It is possible that the slight gap is the result of forend iron warpage during the case coloring process, but in the absence of before and after pictures, I wouldn't leap to that conclusion. It is also very possible that the gun needed to be resurrected because after 100-plus years of hard use, it was nearly worn out, especially on the bearing surfaces. There is no guarantee that the bearing surfaces are going to wear evenly, especially if the gun was used after becoming off face. Perhaps BFT can shed some light on that for us. Also, can anyone tell whether these are the relatively rare fluid steel barrels on a P grade, or just the more common twist that has been obscured by the new bluing?
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