No Chuck, I inquired about these and was told they're just scratches in the finish. But I thought the same thing from the pictures.

Good, enjoy the gun.

I am looking for a donor SBT to do the exact same thing to. I have a monoblock and Forend. I want to do a 2 barrel deal. Rifle / shotgun.

What caliber? 45-70??

Not really decided yet. I am thinking about. .35 rem or maybe 30-40 Krag. I need to sit down and do the pressure calculations and settle on a nice caliber for the action. I do not think i want to go bigger than .35 cal.

Without a top locking lug or cross bolt, cartridge is somewhat restricted to lower velocity/ pressures. As much as I enjoy 45-70, I think a flatter shooting round is more appropriate for this type of gun. As Brian suggested, there's nothing wrong with the old timers like 30-40 (.30 US), .303 British or .300 Savage. For simplicity, I'd stick with the rimmed cartridges, but don't I wish that action could handle .375 FNE.

.300 H&H ???

Any belted magnum would be too much, in my opinion.

I agree. It may realistically hold up, but most would not take the chance.

I am sure that any cartridge that was roots to the turn of the last century could be loaded right to work on an older shotgun action. But who wants to build something that needs a safety disclaimer attached to it.

I've always liked .405 WCF