Joeygrouse,
I sympathize with you to a larger extent, but let me chastise you out of kind-hearted cyber friendship as well.
You brought much of this on yourself. You should drop $500 and get a wall thickness gauge before buying or selling any decent shotgun.
I own 11 shotguns, far from a "major collector" and I wouldn't get caught dead without a decent gauge. 1.) I would never believe someone in a gun shop that says "good walls" unless they showed me the gun and their gauge. 2.) I'd never sell a gun I own to a friend or stranger without telling them what the wall thickness and bore diameter are precisely. I don't want the guilt or liability, nor do I want to sell a gun too cheaply because if the walls are superb the gun is worth a premium.
Here's what you do:
Go to connecticut shotgun's website and drop $550 and buy the Galazan wall thickness gauge. It'll work perfect and you can measure your own guns. Don't rely on another friend's-buddies-inlaws-roomate to measure your gun and give you an opinion, look with your own eyes.
