Question about tumbler on Parker VH forend
 

I am having issues with the forend on my gun. With some effort, I can get the forend to stay on. To test whether or not the forend is secure, I give a gentle tug on the end to see if it is seated properly and locked. Yesterday while I was shooting sporting clays, the forend fell of twice. Both times, the forend was secure before shooting.

Is the tumbler on the inside of the forend supposed to be spring loaded or free spinning as it is now? It will only spin freely when I pull the latch down otherwise I cannot spin the tumbler.

There is no marring on either the lug from the barrel nor from the wood or latch itself. Things seem to be seated correctly but maybe I'm missing something. On my Brownings, the forend will click but I realize that this locking mechanism is different. How else would I know it's secure?

Thanks in advance.

The tumbler as you call it, should not spin freely at all when the forearm is correctly assembled. I believe something is broke or assembled incorrectly. Remove the release lever assembly from the wood and inspect.

David,
I should have been clearer...the tumbler does not spin freely unless I have engaged the latch. Once the latch is pulled down, I can take a small wood dowel and rotate the tumbler back and forth.

I'm thinking that somehow there is a proper sequence or position for the tumbler to be in for the forend to remain secure.

Thanks,
Ken

First check that your forend latch has spring tension. When you pull the lever out, it should sprin back. There is a small flat spring inside the latch that provides the tension. This could be broke.
The spring does not provide much tension, but just enough to keep thing together.
If the gun is not fooled with at all, the only other thing could possibly be a broke or damaged lock key, which is what the latch engages with and actuall holds the forend iron on.

The other extreme possibility could be that the forend lug could be pulling away from the barrels. Hence effecting the secure lockup of the forend.

Brian,

Thank you for taking the time to share your wealth of knowledge with me. The spring for the latch is strong and will snap the lever back into position if I let it.

While everything looks to be right, I have a question about the lock key (I called it a tumbler). Is that lock key supposed to be two serrations of uneven heights? It appears the longer serration is what nests with the lug and secures the forend.

Like I said, I did not see any marring or gouging that would make me think there is a seating problem. The only thing I didn't check is what you suggest that the lug may be pulling away from the barrels which would make sense because this would not allow the lock key to fully engage the lug.

I will check it when I get home. Thank you!

Is this a new gun to you? Or has it been worked on at all recently?

It is a new gun to me. I purchased it over Christmas. It looks to be complete and largely unmolested. All serial numbers match. There is pretty (to me anyway) brown patina on the barrels. The receiver still has the a good amount of case color left. The stock was pinned. I've included the picture below. It looks to be a familiar pin for Parker stocks so I don't know if it is something the factory would do or someone more reputable.

From what I can see, the screws on the sides are all correct. The three on the bottom of the receiver are off a bit. The one in the tounge plate is correct. I do not recall the screws in the forend because I never thought to check this.

In reality, I've not shown this gun to anyone who knows a thing about Parkers including myself. I've shown it to my gunsmith an hour away to see if it was shootable and he said it was in fine condition even with a small ding in the barrel that runs with the barrel as opposed to across it.

Sorry, more info than you asked for probably.