Remington re-stock?
 

I'm trying to solve some mysteries on a gun recently acquired. This gun is definitely a CH model on a 1 1/2 frame. It shows 4 Remington repair codes , all during WWII. I'm trying to understand why a CH would have a stock checkered in what I believe to be a DH style. No CH available this late? Not done by Remington? Also has a Remington grip cap. Serial number on stock matches the gun but was this a factory replacement? Photos below. Any thoughts, opinions, or info appreciated.

The drop points are not of the Remington style - they are Meriden era style and the borders of the checkering are not finished in the late Remington style as they would have been done at Remington in the WWII period.

What is the figure stamped immediately beneath the 2 ?



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I saw that. I have examined carefully with naked eye, magnifying glass, held a small bore light at all angles, done all that with the glass, etc. I cannot convince myself that is anything but the tooling or gouging required to fit the trigger guard into the stock. Obvious this was hand fit and not milled out as a modern one would be. Guard fits perfectly flush to the wood, not sunken at all, and I cannot detect the most minute trace of another number having been there. My original thought was this stock was maybe scavenged from another gun?

It is a grade 3 stock. Note the tang channel stamp.

That'sthe mark I referenced Bruce - it's just not very clear but it looks like it might be a 3.





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I can absolutely believe that but am trying to figure out how it came to be attached to a grade 4 gun! The water table is clearly marked CH and a 4 appears under the serial number. Serial number on the stock is correct to the rest of the gun and I can see no evidence of "stamped over". I wondered if it happened at Remington ( gun has Remington codes) but Dean feels the drop points and checkering border are wrong for Remington WWII era, feels they are Meriden era.
The area directly under the 2, on close exam, does not appear to be a stamped 3 but a combination of wood character and tool marks. I pulled the trigger guards on a couple of my other hammerless guns and the frame size is clearly stamped, no mistaking it.

Please post a picture of the entire stock from the side and top looking back from the action. From these pics we should be able to offer a good opinion of a Remington re-stock.

PML

Work near the end of production used available parts . This is not the only C with a stock intended for a D. You will not find a recorded reason for the discrepancy. The plausible explanation is that there was an order for the gun and parts were pulled from bins rather than making new ones. There was a D stock on hand that was a pistol grip and appropriate frame size and that was used.

The Remington repair codes during WWII may well include the replacement stock but that time frame is wrong for the Meriden features of the D grade stock.
My opinion is that IF it was done by Remington during that time frame they used a stock that had been previously taken off of a pre-1937 DH and kept in a used parts inventory.

Do you have a PGCA research letter on the gun? It may very well have done at Parker Brothers in Meriden and there may (or may not) be records to support the replacement “as cheap as can” or something to that effect.
Your quote “My original thought was this stock was maybe scavenged from another gun.” Is the most likely answer.






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I have seen a number of later (post production) factory replacement stocks with the Remington Grip cap pictured.

I wound say that it is a replacement from during the Remington service timeframe.

Remington Re-stock
 

Additional photos on the CH.

Additional photos

The comb is very atypical for a Parker of any era.

Brian, from that, do you think this is NOT a Parker stock? A reproduction that replaced an original.

Not necessarily. It is all speculation at this point.
The only thing we know is that it is not the original stock that the gun left Meriden with when it was built.
I personally still think it is a Remington replacement done after production ceased. Just the comb is not a style that I have seen before.

It looks very much like an original Parker "Trap Comb" to me and I have never seen anyone who can perfectly duplicate the original Parker drop points. To me it looks like an original Meriden Parker Brothers stock with the exception of the Ilion grip cap.

Having said that, it looks like it has been re-checkered.



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I have to get a letter coming. There may be a bit of info available there. This is a 1924 gun with a skipped serial number in the book. Bespoke gun? "She may have a checkered past"

Interesting, the website informs me PGCA has no records for this serial number to base a letter on. I guess this serial number and date of production falls in a "missing" book? I have looked at another 1924 gun that is not listed.

The trap or “full” comb that you reference will not have a downturn in the comb flute line like that. And not be coming to a sharp point. It would be round and blunt.

See here a great example of an original Meriden Trap comb. Attachment 80500

Another. Same gun as above. This gun is on the fatter side of trap comb examples. But the shape is the same.

Attachment 80501