Lloyd,
Thanks for noticing. Most of the guns original case colors are right where the factory put them, which, is a rare find on a pre-WWI Darne. I've seen very few from that era that are this nice.
I shot it yesterday, and can report the gun has loosened up nicely, even if, I didn't-I had a miserable couple rounds of skeet. The "low recoil" WInchesters did their job, but, aren't all that low a recoil round in a 6lb gun with tight bores. No signs of too much pressure, however. Getting the ejector/extractor mechanism un-seized eliminated the other issues I thought I had.
I need more practice, but, the lawn tractor keeps calling me. That, and the whole 40+ hour a week thing. I'm sure you can relate.
The sling could easily be a pattern, however, the 3/4" sling that Jeff's Outfitters sells is just better, all the way around. I will definitely keep the original, because, it IS the original, but, I'm not going to reinvent a wheel just to say I did it.
Best,
Ted
