FCK-
I'd consider that if this weren't a hand-me-down from a great old friend.
Keeping this one 'in the family' so to speak.
I'm up for the challenge, been a machinist/jeweler/precision metalsmith for all my adult life and most of my youth. The guns and tuning them and shooting have been around all along too.
Just want to take the best path to success on the 1878
-FZ