A Day in the Sun With "The Duke"

I took the rifle out into the sun yesterday and snapped some pictures.
(Click on them to see them bigger)
I really love the coloration in the wood grain.

Especially the underside...

There's a lot of rust pitting, so I went to the hardware store and picked up the recommended 0000 Steel Wool.

I haven't had much luck finding a manual for step by step instructions on taking it down or reassembling it, and I even checked the mecca of manuals, Steve's Pages.
Jay told me that there's only about three ways that the thing can come apart, so he had me describe what I was looking at and send pictures while he talked me through taking it down by trial and error.
There wasn't much rust underneath where the barrel and action were encased with wood...we really thought there might be since wood could have held moisture, but it looked to be in decent shape.


He advised me to spray it down and let it sit for an hour or so and then wipe it down and let it go at that.
As far as the stock...I'm not touching it. Every nick, ding, and scratch stays.
Rust will be detrimental, so I'll stop that, but the stock won't be changed at ALL.
I know most people would start breaking out the sandpaper and the Tru oil, but I want to keep it just the way it was in my dad's hands and my uncle's hands.
Somewhere along the way, before it ever arrived in my family, someone had carved "J.W." in the stock. The running joke is that it must have been John Wayne's rifle. Hence the nickname "The Duke". :)
Nope...not gonna change a thing. Just cleaning it up.

Besides, didn't the Duke say "...I won't be laid a hand on"? *grins*