You are so right, I will take some properly lighted shots of barrel flats.
Can you tell me who Ted Neal is, I am not familiar with him?
As to restocking the gun, could it be he repaired a part of the stock as opposed to restocking it? I ask this as the stock is very worn out, but there is a small piece of the stock at the point where the hidden sling is, that is not the same wood. It was a repair job, nicely done.