I've gone back over the gun and Mazur's notes and much of the work had to do with getting the sears (triggers, hammers, ejectors, etc) to the correct settings. Any piece he had to weld or repair was hardened and tempered.

As far as the ejectors go, it may be a matter of timing. Mazur set them to be late and he reduced the spring force as they were tossing brass 15+ feet. He told me to open the gun fully to release the ejectors. If I open it slowly sometimes they don't eject, but if I open it with authority, they eject every time.

Regarding the pieced in hook, I spoke to JJ and he said there are both pros and cons to the weld-up vs. piece-in. The weld up will anneal the steel making it softer than the rest of the lump. Piece-in does not change the original lump properties and the piece can be made from hardened steel. The piece can also be replace if needed. The disadvantage is that it can work loose over time.

The real advantage of the second (Ferlach) barrel is that I don't ever have to shoot the originals, and I take comfort in that these barrels have been tested to over 20 tons per square inch when they were proofed in 458.

In the final analysis, if I don't like it I'll list it on Brass Pro Shop for $50K