Inspection of these Reilly tubes has me suspecting the left one may have been replaced.
While I was aware of the differing Damascus patterns initially, closer inspection has revealed the following:
-the font of the serial numbers and some of the proof marks is different
-the general fit of the left tube to the lumps is not as good as the right,
-the left tube appears to have been soldered to the lumps rather than brazed like the right.
If this is indeed a replacement I suspect it was done shortly after the gun was made,possibly by Reilly themselves.
It appears to be a good job in general, and other than the different patterns it is undetectable on the closed gun.
Was this a common practice and could they simply resubmit the gun to have only the one barrel undergo definitive proof?
Cheers,
GDU