I'll address the barrel then I have to do some work and will answer the other questions later.

Many Pope 30 caliber barrels are cut with a 1-14" twist, I think this was his standard twist for the 06. The barrels he made for the international match rifles circa 1923 had 1-14" twist. They are also right-hand twist, for a very good reason, anybody know that reason? And last, the bore seems to be perfect, nice smooth and shinny.

MP Sadly Deceased as of 2/17/2014