1906 20ga VH Stock

[Jim P.]

Looking for informed opinions on whether or not it's worth or possible to reshape the stock on my 1906 VH 20ga. First some background; the gun letters as a straight gripped VH hammerless ordered by Pacific Hardware in Los Angeles in November 1906 and delivered late April 1907. There is no reference to the double ivory beads, no Remington repair codes on the barrel flats or mention of the filing grooves and new stock in its current condition although everything is numbered correctly.

Looks like the stock was replaced as a CPG (with wood much "nicer" than an original VH), barrels blued and the safety looks more contemporary than would have been original to the gun. The issue is the girth of the stock wrist - it's almost a half inch thicker than a 0 frame gun should be (pictures provided for comparison with another 0 frame gun). It may be that a previous owner was shooting very heavy loads and had the gun reconfigured.

Can the stock wrist girth be reduced and re-checkered? She's a sweet little grouse gun and I'd like her to handle like the original 6 pounder she was.

[OH Osthaus]

I see no reason why not

contact Brian Dudley - although he may respond soon any way

[Jim P.]

Thanks, Rick, that's where I was headed. The guns been altered enough that one more improvement won't hurt it...

[B. Dudley]

Yes, your stock should be able to be thinned out without any trouble. If you have good wood to metal fit, and the stock is just fat, it can be nicely worked over to look correct for a Parker stock.
I see no photos of the whole stock, but depending on how the grip is shaped, I could even be converted back to a straight grip and have a proper SG guard put back on the gun.

Also, the gas lines in he breech face are also an aftermarket addition to the gun.

[Dean Romig]

Interesting that someone would cut gas vents in the breech face... I wonder why?

Are there Remington repair codes on the barrel flats? Remington made stocks are typically thicker in the wrist and that looks to be a very well made stock - possibly Remington, but the 'nose of the comb' doesn't look like Remington or DelGrego.

Looks like a 140XXX serial number. Yes, it does have the post-1917 safety button.

[Jim P.]

Thank you, Brian. I sent you a PM. Not sure I considered returning to a straight stock because of reconfiguring the trigger guard but that's been touched up, too.

[Jim P.]

Hi Dean - no repair codes on it and the numbers on the replaced stock are stamped much larger than original. If it was sent to Remington, it should have codes but maybe not?

[Dean Romig]

Well, there are no order books after 1919 and if it went back to Meriden there would be no record of it. Like I said, the nose of the comb doesn't look like Remington or DelGrego but more like late Parker Bros work.... who knows? We never will.

[Autumn Daze]

The stock on the gun seems to have a full comb add the thick wrist and this stock could have been ordered that way as a replacement.

[B. Dudley]

I had a VH that had gas lines put on the breech face as well. Mine has a full circle cut around the pin hold and then the straight line to the outside.