Sam,
Thanks for the suggestion on staining. I can't tell yet whether the sap wood is avoidable but should know after the through-bolt hole is in.

I've taken elk and deer on Raspberry, Afognak and Whale Islands and the hunting was always much more comfortable with a substantial rifle in hand. Also a bear on Fraser Lake in '83. Great country and envy your twelve years there. Always encounters with bears and the only one I didn't mind was the Fraser Lake hunt.

Dennis