First off,

Roger, thank you. That would seem like common sense to me, but sometimes it takes a post such as yours to calm things down.

Second off,

John, could you email me pictures of your gun? Jeromeson@*NOSPAM*msn.com. Remove the *NOSPAM*. I could probably date it for you by features. Also, if you could take the stock off and tell me whether you see a horse (ex-Pieper Spandau Gewehr 98 receiver) or the stylized letters "SH" (ex-Siemens & Halske Gewehr 98 receiver) on the underside of the receiver where the barrel attaches, I would be appreciative. I'm conducting a survey on these guns and if there's one thing I've found, there's no such thing as doing too much research.