Mark;
So far I have not met an HE that I didn't like - some just much more than others! NINE pounds 12 ounces! - now you're talking! That's the weight of my 32" gun! Maybe one day I'll get the back end of it back in time for the Bo Whoop at Ernie's - if not I'll just shoot my "Beckerized" 32-incher instead - restocked with a straight grip and the "giraffe necked" forend with ivory tip (pre-CITIES ban, of course!).
BTW - the centerpiece gun of our HE display last weekend at the MACA Show was none other than Henry Bartholomew's #1 frame 2 3/4" HE with 32" bbls. straight grip, which tipped the scales at 8 (Yes, EIGHT) lbs. even). I had occasion to shoot this gun using 2 3/4" magnum Kent Tungsten Matrix loads, and I can tell you it got my attention quick! Not used to shooting straight grip guns, the TG bit my middle finger good - so much the better you had this gun stocked with a ball grip - much easier to 'steer' and control.
Also, we had quite a discussion at the MACA Show about restoring guns - yes/no; value/devalue, etc. So far as I'm concerned, a well-restored gun like this one puts you so far ahead, its a big advantage in time and $. Kudos for preserving another of the 'Boomers' for future Foxdom. And I already praise you, but you know that!
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