Dave and Robert,
Thanks for your quick responses. The gun has been professionally restored, albeit with what appears to be cyanide case coloring, and its barrels actually measures 27 7/8" in length This abbreviated barrel length has me wondering if they have been cut. I've reviewed the FAQ information concerning this issue and while it answered some questions, it raised others.
For example ... the gun is choked M/F (.015/.30) with bore diameters of .670/.670 respectively. However, the choke lengths measure approximately 2 3/8" and 3 1/2" respectively. The unmatted portion of the rib looks 100% correct, the barrels are touching each other at the muzzle and the keels at the muzzle are quite evident. Additionally, the balance point of the gun is approximately 1" to the rear of the hinge pin. So, ... my concerns are, 1) the 27 7/8" length of the barrels, 2) the less than 4" choke lengths, and 3) the rearward balance. These three features raise my suspicions and seem to point to the possibility that at some time during the past 85 years the muzzles may have been trimmed ever so slightly.
A final question ... does the serialization book, or for that mattter a letter, ever list barrel length in anything other than whole inch increments?
Larry
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