble stock and handguard for it.

[melloman]

I don't see anything wrong with the barrel - nice score on the stock!

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

The picture is pretty bad, the first 3/4 or so of the barrel behind the step looks like someone put a pipe wrench on it and turned it, letting the wrench slip. A little cold blue (yes, sacrilege I know, but this one's a shooter) and it is a lot less obvious.

[MH53GUNNER]

I'll give you $400 for it and you have doubled your money.

I up the bid to $401.00.

From what I see the finish looks fine. I know that if you do send it to Tim for a repark he will do a great job. What ever you plan to do paying 200 bucks for a carbine these days is a fantastic deal.

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

I up the bid to $401.00.

From what I see the finish looks fine. I know that if you do send it to Tim for a repark he will do a great job. What ever you plan to do paying 200 bucks for a carbine these days is a fantastic deal.

I could almost make a profit on that offer, even if I win the stock I'm bidding for on eBay. Looks like I'll be into it for around $450 as I probably won't have this one reparked now that I've touched up the worst of the barrel scuffs. The photos do make it look a little better than it does in person though. Guess I'll be saving the park job for the National Postal Meter (just picked up an NPM I-cut high wood stock for that one, considering getting it back to "as issued" - that should be a fun project!). It won't be absolutely correct, but it's a good shooter and will look good. Bidding now on an Inland stock on eBay, as long as it's not cracked I'll be good to go. The Italian stock turned out to be cracked at the nose in a way that repair isn't really going to hold.

I am pretty darn happy I grabbed it when it came along!

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

I've finished putting the "Bargain Carbine" back in shape, with the exception of either finding an Inland stock in decent shape, or putting on a Fulton Armory stock (a shame since it has an Inland marked handguard). The stock is a heavily sanded Johnson Lounge Co. stock that was the recipient of my first attempts at Carbine stock repair. There were a couple of cracks in it, but it was easier to repair this one than the FAT stock that I had on it, which was heavily cracked at the nose and beyond my amateur salvage efforts.

Your collective advice was good; why spoil a bargain in an expensive attempt to make it "correct"?