Well, I went back and looked at it Saturday in better light. Turns out that the rifle was carefully polished and refinished and apparently unfired since the refinish. The peep sight turned out to be a Redfield (which is fine with me) and the rear sight was there (it had been missing on the Marlin I'd also looked at). Since there's not collectors' value at all, I made a relatively low-ball offer. Turned out that it came with an unfired yellow box of Winchester 250 grain cartridges (box badly tattered and both end flaps missing) and I was also able to pick up a new set of RCBS dies with caseholder, 100 Winchester factory cases (new in a bulk box) and two boxes of the Kodiak premium 250 grain flat nose bullets. All in, I paid $875, which is certainly a fair price, but not the steal I'd hoped it was. Still have to deal with the butt stock, but I'll live with it until I can find some 200 grain bullets, load and shoot them. If the rifle is accurate, I'll get it fixed. If not, down the road it will go.

Thanks for all your help and especially for the Treebone Carvings link, which will make replacing the butt a lot easier if I decide to do it.

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Of the Troops & For the Troops