The barrels were trashed when the previous owner had a aftermarket set of chokes put in it. Done so poorly that a couple of the threads on the chokes were visible on the outside of the barrels! It was most likely still safe, but VERY ugly.
The Red Dot is the ticket in the thick wood here in Florida. We spend more time walking up hogs than sitting for deer and in the palmettos and swamp grass that Red Dot, with no magnification, is perfect. My dad taught me to shoot with both eyes open, something I have a hard time doing with a traditional scope. Not so with the Red Dot, especially when it's mounted a ways out in front like it is on this one.
Both eyes open all the time. Easy to keep track of a hog in thick cover that way.
The reciever is original. This is a old Red Label, made of steel not stainless. He matched the new bluing to the old fairly well. As I'm going to use the gun hard I told him not to bother rebluing the whole thing, just get it close.....and he did that.
