I had one of the Gibbs No. 4 rifles modified to No. 5 "style" and with a couple of reservations, they did an excellent job. The "reproduction" No. 5 had the correct type buttpad and flashhider, which were both spot on. However, the handguard was not, thought that made no difference to the shooting. It also did not have an adjustable rear sight, merely the L-type battlesight. That detracted more from the appearance than the utility, however.
While we often cringe at the thought of old military rifles that were dripping with history (if that rifle could talk!), armies often had their own rifles brought up to date, nearly always by shortening the barrels. In fact, rifles were freely modified and rebuilt when there was some need or benefit. They were getting ready to make more history.
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Shoot low, sheriff. They're riding Shetlands!
Underneath the starry flag, civilize 'em with a Krag,
and return us to our own beloved homes!
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