After doing some thinking about the timeline, I'm back to being uber-happy about this gun:
The first image that I originally showed of the real steel versions was the first image that SEI released of one of their projects. This used the old Sage EBR at that time, which was a larger EBR - it's the same one shown in Metro's image. It also incorporated that older style ring-type front sight at the time.
Sage, Inc. then released the "ChopMod" version of the rifle chassis and dropped the older, larger, heavier & bulkier design. The revised chassis was shorter and balanced out the gun much better. Smith Enterprises, in conjunction with Sage, integrated the new chassis in to the SEI product. The old SEI Crazy Horse image was removed from the site some time in 2006 or perhaps early 2007.
Smith Enterprise had also picked up tritium bar combat front sights, which they further began to integrate in to their flagship product.
Once integrated in to a product sample, a new photo was taken, which is the second photo I showed - I've since removed the original first photo and put the modern image as the first image. I noticed this image was posted on the SE site some time earlier this year.
On closer inspection of that tiny resolution image, you can see that the current Crazy Horse configuration uses the newer "ChopMod" length chassis, as well as the tritium glow sight... and so, my replica is being back to being a very close replica.
On that note... I think I may have to get me one of these tritium glow sights to put on my replica... pwuahahaha