An Ounce of Prevention
 

Here's something I've never seen before...
This is a 20 ga. Remington Parker DHE ser. no. 241913 which was removed when the gun was relatively new as it has nearly all of its original finish including the bluing of the skeleton steel butt plate.
Apparently Remington mortised the stock head and glued in a hardwood tenon in the shape of a dumbell. I have not seen this on any other stocks I have examined.

Has anyone else ever noticed this preventative feature?



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Prevention or repair?

Maybe a few old Remington employees from the days of the Remington Hammerless Double were still around. I've seen that insert in several Remington stocks.

While DHE guns were stocked in English/French walnut as a rule, they could still split out at the stockhead. And... in this weak area. Apparently, the stocker knew this and -- especially if the gun was going to be used with heavy loads -- chose to reinforce the weak spot in the stockhead.

I've done this reinforcement/repair often for black walnut Parker stocks which have already split in this spot... but use steel instead of hardwood.

You have an interesting legacy of a smart stocker... and a hint that Parker knew where its weak spots were.

The 'dumbell' insert is a very effective repair, and can be used anywhere enough surrounding wood is available to afford a fastening surface to the insert. When placed at an angle (as in through the wrist area to repair a crack), the insert prevents further movement of the adjacent wood in just about any direction.

Wonder how deep that goes? Kind of a hard shape to cut.

Thanks for posting those images Dean. I added one here, with an attribution
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/15127852
The album also has examples of a 'staple' repair of both a Parker and Fox

Bill, I honestly believe it is a preventative measure taken by the Remington Parker stockers. The finish on the stock is original and shows no evidence of ever having been split or cracked. The wood incidentally, is American Black Walnut.

Thanks Drew - my, that is quite a display of stock head repairs and wrist repairs.

Larry, by the perfection of the cut I would say the mortise is obviously machine-cut.

Dave, any thoughts as to whether those inserts you have seen were repairs or preventative?

Dean, The wood mortise was done by Dennis Smith on a 20 gauge I bought that was soft at the head. The stock had not cracked yet but Dennis did it as a precaution because I told him the gun would be shot"alot".