Bob
As regards case color, the one sure thing you can do to validate those case colors is to have them carbon dated. I make this suggestion lightly because those on your gun would not be big deal to me; but in all seriousness, I'm aware of one instance whereby an AH Fox gun collector had his high grade Fox carbon dated. The colors on that gun appeared all original, but carbon dating proved them to be much later than the ship date of the gun.