Blue Drifter,
I own a 1878 SXS and I really like it so I bought one of their 97's and I must say, out of the box, they leave alot to be desired.
The action was real stiff and the internal machining was horrible. I HAD to have an action job done. I've never bought another gun as poor quality craftsmanship as this.
After alot of money spend on getting the internals corrected along with the action job, it is now a real fine example of what it should have been in the first place at more cost than I have ever spent on an original.
The materials used on them are of excellent steel. Mush better than an original. All threads are SAE and the screw in choke is a nice addition also.
The only drawback for me, is I'm so darned used to the takedown originals and my hand position is different on the solid frame TTN, that I can't get the same results as I can with my takedowns.
And it's not the gun at all, It's me. So Now I'm selling the TTN, at a considerable loss of my investment. Used only in 2 matches and only 1 stage in each of them.