The .25-20 you refer to is still with me. I also bought the M1893 your refer to. It was a .25-36. It was neat to have the pair of them. Neat they were both in .25 caliber as well. However, I was never completely happy with the M1893 as the buttstock was off a different gun.
Minor issue since the receiver did have a saddle ring, the fact the serial number didn't match didn't bother me a bit. With a saddle ring, and a carbine buttstock and buttplate I was fine with it. Had it had a crescent butt, and a saddle ring on the receiver I'd be bothered.
I was surprised the 1894 above wasn't polished out before they hot blued the receiver. But happy too. I think whoever blued it had no idea what they were doing. They just disassembled the receiver and dropped everything into their bluing tank....thank goodness! Never stripped a Marlin receiver before and found case colors.
The Schoyen Ballard in the green lined Hereford hide case was all hot blued when I found it. I stripped it also, and sent parts off to Al Springer who color cased it, and rust blued the barrel. Poor gun was really ugly hot blued.
