Thank you for your observations and recommendations, CL. I've always wondered why the checkering and color were different on the butt stock and forend. I've had the gun since 1966 and it's never been touched during my time except to repair slight cracks in the stock and endplate. After my great-grandfather died in 1947, the gun sat unused in an attic, so he must have had reason to re-finish it during his lifetime. Maybe the split in the stock had something to do with it. Anyhow, thanks for partially clearing up a mystery! I'm glad the forend finish is original as it shows me what the butt stock once looked like.
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