Rolftk - I see no reason either, for you to continue to make practice pieces. Your first effort will be a complete success, and they'll get better as you build more.
There are a couple of observations I would like to suggest though. First, you CANNOT use Phillips screws on a firearm of any kind, and even on a practice piece, seeing one made me grab my mouth. Use Robertson head screws!!
Just kidding about the Robertson...only slotted screws please. Your trigger plate should be held to the stock on its forward end by a machine screw coming down from the barrel tang. the rear end can have a slotted head screw countersunk into it's aft end. Now you have a hole with a countersink in your trigger plate that will need to be filled or replaced, so that you can drill and tap it for the tang screw.
The panels around the lock have nice lines. But I think I am seeing a flat or facet where they transition into the ground of the stock. I think this should be a perpendicular fine line on an American pistol/rifle. Also the transition seems soft and mellow but not crisp, which is preferable.
The stock itself has a most pleasing architecture, and lines of a good shooter. Bury the trigger guard extension and the rail until they are flush with the wood. On the extension, just the bevel should protrude from the wood; the top flat above that.
For inspiration on carving design, there are hundreds of books depicting originals. Since I don't have originals lying all over the shop, that's where I go for education.
You are going to end up with a most worthy pistol or pair of them. Building a pistol is "X" amount of work, but building a pair is not "2X", as you probably have discovered by now. Keep us posted....
