Stan, that piece of walnut is not what was cut off but a piece that I had laying around. A black tip Sharpie helped with some of the grain.
As to L.C. Smith 16 and 20 gauge guns having 32 in barrels, there weren't many made. A club in California I believe it was the Widgeon Club, where quite a few of the members shot both Parker and Smith's 20 gauge with 32" barrels. Your field grade was one of 220 out of 38,678 made, and Ghostrider's 20 there were 133 made of out 30,924. They are at a premium in the small gauges. There was one 34" barrel made in a 12 gauge but I don't think it has surfaced at least I haven't heard it mentioned.
Short story, there is a friend in Louisiana who's uncle market hunted ducks and he shot a Ideal grade 16 with 32" barrels. When this friend asked his uncle how many ducks he shot with it, the uncle said a trunk full. The friend thought he meant a car's trunk but it was a box car full of ducks. The island that they shot from was not too far from a train railway and the train would stop and take the ducks and bring them to Baton Rouge.
Gun is still as tight as can be and he has brought it to the Southern SXS and wrote an article that I put into our Journal.
