Gunwolf-thanks. Sounds like a wonderful area. As to "Western Desert," I was thinking of the region where Montgomery and Rommel had their altercation.

GB- keep the pics coming. Looks like a nice piece of wood. Not sure about the original barrel color. I would think black but greater minds may chime in. Brown would look good and be in keeping with an aged gun regardless of the original color. You could brown them and boil later if desired.