All the restorers that I am aware of that resurrect basket case pitted guns build up the pits by TIG welding. If you can get your hands on the 4th Edition of Gun Collector's Digest (1985) there is an eye-popping article by Gale Morgan titled "1300 Grams of Rust...a photo essay on the restoration of a rare Broomhandle". It is 10 pages of step-by-step rebuilding of a rust pitted relic of a 20-shot Mauser. It is a TIG welding and machining tour de force.
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If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction
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