Lots of us, including I suspect many on this board, have tried to improve/clean up guns similar to yours--and have later regretted it. I would suggest you send it out for a strip and clean and leave it as is. Just use it and enjoy it. Many guns of that vintage have horn buttplates with that condition. It only adds to the mistique. Sometimes the screws are damaged when trying to remove them (they get rusted into the buttstock) and then you have diminished the piece. Gil

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