OK thank you for that info.
I'll take your experienced word that Jas Howe is a good candidate for having done the metal work. That part looks good and has some interesting features.
But that stock just doesn't look like it was orig to the rifle to me. Looks amateur-ish.
...Was J Howe that bad of a stock guy?
A later restock perhaps by an unkn?
What little of the wood we can see especially the cheek piece looks like a lot of first attempts IMO.
An off center stock nose and way over size at that.
The scalloped cheek piece wouldn't be needed here if the wood had been trimmed down to a decent dimension in the first place.
Checkering looks ametuerish. It's a 'point pattern',,but was done as a 'Fill In' pattern. So the lines of checkering do not always form the border lines.
Diamonds aren't diamonds. Aspect is close to a square.
Run overs galore, Crossed/jumped lines. and those colored diamond inlays. I's almost guess from the looks of the checkering (and maybe the inlays) that that work was very recent.
No finish in the checkering, or old oil, dirt etc. Might be just the pic though Maple is very pale when uncolored and fresh cut w/ no stain, finish or oil on it.
Really on a early classic American stock?
What am I missing.
Not knocking the rifle,,just can't figure out a complete connection to an Classic American Custom rifle,,metal work and the stock work together as one piece.
