Thank you all very much for your help with the decision. After much debate I elected not to purchase the shotgun (as so many of you advised)--in sum it would have been something for me to live with or to have repaired and in this instance, I elected not to live with it or have it repaired. It was a very difficult decision because save for this issue, the shotgun was very nice. I suspect (and hope) the seller will likely resolve the issue with a good stock maker and he will sell the shotgun for more money.
Doug
