Doug is all smiles after his ride.
So what’s a vintage gun restorer from Bloomfield, New York supposed to do when his friend and customer calls up and asks if he’d like to ride with American racing legend Mario Andretti? Well, you put everything down and say “see you at The Glen!”
Thanks to his friend Mike Henry, Doug got to do just that on September 1st when Indy Racing Experience (IRE) pulled into town as part of the IndyCar Grand Prix at The Glen.
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“If you’re not willing to travel at 15 to 20 miles an hour, you better find a different mode of transportation.”
When flying your own Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser across the country, speed of motion doesn’t always translate to speed of travel. And when you relish the freedom of exploration and seeing things in different ways, this suits Doug Turnbull just fine.
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Turnbull Restoration is proud to announce a limited edition recreation of the iconic Commercial 1911 Government Pistol. The pistols will all have the early style commercial finish that was applied to them in their original manufacture in 1912. These .45 ACP pistols are set to be released on July 4, 2017 to mark their significance in the history of American firearms.
“The 1911 is simply the best known and still most beloved pistol design in firearm history and the Commercial is the design that people most identify with it,” said CEO and Founder Doug Turnbull. “It just made sense to honor this purely American firearm design by releasing it on Independence Day.”
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Turnbull Restoration is proud to have teamed up with the Winchester Arms Collectors Association (WACA), John Pease and Negrini to supply a very special entry into WACA’s 2017 Member Reception auction. A new deluxe engraved Turnbull Model 1886 rifle chambered in .45-90 WCF will be auctioned after WACA’s Annual Membership Meeting at the Buffalo Bill Center of The West in Cody, Wyoming on July 14, 2017.
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Image courtesy of Brownells
To say Brownells is well known among those who build, customize and repair firearms is an understatement. Bob Brownell established his iconic, namesake company in 1939, and the supplier of gun parts, gunsmithing tools and shooting supplies has served countless customers around the world since.
But oddly enough, to a retail customer of production firearms and accessories, Brownells is perceived as a newcomer. “It’s nice to finally have brand recognition within our own state,” chuckles Ryan Repp, Director of Content and Communications at Brownells.
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The National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meetings & Exhibits come at a great time of year. For us in the northeast, late April is usually the time we can safely say winter is behind us. More importantly, our minds finally turn to the outdoors and our favorite shooting pastimes.
Regardless of residence, NRA’s massive April 27-30 event lets all of us dream about all those outdoor days ahead. Namely, what gear should we purchase for the hunts and outings we’ve planned? What new firearms should we add to our collections? Which of our antique and vintage rifles, shotguns and handguns should we restore this year?
Turnbull Restoration will have plenty at NRA to set you up for the business end of 2017. Swing by booth #1213 to find out. Here’s a preview.
Antique firearms hold unique value to each of us. For some, it’s the sentimental value. For others it’s the investment value. For others still it’s maintaining the beauty and period accuracy of one’s collection. We want you to enjoy your vintage rifle, shotgun or handgun to the fullest possible extent, and gun restoration services are often a great option. We’re offering no-fee no-obligation restoration quotes at our booth, so please swing by so we can start the conversation. If we need to transport your firearm to our Bloomfield, NY shop for further assessment, we’ll assist with all the arrangements.
Also, we’re always on the lookout for unique vintage guns and collections to buy. If you have something you’d like to sell or trade in, come see us.
Some have already heard about our latest Turnbull-finished offerings. The NRA show gives you the opportunity to see the striking Turnbull Ruger Mark IV and Turnbull Marlin 336C up close and in-person. The iconic pistol and popular lever-action rifle are both the perfect canvas for our metal and wood finishing. UPDATE APRIL 25: Our newly-launched Turnbull Winchester 1892 and 1873 will be at NRA too!
Like the Mark III, the Ruger Mark IV .22LR is known for its accuracy and reliability. We’ve polished and color case hardened the tube and barrel, and are now releasing it for the low price of $595.
The Marlin 336C .30-30 enjoys massive popularity among hunting rifles in North America. For a limited time we’re selling the Marlin 336C with our signature touches for only $1,200. We’ve refinished the stock and forend to match the classic Marlin Red finish. The receiver has also been refinished with the famous Turnbull color case hardening process.
It’s no mystery that Winchester lever action rifles hold a special place in our heart, especially the Model 1892. Starting with a new Model 1892 Short Rifle with octagon barrel, we apply our signature color case hardening process to the receiver, lever, hammer, butt plate and forend cap. In addition, we refinish the factory-checkered stocks in a hand-rubbed oil finish to match Winchester’s classic red shading. A significant final touch is our safety conversion process, which helps transform the new 1892 to its forbearer’s original spec. The 1892 is available in .44 Rem Mag (pistol grip) or .45 Colt (straight grip).
Known around the world as “The Gun that Won the West,” Winchester’s Model 1873 is certainly among the icons. The 1873 is offered in .357-38, .44-40 Win or .45 Colt. Cowboy Action Shooters love the fact that the rifle fires the same ammunition as their revolvers. In addition, competitors love the ultra-smooth, short stroke lever action found on the .357-38 and .45 Colt versions.
And speaking of our Mark IV, make sure you have a chance to win one! Just visit our booth, and take a quick moment to enter our give-away.
That’s a lot of exciting stuff, and we’ve got a few other things in the works that we hope to launch at NRA – so stay tuned. Also, be sure to visit our full tradeshow schedule to learn more about NRA Annual Meetings and all the other shows we’re attending this year.
With all the gun related news and information out there, it can be hard to stay up to date. Here is our summary of what industry related news is happening, going to happen and has happened.
Being a custom gun maker, we have always had an appreciation for new gun designs. There have been some new products to hit the market over the last month that we think are pretty interesting.
The Ideal Conceal, is a .380 compact carry pistol designed to fold up and look like a smart
phone. The grip of the gun folds up over the trigger, and completes the shape and look of a smart phone in its case. The design is about the size of a Galaxy S7 in a case, about 3 inches by 5 inches. The gun was invented by Kirk Kjellberg out of Minnesota. Kjellberg developed these Ideal Conceal guns after he was called out by a kid for carrying a gun, at which point, the entire restaurant knew he was carrying. The pistols are retailing for $395.00 and are being advertised as 100% American made. These guns have been met with some criticism over the effectiveness of concealing them, however, we will let you be the judge.
8 Bit Nintendo Video Game Zapper Glock. This custom built Glock was specially designed and made for a close friend of Precision Syndicate LLC, the company that made
this gun. The gun will not be mass produced. While it is not the first of its kind, it has raised the most interest on social media and is considered the most accurate of all the designs. Since releasing images of the pistol on their social media platforms, Precision Syndicate LLC has received an overwhelming response. The design has drawn more than 36,000 likes on Facebook in less than a week. Not all responses have been positive though. Many people have taken to social media to argue that these will be more dangerous to children since they look like toys.
Here are some of the upcoming events that are making news in the industry.
Concealed Carry Expo, will be held April 29th through May 1st at the Georgia 
International Convention Center in Atlanta Georgia. This is the industry’s only show dedicated to the carry and conceal lifestyle. The show will be a celebration of the carry and conceal lifestyle, which will include guest speakers and fully instructed classrooms. If you are a conceal/carry person, this is a can’t miss event!
Jack Robertson Sporting Clays Invitational. The 18th annual Jack Robertson Sporting Clay Invitational will be held on May 26th at the Ten Mile River Preserve in Dover Plains, 
New York. This year will mark a first in the invitational’s long and storied history. For the first time, there will be an all woman’s team competing. The team is being sponsored by Mossberg and will feature a couple of seasoned shooters along with a few rookies. The shoot is now organized by the Hunting Heritage Trust and has raised more than $ 325,000 in support of America’s hunting and shooting sports heritage, benefiting groups ranging from USA Shooting to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital and from the Youth Shooting Sports Alliance to the United States Military Academy at West Point-Pistol Team.
Here are some seasons that will be opening up soon.
Washington: Lowland Trout Season Begins April 23. For many anglers, “opening day” is synonymous with the start of the lowland lakes trout-fishing season, which gets under way April 23 this year. Hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians typically descend on trout-stocked lakes to kick off the state’s biggest outdoor event. To prepare for the upcoming season, hatchery crews from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have been working since last year to stock millions of fish in hundreds of lakes throughout the state. Anglers can find how many went where at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/statewide/. All 2015/2016 fishing licenses expired as of March 31st 2016. Be sure to get your new fishing permit before you head out.
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Doug speaking with attendees of the DSC 2016 show.
Turnbull was honored to be a part of the Dallas Safari Club Conservation Convention, one of the first shows of 2016. This exciting convention lasted from January 7th until the 10th. In essence, this convention is hosted every year for big game hunters and other attendees to boost the efforts of conservation. The event included everything from seminars and exhibits to auctions of weapons and other items. This is where we came in. We have been proud supporters of the DSC, and this year were pleased to be able to donate the Turnbull BBQ Commander Heritage 1911 to the Dallas Safari Club. This specific gun was soon auctioned off to Adam Biondich.
Many of the visitors and other attendees to the convention took a lot of interest in the new guns we had on display for 2016, of which there was a lot to see. Our latest 1911’s come standard with a useful and elegant checkered front strap, a beavertail grip safety, adjustable tritium night sights from Kensight and a Commander style hammer.All of these features were added to ensure that the gun is of the highest quality. Turnbull is really proud of these models, and we could tell that attendees found them quite interesting as well.
New 2016 Turnbull 1911 Government Heritage Model
Throughout the duration of the convention, we spoke to numerous students that are currently going to school in order to be gunsmiths. We helped to answer any questions they had about working with antique guns and specifically on lever actions. We believe that they came away with some useful tips and knowledge from those that have garnered experience as gunsmiths. Doug was the main attraction throughout the convention. Several people came to the booth during the convention to talk with and get photographed with him. Our booth was a sizable one. In fact, we had a newly manufactured and restoration section of our booth that was designed to display how our restoration services work.
In the restoration section of the booth, we had a number of examples of guns which have been restored sitting right next to the originals of the same model. This worked wonders in showing visitors and attendees the huge difference between restored and non-restored models. We even sold a few of the original guns that we had on display at the show. The manufactured section of the booth was designed to display a number of our new models, including our TMC 1886 and all Turnbull Model 1911’s. Overall, this was a fantastic show and we can’t wait to be back again next year. We hope to be in the same booth, #4328.
Doug Turnbull and Turnbull Restoration have been restoring vintage firearms for more than 30 years. Over this time period, Doug and his company have amassed a wealth of knowledge on how to restore these vintage guns. Because of this, Doug and his company have gained the reputation as the “go to” place for your restoration.
The restoration process is a very sensitive process, in a sense the it is a form of artwork. In the most recent issue of Hunter’s Path, you can read an article/interview featuring Doug Turnbull, titled “The Art of Firearm Restoration” by Chris Eberhart. Every detail matters when restoring a gun. Even details like the
direction the polish is applied to the gun, makes a huge difference. This article gives you a good insight into how Doug got started and evolved over the years.
Whether you are interested in restorations or you are an aspiring gunsmith, this article is a great read. The people at Hunter’s Path do a great job putting out amazing content year after year. You can read this article by going to clicking here. Foremost Hunting is a great source of hunting information which comes out with new publications weekly. If you would like to learn more about Foremost Hunting, go to www.foremosthunting.com and sign up for their free newsletter.
This weekend we attended the Wanemacher’s Tulsa Arms show in Tulsa Oklahoma, which took place at the Expo Square (Tulsa Fairgrounds) on Saturday Nov 14th to Sunday Nov 15th. We would like to thank everyone who made it out to see us. The Tulsa Arms Show is one of the biggest mid-west shows, and with over 4,000 tables the attendees had more than 5 miles of tables to walk and view. 
At the show, we featured a pair of Turnbull AR’s that were specially engraved and designed for Mike and Kim Kamler. These beautiful guns were the envy of most people that stopped at our table. We also featured two free raffles, an exclusive Tulsa Arms Show giveaway package and the Turnbull $1,000.00 gift certificate raffle. The star of the show, however, was Doug Turnbull. People walked the entire show to find us and to talk with Doug. Doug was able to speak with the attendees and answer a lot of questions they had about vintage firearms and his past experiences. With his iconic Bowler hat on, Doug was recognized where ever he walked. Doug loved attending the show and commented that the Tulsa Arms Show is historically a great show to attend and he can’t wait to come back. 
The Tulsa Arms Show was a very well a great success, Doug will be back next year so mark your calendars and stop by to say “Hi” to Doug. We hope to see you at the next Tulsa Arms Show.
Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing Co. is proud to announce we have teamed up with African Sporting Creations to offer the Turnbull Color Case Hardened Shooting Sticks. For more than 10 years, African Sporting Creations has made thousands of amazing shooting sticks.
The Turnbull Color Case Hardened Shooting Sticks are made from your choice of Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) or Hickory. They feature extra soft, hand sewn bison leather tops, steel color case hardened connectors, custom brass sleeves and beautiful 5mm mammoth ivory “night sights” inlaid into the shafts. Not only are these sticks beautiful but functional as well, by making them very easy to travel with and carry. These sticks are quickly and easily assembled in the field and are just as easy to disassemble. The sticks come with a heavy-duty canvas carrying case to offer better
protection.
African Sporting Creations offers a variety of safari gear perfect for the avid hunter. We, at Turnbull, are very proud to have teamed up with them to offer these Color Case Hardened Shooting Sticks! You can visit their website at www.africansc.com, to check out all of their amazing products. For more information on these sticks, call 419-529-5599 or order online here.
EuroOptic offers a wide variety of optics, accessories and firearms.
At Turnbull Manufacturing and Restoration, we partner with a variety of dealers in order to ensure that our pistols are offered to as many potential customers as possible. We are proud to announce that EuroOptic is our newest dealer and we are excited to work with them on the sale of our Turnbull products. EuroOptic has been in business as an online European sport optics retailer since the late ’90’s and offers a large variety of different products to choose from, including everything from firearms and ammunition to rifle scopes and range finders. The following will provide a detailed look at this new partnership and EuroOptic as a dealer of Turnbull products.
Having been in business for well over 15 years, EuroOptic has spent quite some time developing their storefront to be user friendly and appealing to customers, which is one of the primary reasons that we have partnered with them. They specialize in high performance gear and offer a wide range of products that are useful for everyone from a bird watcher to a seasoned hunter. The products offered by EuroOptic are all high quality and top-of-the-line, as they partner with manufacturers that are among the very best in the industry. As of 2015, they are planning a new retail showroom to go along with their online storefront. This showroom can be found near Montoursville, Pennsylvania and is located less than one mile from the Williamsport Regional Airport.
EuroOptic brings their products to shows across the country.
As such, the showroom is easily accessible by highway or air. All of the specialized products offered by EuroOptic can be found at this showroom, including the products provided by us at Turnbull. Not only does EuroOptic offer their products to regular customers, but to government agencies as well, as they are personally registered with GSA and SAMS for government contracts or purchases. They are also licensed and registered with a number of different weapon classifications, such as The Arms Export Control Act and the ATF Class 08 firearms importer.
As for the Turnbull products on hand with EuroOptic, they have a wide range of our catalog in stock, including everything from the Turnbull 1911 Standard Model and the Turnbull 1911 Heritage to the Turnbull 1911 Commander. Each of these pistols has several different options to choose from, which means that you can select the exact weapon for your needs. For example, the Turnbull 1911 Heritage is designed to resemble pistols crafted during the first World War. As such, it comes with a sight with a semi-circle notch, a WWI style ejection port, a solid one piece steel trigger and a number of additional features that may prove to be of use to you, including hand polishing to ensure that the weapon is in pristine quality.
The same holds true for all of our weapons offered through EuroOptic. This partnership has been made due to the lengthy history of both of our companies in the manufacturing and sale of pistols, as well as the fact that both of our companies strive for excellence in all of the services we provide and the products we offer. No matter which Turnbull weapon that you are considering, it’s possible to order any Turnbull product directly from EuroOptic. Both the price of the weapon and the primary features are clearly displayed and easy-to-see, allowing you to make an informed decision about the weapon that you want to buy. Customer reviews are also available at EuroOptic in order to assist with the purchase decision. Overall, we are excited about this new partnership and look forward to many more years with EuroOptic as one of our preferred dealers.
Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing is proud to be featured on the cover of Gun Digest’s Fall 2015 Show & Auction Special issue. Gun Digest reviewed our new gun for 2016, the Turnbull 1911 Commander Heritage. Within the magazine is a very nice write up on the Commander Heritage, titled “Command & Conquer”.
At Turnbull, we are dedicated to bringing you the highest quality manufacturing possible. When interviewed for this issue of Gun Digest, Doug Turnbull wanted to emphasize the attention to detail and quality engineering that goes into every new gun. Gun Digest does a great job illustrating these qualities, while pointing out that the Commander Heritage is a great gun to shoot. The Commander Heritage is the new featured Turnbull gun for 2016 and will be presented at the 2016 Shot Show.
Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing would like to thank the team at Gun Digest for this opportunity. A special thank you to Eric Conn for the great work he did on the photographs and article. Gun Digest is a quality magazine and we are very proud to be associated with them.
We hope you take the time to pick up a copy of Gun Digest’s Fall 2015 Show & Auction Special and read the amazing article on Turnbull Manufacturing. To get a copy of this issue visit www.gundigest.com, here you can also subscribe to the magazine digitally. To learn more about Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing, and the products we make, visit us at www.turnbullmfg.com.
Turnbull Manufacturing is proud to announce that Doug Turnbull has been recognized by Bullet Magazine as Man of the Year. Bullet Magazine is the official journal of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. The NYSRPA is dedicated to preserving our second amendment rights.
Turnbull Manufacturing is proud to announce that Doug Turnbull has been recognized by Bullet Magazine as Man of the Year. Bullet Magazine is the official journal of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. The NYSRPA is dedicated to preserving our second amendment rights.
Turnbull Manufacturing is very proud of the work Doug has done throughout his life and the contributions he has made. Doug hopes it will help inspire people to work with organizations like the NYSRPA continue the fight to preserve the second amendment. “By taking our knowledge of vintage restorations and applying it to newly manufactured guns, we can pass on a piece of American craftsmanship and history to everyone who owns a Turnbull gun.” Special thanks go out to Bullet Magazine for their work and contributions they make every day.
To learn more about the NYSRPA and to subscribe to Bullet Magazine, please visit www.nysrpa.org. You can read the entire “Man of the Year” issue by visiting www.nysrpa.org/big-news/.
As Turnbull gears up for the 2016 Shot Show in Las Vegas NV, we would like to share past reviews on our 1911’s. The article below is from the October 2014 American Rifleman issue, where they did a review of the Turnbull 1911. Enjoy!
photo credit: demons.swallowthesky.org
As the name of the gun implies, the Colt 1911 was first crafted in 1911. This pistol was designed by John Moses Browning. However, its history began around the year of 1906. During this time, the United States military started to look at a wide range of possible pistol designs, which included the new .45 Automatic Colt Pistol. Over the next few years, the number of designs was whittled down until the Colt pistol remained as the last one standing. Read Story
Were all the parts machine fit or hand fit?
The biggest cost variable is whether or not a gun’s parts were machine fit or fit by a skilled Gunsmith. The cheaper the gun, the more likely all the parts were machine fit. In a lot of cases, machine fit parts have a tendency to be put together poorly and be out of tolerance. Parts that are out of tolerance can cause the gun to wear down more quickly. When this happens, parts may touch or wear in places that they were never intended to, potentially shortening the life and performance of the gun. With hand fit parts, a Gunsmith will measure, calibrate and fit each part to ensure that they fit and function properly. The Gunsmith will know what imperfections to pay attention to when building the gun, and knows how each part should function to reach its optimal performance. The extra attention paid to the each step, makes assembling the gun much more time consuming, thus driving the cost up. You can always buy the 1911 cheap and fix all the parts yourself, however, it takes strong knowledge and experience, as well as time to get all the parts fitting properly. One of the biggest issues people have is they tend to shave too much metal off the parts, to get them to fit properly, and they compromise the integrity of the gun. A hand fit 1911 will be a high performing and aesthetically pleasing gun, is what you want to look for when buying a 1911 pistol.
Were the parts made overseas or made in America?
Where the parts of a gun are made can certainly influence the price of the gun. As a whole, anything made in the USA tends to be more expensive, for a variety of different reasons (mostly political), and this certainly applies to gun parts. The difference between American made and non-American made parts has been hotly debated over the years, but it is largely based on your personal preference (similar to the car industry). When I am buying a gun, my personal preference is to have all the parts made in the USA as I like to boast that my gun is 100% American made. Typically, guns that are made from American made parts tend to also be hand fit instead of machine fit. In this writer’s opinion, there is nothing like a classic American Colt Model 1911 WWI style gun made in all American parts, nothing says AMERICA, better than that.
What kind of finish and polish has been applied to the gun?
When looking to buy a quality made Model 1911, you want to make sure the colors are kept to their authentic, age appropriate finishes. If the 1911 has been blued, you want to make sure that it is colored to the age period specific tone, so it maintains its historic look. The closer the match, the more expensive the gun will, or should be. Some companies have almost perfected the technique of matching the finish of the gun to it’s original age period finish, and thus they charge a premium for it. The process is time consuming and the better the match, the longer the process will take. Another important detail that many people overlook is the direction on which the polish was applied. Each model of gun is made differently and that includes the direction to which the gun polish is applied. If the polish is not applied in the correct direction, it may make the gun look odd and, to an experienced gun enthusiast, will not look age period appropriate. It is also important to ask if it was machine polished or hand polished. The machine polishing process does not produce a gun that looks age appropriate. By hand polishing it, the gunsmith is able to work the polish so it comes out as close to the authentic look as possible, this hand process is an art form. Anytime a craftsman manufactures something by hand, the quality and attention to detail are usually top notch, and this is no different when it comes to 1911’s and the polish that is on them.
It is important that any 1911 you buy meets these standards. If a gun manufacturer cuts corners on any of these standards, they may also have cut other corners during other stages of production. It is always important to ask your gun shop a lot of questions, like these, to make sure you are buying a quality item that will retain its value and become a family heirloom.
To learn more about how guns are manufactured, please feel free to visit us at www.turnbullmfg.com.
Turnbull would like to say thank you to the RIMES group for coming in and touring our facility. We would like to especially thank Don Miller, Ken Nelson and Don Allis for heading up the event.
The tour started with a fantastic speech by our Owner and CEO Doug Turnbull, where he described how Turnbull Manufacturing made its roots and how we got to where we are today. From there, people were able to walk through the production floor to see how each step of a restoration and gun manufacturing takes place. Turnbull staff members, Doug Turnbull, John Gligora and Sam Chappell, explained the process that takes place at each work station and showed examples of actual work that is currently in production. Each of the Turnbull staff members was able to field specific questions that visitors had, to better explain how and what goes on here and at each step of the process. Many visitors were able to share their experiences and ask questions about guns they are or have built, making this a great learning opportunity for both visitors and us. At the end of the tour, the RIMES group, led by Ken Nelson, Don Miller and Don Allis, treated the Turnbull staff to a very nice Dinner at Mickey Finns, who did a fantastic job with the event.
As well as offering tours of our facility, Turnbull is more than happy to offer companies, or individuals, the opportunity to have a series of Turnbull Model 1911 handguns custom made, when you purchase 25 or more. As part of the customization, we will come out and sit down with you and or your company, to help design a custom gun, just for you or your company. Some custom options include custom engraving patterns, company logos, custom serial numbers and personalized/initialed guns. If anyone has interest in this offer, please contact Tracy Halpin (thalpin@turnbullmfg.com) or John Gligora (jgligora@turnbullmfg.com) at 585-657-6338 for more information.
Pictures of this event are available, at no cost, for anyone who would like them. For more information about the event or pictures of the event, please contact Aaron Frank (afrank@turnbullmfg.com) at 585-657-6338.
Again, thank you to everyone who attended the tour, we hope you had a great time, and hope to see everyone again real soon.
Restoring the Model 1911 handgun allows the owner to bring the life back to this once proud pistol. As one of the most experienced restores of 1911’s, Turnbull knows that the keys to restoring them are, attention to detail and maintaining the historical authenticity.
Attention to detail is a must when restoring a 1911 pistol. To start the restoration process, each piece of the pistol must be meticulously disassembled and labeled (for reassembly purposes). Once disassembled, each piece will be cleaned, polished and remarked before the proper period finishes are applied. They are then assembled and tested to ensure it is in top working condition. This may sound relatively simple; however, this is more of an art than it is an exact science. Some metals react differently to the finishes making it relatively difficult to accomplish the desired finished look. When looking for a restoration service, you will want to make sure they are capable of bringing the gun back to its original luster, and experience cannot be undervalued.
Maintaining the historical authenticity of the pistol can be just as important as attention to detail. You don’t have to get the pistol restored to exact color or finish, but you do want the handgun to have its true and original markings. Again, this may seem like a simple process, but it is anything but simple. These roll marks need to be sized and shaped perfectly, in order to match the original markings. They also need to be in the same position on the slide and or frame. Without experience in this field, you may end up with an odd looking marking on your newly restored 1911. Again, finding an experienced restoration expert cannot be overlooked.
Manufacturing new 1911 pistols has recently become a growing market. As one of the leaders in restoring them, Turnbull has taken that knowledge and applied it to our own line of new Model 1911 Handguns. When looking for a new model you will want to look for one that maintains the historic look of the pistol. However, there is more room for personal preference when buying a newly made one opposed to having one restored.
The 1911 is a classic look that people recognize and love, and buying one new allows the buyer to have more design options that are more appealing to the individual. Opposed to restoring, you can get relatively creative when manufacturing these classic handguns. With new model’s, you still need to pay attention to the historical authenticity, or it won’t be recognized as the iconic piece that it is.
Companies, like Turnbull, have put their own twist on these models now. Adding different coloring to the slide and frame and applying new grips, can really make these handguns standout. Classic engraving styles can also be added to these guns turning them into beautiful show pieces. When looking for a company to buy a newly made 1911 from, historical authenticity and attention to detail is still the most important thing. Hand cut engravers, experienced metal finishers and experienced restorers make the perfect shop from whom to buy from. Whether you are looking to use these handguns for sport or for show, the Model 1911 is a perfect choice for a handgun collector.
Whether you are an experienced collector or someone who is just beginning to collect, finding an experienced company to restore or buy new from, is a must! Without experience, you may end up with a devalued restoration or a 1911 that is not historically accurate. Done correctly, these classic handguns will continue their storied tradition in American History.
Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing is proud to support the Ontario County Republican Committee for the second year in a row, with the donation of a Turnbull Heritage 1911. The 15th annual “Tastings on the Lake” event at the Inn on the Lake will be held on March 1st, 2015 from 1:00-4:30 PM and includes Finger Lakes wineries, microbrews, distilleries, exotic teas, organic juices, gourmet cheeses, Hor D’Oevres, cheesecake samplings and huge silent and live auctions.
Turnbull’s contribution is a Turnbull manufactured Heritage Edition Model 1911. The Heritage is an accurate reproduction of the iconic 1911 pistols built during WWI. The pistol is hand built, and polished prior to our signature finishes being applied, using only components made in the U.S.A. Tickets may be purchased at the door. 
Original Colts, Winchesters, 1911s from various manufacturers, and double shotguns are worth big bucks even in rough condition, so not all guns are suitable for restoration from a value standpoint. But factory new condition is possible, even if a gun is horribly pitted and the parts are not all there. There is a tradeoff between “all original” value and refinished value in these guns, and that can get a little tricky. There isn’t a lot of collector demand for really rough guns under 45%, and these are great candidates for restoration.
Turnbull Manufacturing has been the most recognized name in old firearm restorations since shortly after Doug Turnbull started out in 1983. They employ nine full-time gunsmiths, plus an engraver, and work out of a 6400 square foot building in Bloomfield, New York. Overall, Turnbull has restored and/or repaired over 25,000 firearms, and now they even have their own line of guns There is no more respected name in firearm restoration worldwide than Doug Turnbull, and if you want your old gun restored to factory new, there is no company more capable and trusted than today’s Turnbull Manufacturing.
You may not even know this, but guns were much prettier back in the day. From the factory, most pre-WWII guns, through the late 1930s, had what is called a “charcoal blue” finish on the barrel. It is a light blue, not the black you see today, and it glimmers and shines, unlike the black of today. The old guns also had “color case hardening,” on many of their bare metal parts, including the receivers on rifles and the frame on revolvers. Color case hardening is a multicolor design that is literally burned into the metal and shimmers with colors ranging from blues to greens, to purples to oranges, and no two guns are ever alike. Generally they also had reddish hand rubbed wood, really beautiful stuff.
If your old gun is 45-50% or better condition, and hasn’t been cut down or had major parts or wood replaced, you should take a hard look at the all-original value before deciding to restore it, according to the experts at Turnbull. Guns in less than 45% condition can generally be refurbished back to factory new, and they will and retain in re-sale value that money that you spend with Turnbull Manufacturing (and sometimes multiply several times).
Better condition guns are always in demand by collectors and investors, but the rougher the gun, the fewer people want it. The Turnbull crew can give you a good idea in real dollars of what the effect of a high quality restoration will have on the overall resale value of the firearm, original versus refurbished. They have a 12 month wait on restorations, so they aren’t hurting for work, and you can trust their opinion as to what is best for your gun. Doug and the guys themselves buy guns to restore and sell at a profit, because though nobody wants an old grey ugly gun, everyone wants a Turnbull, if you’re a gun nut of course.
Accuracy is often even more important than beauty in an historic firearm restoration. Parker Shotguns, for instance, are known for muted colors in their case color hardening, whereas WInchester and Colt produced guns with purple and even orange highlighting. You may have heard of charcoal bluing if you are a gun nut, but did you know that the screws, trigger, basepin and some other small parts were what is called Nitre Blued in the late 19th and early 20th century? Colt, Winchester, Marlin, and many other gunmakers used this purplish, or what is sometimes called “fire bluing” on the small parts only, because it is more durable than charcoal blue. By the second world war, the black bluing we see on guns today, which is called hot, or “dulight” bluing, became the standard because it was cheaper, but prior to this most guns were charcoal blued with Nitre bluing on the wear parts.
Case color hardening was used on Colt frames and Winchester receivers during the entire cowboy era, as well as on many other guns, like the Sharps, Winchester Hi-Wall, and the Remington Rolling Block. Most side by side shotguns also had charcoal bluing and case coloring. Bone charcoal is the key ingredient in this unique process that Turnbull has perfected over the years. The gun is packed in it and heated in an oven, and the longer you leave it, the richer the highlights. It also hardens the steel to a 28-35 Rockwell, and the finish can’t scratch off. It is 15-20 thousandths deep into the metal.
Turnbull can bring all of these guns and more back to factory new condition, with, in most cases the original correct markings re-rolled into the metal, clean and sharp. Over the years they have accumulated a number of original dies from the original manufacturers, and it is almost scary just how “original” they can make a beat up old gun look. They will not, however, take an Italian or other replica gun and sand off the old markings to replace them with period correct markings. This would lead to a very confusing situation with possible Turnbull guns being sold as original guns, and there are also copyright issues even if they wanted to do such a thing.
The guns that Turnbull Manufacturing now makes are made from purchased parts, in the white with no finish, and Turnbull works their magic on them to make them truly exceptional pieces of art. The lever gun receivers are custom CNC machined from one, consistent supplier, and the single action revolver frames come from U. S. Firearms, who make their own version of the famous Colt that is known for great quality. Turnbull does not do action jobs though, so if you want a gun that is both beautiful and competitive, you will have to also send it out to an action specialist. Just remember that rust solvents also remove traditional bluing, because it is in fact rust, so for working guns you need to be careful not to ruin them with the wrong chemical. Also keep in mind if you plan to cowboy shoot with these guns that sunlight, and UV rays, are about the only thing that damages case coloring, and it is tough to stay out of the sun cowboy shooting.
The costs involved with a Turnbull restoration may require a specific quote. They do have a price list on their website, but those are exact prices for disassembled, cleaned and polished parts. On an old grey Colt single action that has all working parts and doesn’t need anything, a typical simple bluing and case coloring, as well as grips will run you about $2,500. A working yet ugly Winchester levergun with the metal done, as well as the stock, is about $3,000. Replica guns, brand new from Uberti and others, that you want to transform to the original factory look run about $650, and leverguns about $1300. And though the 1911 was never issued with a case colored frame, the Turnbull 1911 re-furb, to case color the frame and charcoal blue the rest of the parts, very pretty, is $650. If you have a field grade L.C. Smith, Parker, Fox or other old shotgun, complete restorations are in the $3,000 range.
The in-house engraver has an interesting variety of functions at Turnbull. They get in a lot of old higher grade shotguns, like a Parker DHE, and many of them are in terrible shape, pitted and worn from years of neglect. In these cases, where some of the guns need to be sanded a great deal to get out the pitting, their engraver can exactly replicate the engraving that was on the gun. They also have a bunch of original patterns from Colt, Winchester, Marlin and others of the factory engraving on higher grade guns. So you can upgrade your gun as part of the restoration. Custom patterns are available as well. And engraving, historically, is also something that almost always stays in the value of the gun and often multiplies in value. Not a ton of engraved guns exist in the world, and there will always be a good market for them from collectors and shooters alike.
Instant gratification is possible at Turnbull, but not with restorations, which do have that 12 month wait generally (notice that we repeated this 3 times so don’t complain in the comments when you call and are told this). They currently have some of their Ruger #1 Rifles in their own proprietary .475 Turnbull caliber. They are roughly $2,000, and are absolute things of beauty. The Ruger #1 didn’t exist in the late 1800s, so they were never a true buffalo rifle, or the first generation of African rifles, but since Ruger introduced their much loved falling block in 1967 it became an instant classic, and a favorite of American, African, and European hunters alike. The Turnbull #1 is made specifically for them by Ruger in .475 Turnbull, and the base cost is $1,100. Refinished with rich color case hardening and charcoal blue brings them up to $2,000.
Both Hornady and RCBS make dies to reload the straight-walled Turnbull brass (probably made for them by Starline so good stuff), and they sell the unprimed brass for $175 per 100, very reasonable. Grizzly and Corbon both make loaded ammo for the gun. For bullets, Barnes makes a solid hardened copper and zinc solid for dangerous game, and a solid copper hollowpoint TSX for extreme expansion that was designed specifically for the .475 Turnbull. I found a lead bullet supplier, with gas checks and without for $30 per 100 at Montana Bullet Works, and they appear to get the gas check mold from Lead Bullet Technology (LBT). I also found a less expensive two cavity with several drive band options with no gas check at Mountain Molds. And wouldn’t you know it, there is actually a 325 grain gas check double cavity available from Lee for twenty bucks on Midway USA. They also have the gas checks available, and they have some pre-cast bullets with gas checks for sale as well. You would need the gas check for full snot loads in this powerhouse caliber, but I think that if you want to invest in one gun for a variety of purposes, this caliber could be downloaded to much less with wheel weight bullets for whitetails. We hope to get one of these Turnbull Ruger #1s in down the road to be able to get to actually shoot one.
From an investment perspective this gun is a steal. The Ruger #1 comes in and out of production and they almost always increase in value in the odd calibers. The Turnbull #1 is the kind of gun where someone just said, “this would be kinda neat,” and they actually followed through and made a bunch. Like all specialty guns, they WILL dry up, and when that happens I predict you will have to pay twice as much for one overnight, used. I’d love to see Turnbull take this caliber to some of the classic external hammer single shots, like the Sharps, Highwall and Rolling Block, but only the latter could probably handle the pressure. Getting this gun in and shooting it will be exciting. Nobody doesn’t like a #1.
Restoring an old gun is a tough decision, but it truly becomes a legacy and family heirloom that you create yourself. And though Turnbull doesn’t encourage people to send a $100 gun in for a $2,000 restoration, to bring it back to factory new, plenty, and I mean plenty of people send them old hardware store double shotguns, .22 plinkers, and beat up old break tops to restore for children and grandchildren, A utility gun won’t retain the money you put in, but you will be passing along a family heirloom in the same condition it was originally purchased. What is the price of a legacy after all?
Classic Colts, Winchesters, Marlins and even double action pre-war Smith & Wessons and L.C. Smith or Parker shotguns will almost certainly retain the investment made in them with a Turnbull restoration, and the transformations you can see here in the pictures. Your old grey gun that your great grandfather brought home from the war, a gun you feel responsible not to get rid of, will turn into a gun you love to own, and that you will be proud to pass on to your heirs. Few things in life are a no brainer, but restoring an old grey and only marginally collectible gun with Turnbull is a no brainer. That is probably why they are backed up a year.
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Turnbull Manufacturing Company is proud to announce a limited run of custom 1911 Commander type pistols. The pistol is based on the 1920’s era appearance of the 1911 pistol, if there were a Commander size slide and frame in production at the time.
The Turnbull Commander is a brand new design that incorporates classic designs, a combination of both traditional & modern materials and methods to bring historic looks alive with modern reliability and accuracy. It is this seamless combination of the old and new that sets Turnbull apart.
The pistol has a stainless steel 4.25″ barrel and bushing with a carbon steel frame, slide, hammer, trigger and grip safety. The pistol features a Novak Tritium night sight. It comes in .45 ACP with a 7 + 1 capacity in a traditional single stack magazine. All components are manufactured in the USA. 
Seated at #7, the Turnbull 1886 goes up against the Mossberg MVP Flex. The color case hardened action, and the expertly finished American black walnut stocks should set this lever action apart from the field.
Please show your support by voting here: http://www.gunsandammo.com/bracket/ 
Doug Turnbull receives a plaque honoring Turnbull Manufacturing’s contribtutions to the Hunting Heritage Trust Auctions from Bob Delfay.
Turnbull Deluxe 1911 Classic – Serial Number 1911001
Turnbull Commander Custom 1911 .38 Super
Turnbull TAR-10 Rifle
by Turnbull Mfg. Co., for the #56 Napa Auto Parts team with the fastest qualifying time.
Greg Biffle and the #16 3M team added to their collection of Turnbull firearms with a win that scored them the pair of six shooters by Turnbull Manufacturing Company. 
Ruger Vaquero with color case hardening and charcoal blue finishes
Ruger Vaquero with Carbona Bronze Finish
Tony Stewart firing off the Turnbull Mfg. Co. revolvers