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Steve, if you can show me a picture of a splinter forend on a Parker SBT I'd appreciate it cause I've never seen one. The picture of Annie shooting at the 1925 Grand and the examples of your SBT forend are all beavertail forends.

I'd bet your forend is original to the gun.

Chuck: This is all I've got of the forearm. http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...hotguns144.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...hotguns009.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...hotguns004.jpg

Are all SBT forearms beaver tail? I don't know, but since mine does not match the butt stock at all I figured it was a replacement.

Here's what I've got Chuck. The forearm does not match the stock very well, which is very nice, as you can see. There is a sizable chip out of the bottom of the wrist alongside the lower tang, but I'm not going to do anything about it. Call it patina.

No marks at all at the breech end of the barrel. It is an early SBT, 177853, I think (from memory). I have only seen one earlier and that was in the pages of the Parker magazine.

Not the best focus, but you can see it's an early SBT and obviously a SC.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...hotguns139.jpg

Your forearm looks like an original. Nice early gun with scroll on the trigger plate. My first Parker single is #177,741, traded a pair of Model 21s for it. It came with the original case and tags and in new condition. I didn't want to give up the Model 21s, but I had no money and I had to have the trap gun. I have shot that SC since 1973 and the receiver is not as nice as it was when it came home with me, but I wouldn't miss forty years of shooting all those targets in good weather and bad.

The forend is a Parker forend but is the wood original to the gun? It could also be that the straight stock is a replacement and not original and that's why the colors don't match. Is the S/N of the gun and a 4 stamped in the wood under the trigger guard? If it's there, then it's possible the wood has been refinished to a different color or Parker just did a poor match of color.

The mullered borders of the forend appear to be slightly different from the mullered borders of the stock - or maybe it's just the quality of the pictures.

Indeed the stock could be a replacement, but it sure fits well, as original Parker wood does. I have not removed the trigger guard because I hate to mess with the screws, even tho I have good screw drivers. The S# on the inside of the forearm matches the gun and the case colors glow. No color on the lower tang so it was shot quite a bit. Original owner was Ray Folger, of coffee fame. Pretty good sized chip missing alongside the lower tang, as if someone removed the trigger guard and pulled off a piece off wood with it. I've seen that happen before. The chiped place is slightly worn, so the gun was shot after it was damaged, probably by the original owner.

It was badly stored. When I got it, it had been kept in a cheap plastic case which did not breath. The gun was literally coated with rust and the pad was trash. I very carefully removed the rust, but the gun still shows some pitting. Paid $1500 for the gun to the son-in-law of the original owner. The man was burglerized and they took all of his shotguns (a complete group of 21s) but this one.

I shoot this shotgun weekly. Last year I shot mostly skeet, but this coming spring/summer I'm going to concentrate on trap and shooting this great, classic Parker.

I'm still trying to produce close up and in focus photos to post here. My eyes, ears and everything else is getting old. Okay, it's an excuse and we know what excuses are don't we.