Hi Don.
The short answer to your question is "Yes." I definitely find that guns which are visibly "customized" (re-stocked, re-barreled, refinished, etc) tend to have more things screwed up on them than those which have been maintained in the original factory configuration. There's no hard rule, however. I have purchased a number of .300 H&H rifles in original looking condition, only to find they have been rechambered but never re-stamped, and their bolts refaced with the work looking like it was done by a neanderthal. I have also bought heavily customized rifles where literally every part of the gun is in some way changed, and have found the workmanship to be incredibly good.
As a business owner, I pretty much have no choice but to buy parts and rifles form all over the country without seeing them first. It's just a reality of the amount of volume which moves through our shop. Most parts and rifles are fine with nothing modified by past owners. But some are really screwed up. I would estimate around 5% to 10% of what we buy never goes for sale on our website because we deem it unfit. That's just a business reality, since it would slow me down too much and cost me too much to see everything before I buy it.
But I'm not just a business owner. As a personal collector of pre 64 model 70s, I rarely buy from someone I don't know or from a source where I don't have the luxury of holding it in my hands before I commit myself to the purchase. For this reason, GunBroker and other online sources of rifles are not my favorite place for a personal rifle purchase. I have bought some of my own guns online, but only when the seller had a good reputation and a return policy I felt comfortable with.
Best regards from Seattle,
Justin
