One thing this all tells me, the admitted cheapskate, is that the next time I find an otherwise good double that has been cut off some, I won't reject it out of hand for having no choke. There might be plenty of other reasons to pass (like the altered balance, or a fouled up rib), but for me that one's gone. (I just might not mention that to the seller, however....).

Actually, I shoot cylinder a lot, since the "open" barrel of three of my doubles is cylinder bore, and that's the one that sees most of the shooting. Works well with steel, too (in guns that are otherwise qualified).