I just thought I would share the photos of the bottom of my CEO 10 GA barrels showing the choke markings and chamber length and Gauge marking.

Looks like something probably done when the barrels were reblued. Certainly not anything being done by the boys at Remington Arms Co. in 1900.

So Researcher, do you think that the chokes were changed when the gun was refinished or could they have been originally been Mod and Mod? This CEO has indeed been refinished and restocked. The CC are not right but it is a C grade 10 GA and the only 10 GA that I own. I was suspicious in that the markings are stamped instead of engraved. I do have a 12 GA CEO with 2 7/8 engraved on the barrels.

The rear lug is marked 40 for the right barrel and 48 for the left and I see no indication anywhere that anything but the "standard" #8 chilled was used. The heaviest 10-gauge loads UMC offered were 1 1/4 ounce so -- 340/511 = 66.5% and 348/511 = 68.1% or about improved modified in both barrels. Hard to say if someone opened the chokes a bit or just targeted the gun with some other load and got modified patterns. I don't have the barrels in hand to run a bore mic in them, and even if I did, I have no data base of Remington Arms Co. 10-gauge bores to compare the results to.

I've long wanted a high grade 10-gauge Remington Hammerless Double, but I've never seen a 10-gauge above C-quality and the "right" gun just hasn't come my way. Is this the CEO-Grade 10-gauge the one Ben Loving had for sale a score or so ago?

Yes it is the one Ben Loving had. Even though it was not right I could not resist it. The only other 10 Ga I have seen was an AR that was in pretty rough shape. I should have bought it but funds were tight at the time. I have all grades except the D and of course the Special. My F grade is essentially a parts gun that I paid a parts gun price for. I will have to dig it out of the safe and look it over to see if it is shootable now that I am starting to shoot my Remingtons.