The 24C was one of those things that looks great, but lags behind in actual execution. I've owned a few and let all of them go. The light weight and stock design contributed to very noticeable recoil when you fired slugs or magnum loads. In typical Savage 24 fashion, the rifle accuracy was a crap shoot, in that some will and some won't.
I send a message to the seller and asked him how he knew that it is an R&D gun, but have not heard back from him.
BTW, the carrying cases weren't animal leather, just artificial material. There were two different styles, the one that is pictured and one with a camo pattern that was foam padded with a Cordura nylon outer shell. The foam padding added some bulk to the carrying case, but it also protected the content better, another trade off.