Thanks guys. I'd like to say something about the finishing on this rifle. I bought some tannic acid 'on-line'. It is a powder and came from China, of all places. I dissolved a heaping tbsp in a pint of hot water, and applied it to the wood after whiskering thoroughly. There was no apparrent change in the colour of the wood, apart from being wet. When it had dried, I applied ferric nitrate solution, and the stock went instantly black! There were lighter areas of dark grey, but for the most part it was black. When that dried, I burnished the wood with a green ScotchBrite pad, and then 0000 steel wool. Then I blushed it and this is the result. The tannic acid made the curl pop. I applied seven thin coats of Tung Oil 24 hours apart, and that was it. The barrel, tang, and rear sight are browned.
