Don't feel bad about missing the screw, I've been fondling this gun for a week and didn't even notice there was a hex head screw on the scope mount that didn't match the one on the other side. I'll have to check with some of the parts guys at the next show to see if there are any available.

It's difficult to tell from the pictures, but the wear on the magazine box matches the wear on the stock. I suspect this has seen some time as a hunting rifle with a lot of time being carried at the balance point, that's what the stock and magazine wear looks like to me. The sling appears to be a civilian version as it has iron hardware rather than brass.

I will likely leave the trigger guard alone, it 'looks right' - the wear matches the stock, and it has been on the rifle for a long time. I did notice a chip out of the stock which looks like what often happens when the magazine is removed, but I think I'll just let it be.

Jim - this rifle was at the table that hangs out into the doorway opening between the old and new sections of the hall. He had it on a floor rack standing at the end of the table, almost missed it! I didn't see the reproduction in the smaller hall, just this one and the other two in the large hall.

Can someone point me to literature or discussion on the scope variations? I've found a lot of reading on-line about the different aspects of the rifle itself, but little discussion of the scope and variations, I wasn't aware there were differences other than the commercial scopes used early on and the M73B1 military version.

Thanks for all of your comments. This board and others are fantastic resource for the collector.
Jim