Thoughts on 20 ga configuration

[Parkerman]

Just received the Research Letter on my 20 ga VH gun. Letter confirms straight grip and 28" barrels yet says nothing about Beavertail or Single Trigger that are on the gun--nor is chamber length mentioned. Overload Proofing is stamped as such.

Original shipping date of gun is indicated as are details of patterning.

While I realize fully that only data that is available in the "book" can be referenced in the letter, I was hoping for a little more information about the gun.

Were my expectations out of line?

Linn

[C.O.B.]

I don't know what you are looking for but thats about all the info that Parker put in the books. If it's serial number corresponds to the time table when single triggers were available it might be factory but I doubt it as that would probably have been mentioned as would have the BTF. Look at the recoil lug on the barrels. The BTF have a reinforced lug and a rod that goes through the forarm for recoil. A lot of guns have aftermarket BTF some with the recoil rod some without. The lug will tell the tale.

[Bindlestiff]

Linn,

Just in case you don't know about the reinforced loop used on BTFE guns, I found a previous post that Larry made and copied it here for your reading pleasure.

"One thing you might want to check is if the barrels had the reinforced forend loop installed. Some shooters have had problems trying to use a beaver tail forend with out the proper loop. The extra force applied to the loop can pull it off the barrels. I have attached a photo of two barrels sets with the top one having the proper (for BTFE) reinforced loop and the bottom set with the standard loop. " Attached Thumbnails

[Parkerman]

I will investigate and advise. Thank you

[Parkerman]

A quick visual check on the gun shows that it looks like the lower picture, not the upper.. I should comment however that the BTF goes on and off with no extra effort. Probably goes without saying that the serial number on the BTF matches that of the gun (as it would if it were real or memorex)
Barrel flats also stamped with HT over A (HT/A without the slash mark) and, it looks like DE 5 in the area where the "overload Parker Gun Works proved" is stamped. (the 5 might be a 3)
This help or add to my confusion?

[Dean Romig]

A further note on the reinforcing rod (screw). In that it runs from the front of the BTFE all the way through and threads into a raised boss in the forward end of the forend iron in order to provide a more rigid connection to the forend iron. Not only can the forend loop detach from the barrels with an aftermarket or imitation BTFE but it can actually pull out the two wood screws that attach the forend iron to the forend wood.

[Parkerman]

Thank you for your comments
How or when does this issue manifest itself? The BTF goes on and off with no issues--does the problem show up when firing the gun?
Is it assumed that without the proper loop that trouble will ensue?

[VH20]

Yes, when firing the gun. Recoil is the cause. The beavertail provides a large surface area for you to grip firmly, while a splinter just rests on top of your palm, essentially. It's too small to grasp firmly. With a firm grip on a beavertail, recoil tries to pull (and the rebound tries to push) the forend out of your grip. As a result, your grip tries to pull the forend off the gun. The stress is transferred directly to the screws holding the wood to the forend iron, and ultimately to the forend loop on the barrel.

Since it wasn't stated and it isn't immediately obvious in the pics, the non-reinforced loop like yours (bottom pic) is independent of the lower rib. The only solder attaching it to the barrels is just that on the footprint of the loop itself. For the reinforced loop in the upper pic, it is made in one piece with the lower rib section that runs from the loop back to the barrel lug. This means that the loop is held to the barrels by a much larger/longer solder joint as it takes advantage of the rear section of the lower rib's solder attachment. The fact that your forend goes on and off with ease only means that the stocker did a good job of fitting it, and is not directly related to the problem being discussed. I suppose a poorly-fit forend that is difficult to remove would only add to the stress on the lug, but the loop and wood failures that Parker experienced with their early beavertail ("Trap-Style") forends can be presumed to have been well-fit from the factory. Their "fix" was to redesign the forend loop solder attachment as shown and add the long bolt through the tip of the forend wood and into the iron.

Will trouble ensue? I suppose it depends on your shooting style and the amount of recoil generated by your choice of loads. If you shoot with a firm grip on the forend and use loads with heavy recoil, expect trouble. If you shoot lighter loads and simply rest the forend in your hand as you would a splinter, perhaps not.

Jim

[Parkerman]

Thank you all for the comments re the BTFE

Any thoughts on the extra stampings on the barrel flats?

[Parkerman]

Update for those gracious enough to help--Gun on the way, today, to DelGrego. Talked to them this am, they can do whatever I want done (fix BTFE or rtn to Splinter). Will have gun gone over, etc.

Thanks again