Well, the barrels lock down completely--no up and down looseness. It just seems to have a small bit of play. I guess I really need the gunsmith to determine that. You can just feel a slight probably side to side give in the closed barrel to action fit, not even enough to be visibly noticed, just felt. This is without shells in it. I don't have any other side-by-sides, so I don't know exactly how bad it is.
I wish I could hand you the gun through the screen so you could check it out.
Thanks for the help, Harry. I'm going to bring it in and see what they tell me. It would be nice if I could at least get a shooter out of the 16 GA. I also believe these guns will look far better if I clean them, and now that I know they're not that valuable, I think I'll clean off 100 years worth of grime and see how they look. Any objections for the sake of patina? Or would cleaning be okay?
Shane