You guys missed the most obvious sign on this particular cut job. The sight bead was set too far back after the barrels were trimmed. Look at the distance from the front of the uncut stripped rib to the bead hole in Buck Hamlin's photo versus the gun in question. Even in cases where the end of the barrels don't have that sharp newly cut look that Bill Schodlatz mentions, or where the end has been blackened so you don't easily see that shiny solder, most choppers have a tendancy to replace the bead further back than on originals. What grabbed my attention before even seeing any pictures on this G grade was the 26 3/8" length given. While some of the earlier hammerless Lefevers may be off by 1/16" or even 3/32' from an even 28", 30", etc., I've never seen an uncut one so far off even numbers.
Signs like this put me off this morning when I was examining an otherwise very nice Colt 1883 10 gauge. Everything else on the gun was original and much better condition than usually found. The price would have been very attractive if it hadn't been cut. Seller insisted it wasn't cut. Imagine that.
