Sir Jerry,
1954 M70 Taj found making you fidget for a 1956 African or a Bo Peep ?
Funny you should mention self-barbering.
I used the dog clippers this AM to knock the beard down from 2" to 1/2" and lower my ears a bit with some side-head trimming.
I keep doing that until I start getting a mullet and talented Wife offers a styling to remove the long hairs in back.
If she is too busy I give myself a burr every six months:
January 1 for New Hair's Day
and July 4 for Independence from Hair Day.
Also funny you should mention taking the rifle out of the stock.
I did too and it was as interesting as when Phil Shoemaker showed his circa 1904 original 404 Jeffery.
There is one heck of a barrel recoil lug with tie-down screw, as you know,
and what looks like skim glass bedding backing the primary recoil lug and a rear pillar.
Mauser spacer on the alloy bottom metal acts as front pillar.
I will be looking for some steel M98 bottom metal to preserve the original in a safe.
Get the replacement engraved and gilded like the original, heh-heh-heh.
Bore has been cleaned spotless except for lint and stray dog hairs.
The walnut tiger stripes show inside the well sealed barrel channel.
The amount of wood surrounding the rear cross bolt is massive.
She is a proven shooter by you.
Nothing to prove for Mahohbesta.
She just falls back together and I torqued the screws thusly:
Barrel lug: 26 inch pounds
Both action screws: 42 inch pounds.
That felt about like you had them.
I wiped her with BreakFree CLP all over and then wiped her dry.
The only demerits I ever got at West Point during the Vietnam War was for an oily rifle.
I learned my lesson.