DHE - Broken Stock

[Bill Murphy]

Yup, yours is a reinforced forend lug that indicates an original beavertail forend. Congratulations.

[David]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Yup, yours is a reinforced forend lug that indicates an original beavertail forend. Congratulations.

Hi Bill - I have been around these guns a long time but never really dug into the nuances of the guns until recently - would a beavertail forend be rare on a DH ? or just a nice to have? I personally like the beavertail over the splinter as a preference but was not aware of it being an interesting feature of the gun.

[John Davis]

Beaver tails are certainly rarer than the splinter forearm and original is always better than aftermarket. I would consider them an extra that may or may not add value depending on who the prospective buyer is. Some folks like them, some folks hate them. Personally for me and what I’m looking for in a gun, it’s typically a must have feature and I would pay a premium for it or at least it would be a determining factor in whether I purchased it.

[Rick Roemer]

The silver lining on this unfortunate situation is you will have a stock made to your specifications which means you will shoot it better. Plus with a new stock you get to choose the type of wood and checkering. I had a situation similar happen to me and now after repairs were made I shoot that gun the most. Good luck.

[Bill Murphy]

Your gun is a DHE, not a DH.

[BRDHNTR]

Rick, about 20 yrs ago I had Lawrence DelGrego restock my grandfathers 16 ga VH that I grew up. My grandfather had ordered it with a significant amount of drop in the stock. All those years of shooting it on grouse, pheasant and woodcock I had to force myself to adjust to the dimensions. 20 years ago or so my wife and I drove out to Lawrence's home, spoke with Lawrence and gave him the dimensions I wanted. About a year later Lawrence called and said the gun was done. Ive been shooting it ever since and since it fits me perfectly (I was professionally measured to get the right dimensions) I have no regrets whatsoever about restocking it. Sometimes you justy have to bite the bullet when a gun doesn't fit and either sell it or get it fixed. no regrets

[David]

@winplumber got it right! It is actually a great relief to me to find out that this gun had already been re stocked - possibly sometime in the 1980 time frame. Still an expensive mistake but I had worried over having damaged an original gun. So, quick update - on a referral I sent the stock & forend to Dennis at the Stock Doctor. He has done a quick review and provides this summary

"The gun was restocked by Larry Del Grecgo using Fajen semi- inletted stocks. We held his patterns at Fajen. He ordered,we delivered. The recoil pad has his company name on it. The pad was made by Pachmayr for Larry's shop."

So, with that known. I am going to pick out new wood for the stock and forend and get this DHE looking great for the next phase of its life..

Thank you all for your comments and information and referrals..

Now, how to pick one set of wood from the 100's on offer..

[Mike Franzen]

I think I would pick out a piece to match the original forend. Why have a new one made?

[Pa SxS]

No one better than The Stock Doctor.

[David]

I should have been more clear above - The Stock and forend were both replaced at some point - Also on closer examination by Dennis the forend had some issues as well so based on that we are just going with new wood for both. now the waiting starts...