[Hawkeye6]

I just bought one myself in .44 Rem Mag. Had been thinging about it for a year or so and finally did it. I have not had a chance to fire it yet.

It is a very handy little package. Quick and light, it mounts to your shoulder quickly and easily. I got mine in .44 for a number of reasons. First, I have a couple fo .44 revolvers. Second, it should be an easy carbine to pack around, keep in my car, stow in a canoe, etc.

Mine is labeled a Model 94AE and seems to be already drilled and tapped for an XS ghost ring/receiver sight. Which is nice as I was already thinking of going that route.

As to the saddle ring, it traces its origins back to the days of Dragoons and horse-mounted Cavalry. I have seen illustrations of troopers with a strap or "bandoleer" over the left shoulder crossing the torso to the right, with a carbine snpped to it on the trooper's right hip. Seemed to me that it would have bounced around quite a bit at a canter or gallop, but maybe there was some other sort of attachment. It would certainly make the carbine accessable for mounted troopers and would make sure they had it with them when they dismount. I've also seen illustrations of the Cavaly with Pershing in his Mexican Expedition showing the '03 in some sort of nearly verticle mount (muzzle-down) on the saddle. May have been some sort of retention device on that kind of "scabbard", too.