Bonanza,

Let me be brutally honest with my opinion, at the risk of offending. The restoration was a failure. You said earlier, "Most of the work was on the ejectors" yet the ejectors aren't working.

Frankly speaking, the second set of barrels (Ferlach or Belgium?) in the same caliber adds little or no value, either in terms of use or in terms of resale. In my experience a second set of barrels in a different, useful caliber adds some value, but not near enough to cover the cost of the barrels. Here the second set is the same caliber, having been altered from .458 Mag. Undoubtedly the second set was made back when components for the .450#2 were not available, and Ferlach gunmaking was cheap. Now they are just so much excess baggage.

I know from my own experience that buying a double rifle is highly emotional. Once you decide to go for it, your mind tends to rationalize away the trouble in support of the initial commitment. It's important to be objective. Study the transaction with a very jaundiced eye. Rip it apart in your mind. Force yourself to acknowledge all the flaws. If after such caustic analysis the good outweighs the bad, then it's a good deal.

I've said before that my opinion is influenced by the fact that high original condition is important to me. Others feel differently about condition. But I doubt anybody feels they want to compromise on function and mechanical operation. One thing I do know is this. If Mazur spent 100 hours on this relic, mostly on the ejectors, and the end result is a dovetail insert in the hook and ejectors that fail to eject half the time, the "well documented restoration" was wasted time and money.

Unfortunately you don't have nearly the time to send the rifle to J.J., or anyone, for evaluation. I know of nobody in Charlotte NC qualified to do an inspection. I wouldn't accept anything Mazur said to you in your conversation with him. The proof of his lack of qualifications is in your hands.

I'd send that turkey back to the roost. Just my opinion, mind you. But don't let the exterior gloss blind you to the serious internal problems that remain unresolved. For my $17k, if spent on a boxlock, I expect a good solid tight and functioning double that reasonably should give yeoman service for the rest of my life.

Sorry to be so negative, but you asked for opinions. What I have said here I would say to my very best friend, so take no offense please.

Best regards, and good luck,
Curl