Thanks for putting up the other photos in the thread. It is my opinion that the checkering is in no way original to the gun or factory work. The pattern, especially on the forend is too far of a departure from the standard. Also, an O grade of this early period would typically not have any checkering.
However, the biggest telling sign is the condition of the checkering against the rest of the gun. The finish of the metal, and even the signs of old age in the forend wood are evident. But the checkering looks much more recently cut.
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B. Dudley
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