Many hours later...

[Todd Schrock]

Beautiful work Brian!

[B. Dudley]

This A-1 Special will get restocked and a Meriden SSBP will be used instead of the Repro plate. The photo below will show why. The Reproductions used the same sized ssbp on both 12 and 20g. guns. This results in a butt that is simply too short and way too narrow for a 12g. gun.
An original NOS Meriden plate will be used in the proper size for a 1-1/2 framed 12g.

Meriden ssbp on left and the Repro plate on right.

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[B. Dudley]

The final piece of metal alteration for this A-1 Special is the trigger guard bow.

This gun started as a straight grip, but the preferred configuration for the build is a pistol grip.

On Meriden built high grade guns (B and higher), the trigger guard bows taper quite a bit as they come into the guard strap/tang.

A Repro DHE PG guard was reshaped in this original high grade style.

These photos show the altered guard next to an unaltered Repro guard.

This is something that Parker Reproductions did not do to any of the B grades or A-1 Speicals.

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[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

This A-1 Special will get restocked and a Meriden SSBP will be used instead of the Repro plate. The photo below will show why. The Reproductions used the same sized ssbp on both 12 and 20g. guns. This results in a butt that is simply too short and way too narrow for a 12g. gun.
An original NOS Meriden plate will be used in the proper size for a 1-1/2 framed 12g.

Meriden ssbp on left and the Repro plate on right.

Attachment 69590

I'm glad to see this. I never liked the radius of the repro heel.

[B. Dudley]

The last bit of metal work that needed to be addressed on this A-1 Repro was, well... the Address.

What is the point in "Meridenizing" a Repro if it still has a Japanese makers mark on the barrel rib.

I sent the barrels to Glenn Fewless to have him laser weld up the whole makers mark. As well as 1" of the center matting so that the length of the legend could be made larger as to fit the new mark.

I then cleaned up the welds by hand.

I then had them rolled with the original Peerless Steel makers marks but Turnbull.

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