also could you pleasure us with an image of the sideframe reinforcement?
Figured this question deserved its own post. Since you asked, I'll share some pictures of the side frame, but I don't think they'll please you. They nearly made me cry.
This is what the gun looked like when I got it, and probably why it sold for less than $200.
Some $#*^&W@# decided to bolt & weld a couple plates of scrap iron right onto the sides of the frame. There is absolutely no evidence of any frame cracking, or that it was done as a repair. A local Drilling collector told me that sometimes the frames could crack, and it looked like the previous owner added these plates to prevent it from happening. Who ever butchered this gun deserves a swift kick in the nuts.
I couldn't stand the sight of those nasty plates on it, so I ground them off just the other night. They were only partly welded around the perimeter, so there was actually still some engraving left underneath them. You can see there is a small clamshell? type reinforcement already. I still have to finish cleaning up the welded areas.
