A new BTFE for a Repro
 

This 12g. DHE 2 barrel set had its original forend broken on the one side a couple times and repaired once or twice in-between. The owner deemed it time to just replace it with a new one instead of trying to repair it again.

I made a new one for the gun from a piece of claro walnut that was a good color match to the buttstock. The buttstock of the gun, as well as all of the metal finishes had already be refinished at another time by the owner by who knows who. I didn't really care for the level of finish that the butt had, but that was not part of the job.

I rough glued the broken piece back on the original forend just for the sake of duplicating it. Since I was altering the profile a lot, I just duplicated the inletting and the barrel channels. But the barrel channels were done very undersized to allow for perfect hand fitting. The outside profile was done from block.

I took the opportunity to make the new forend in the Meriden style which is thicker in the sides than the repro fronds and also has a more attractive nose to it. I cannot stand the nose that was put on a lot of the Repro btfes and the razor thin sides sure to lend themselves to breaking easily. That should not be a problem with the new forend.

The checkering was done in the typical repro style to match the wrist. But I placed it in a more attractive position on the forend in relation to the latch.

Here are some photos including some comparisons of the new next to the old.

Attachment 80468

Attachment 80469

Attachment 80470

Attachment 80471

Attachment 80472

Attachment 80473

Attachment 80474

Attachment 80475

Attachment 80476

Attachment 80477

Attachment 80478

Attachment 80479

Attachment 80480

Attachment 80481

Attachment 80482

very nice work Brian

looks a lot better than the origanal to me....good workmanship...charlie

Excellent work Brian! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Very nice!

Do you see a lot of damaged btfe’s, Brian? The side-walls are pretty thin..

This is the first one that I have replaced due to damage. I have repaired a couple . And seen others. But not a ton of them.

I have a btfe for a 20g and have wished the sides were a little beefier so the channel could be opened-up for 16ga w/out fear of damage. I do love the btfe’s, they’re comfortable and make it so easy to pull the butt into the shoulder nice and solid-like.

Nice work Brian.

Excellent wood match Brian. Great work overall.

Impressed at the Wood Match!