Mike - What concerns me (for two reasons) is the following:
Quote: "The letter from Cody stated the gun was delivered in 1949 and that the barrels "Passed Salvage Gage"."
Having looked at the record and at the copy of the letter sent out on May 2, 2008, I have not seen any remarks such as those you describe ("Passed Salvage Gage"). I do not recall ever seeing this comment in the LC Smith records and I verified with Jessica Bennett, the Records Specialist, that she was not familiar with this notation as well.
The second concern with the above statement is that this gun was started, proofed, patterned, finished, and shipped from June 26, 1940 to August 26, 1940. The latest gun to ship in the near vicinity (within 50 serial numbers) left the factory in late 1941, not 1949.
Please feel free to send me a scan of the letter and I will take a look at it. Also, If you have access to an ultraviolet light, shine it on the letter and tell me what you see.