Larry; As I said in my post I was not even discussing the Pro's & Con's of whether or not to open the chokes, that will depend on the gun in question & the individuals thought on the subject. All i stated was that unless yo get a smith who knows exactly what the Fox choke configuration was & to open the chokes to that same configuration, someone who cares "Can Tell" it's not original. With this gun having been re-stocked that's probably immaterial as you say. Sounds like a nice hunting gun, not a collector & if it were mine I would not hesitate to open the chokes on it. Someone who knew there stuff though could definitely tell it had been opened.
Ted;
Yes I believe a Utica built 16ga Sterlingworth would have had 2 3/4" chambers from the factory. Offhand I don't recall the exact date that Savage bought the Fox Co, but I believe it was late enough for the 2 3/4" chambers. Assuming that restock is sound & well fitted this gun will likely take anything Larry Can & I have no idea how recoil sensitive he is.
