I bought an 1899 at a gun show last weekend. From the serial numbers, it was made in either 1900 or 1901. It operates smoothly, safety works, seems to be tight where it should be. The guy that had it said it was his grandfather's and that it was a 303. Now for the bad-The crescent buttstock has been cracked pretty badly, and repaired by a drunk monkey from the looks of it. The forend has some wood split off of the top side, and it is gone. The lovely old octagon barrel has been turned round, all except for about a half inch at the receiver end. You can still see a little octagon shaping at the muzzle. All markings are gone of course. No writing on the barrel at all. The bore isn't too bad. All bluing is now faded away. With my gas to the show, entrance fee, and lunch, I have $140 in the gun. Bargain, or did I spend too much on a project? I really don't know whether to shoot it as is, or try to return it to correct configuration-meaning replace the barrel and wood. Thanks for comments or advice. Danny
