Dean, all of the floral terminations on the receiver are tightly wrapped, and yet none are nearly so tightly wrapped on the barrel wedge.
Since barrel wedge engraving was almost exclusively a grade 7 feature, one could assume that if the wedges were original (to the barrels, not to this gun,as stated by the seller) then these barrels were from a grade 7 gun. However, there were only three grade 7 damascus barrelled guns. There were nearly 200 damascus barreled grade 6 guns, and while others here have spoken of seeing grade 7 Damascus barrel wedges, they are not speaking of grade 6.
As you have seen the gun in hand, and shot it at Ernies, were you shooting the cylinder bore cut barrels? Did you notice the quality of the restamped number on the barrel?
Restamping of serial numbers on barrels is commonplace now, and,as is being done now by Batchelder on a gun for me, the original number is ground off, probably using a carbide ball end mill, or burr, followed by either TIG, or more likely laser welding, and, finally restamping.
None of those welding processes were available back when this barrel was purported to have been mated up with the gun.
I haven't held this gun in hand, but others have and questions remain.
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