Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Tim, I didn't shoot those loads off my shoulder. I took the barreled action out to an old blow down that was angling into the forest floor and lashed the action to it with the muzzle aiming safely down toward the ground. Then I pulled the trigger with a string while hiding behind a large swamp maple. I figured a max load of 75-80 grains for normal hunting of whitetails so I was looking to proof the gun with roughly twice that maximum.
I haven't put her on a scale but I'd guess she'll weigh in at 11 lbs or so. Definitely not a walk around the woods all day kinda' rifle. Originally I imagine a rifle like this one would have been at home shooting bison from the window of a steam locomotive.
Mike, I gave the shotgun buttplate some thought but I've always been the type to sacrifice function in favor of appearance. I simply liked the look of the crescent buttplate better. I know I'll regret it someday when I touch off a rushed shot at a deer with the point of that buttplate nestled dead center in my bicep. OUCH!!!!
