Ngrumba;
Good afternoon to you sir, hopefully this finds you well.
Although this particular rifle has been gone for some time now, for more than a decade it was my horse hunting rifle.
The fore end was one I did up because I liked the way the Dakota Model 10's looked and they had a barrel band without sights as well on many of them.
Try as I might I could not get a photo of a Dakota Model 10 to show up here - perhaps a quick search would show one though.
Anyway sir that's just another vote for doing what you think is best. Good luck with your rifle whichever way you decide.
Dwayne