Long FEs were offered on SBTs when SBTs were first offered

Crescent "New Trap" Hammerless Single in the 1898 Sears Catalog



The L.C. Smith Double Barrel Trap gun was introduced in 1920, with the 'Trap Package' including the (Wadsworth) flat beavertail forend (Schnabel forend available in 1922) with the reinforced barrel lug, Automatic Ejectors, Hunter One-Trigger, standard recoil pad, and two ivory sights BUT the FE was called "Special Forend for Trapshooting".

Extra length, extra wide, straight side BTFE with Ebony tip insert were later available



The c. 1921 H.& D. Folsom catalog No. 18 lists the Baker Expert Grade with a “new style” forend.



Folsom catalog No. 20 lists the Baker Paragon Double Barrel Trap Gun with the "Baker Perfect Grip" Fore-End



Parker first offered a trap style BTFE about 1923.

Ithaca first offered a BTFE on the No. 4 and higher grades in the 1925 Ithaca Gun Co. catalogue. The Ithaca NID Skeet Special was advertised in the July 1926 National Sportsman, only 2 months after the game was named!

Hunter Arms first offered the Streamline (Skeet Style) BTFE with introduction of the L.C. Smith Skeet Special in 1929.



A long Streamline BTFE was available later





A.H. Fox did not catalog a BTFE until 1931.

The 1926 Hunter Arms Price List DID list the "Beaver Tail Forend". Any one use that term earlier??






There were of course some weird FEs long before 1920

Freeman Swiveling Grip Ptd. 1909



"The handle is free to adjust itself to the position of the hand of the operator, instead of requiring as heretofore that the operator adjust his hand to the position of the barrel. Another advantage is that the handle is practically insulated from the barrel which becomes heated through repeated firing and therefore a cool grip is provided for the hand thus doing away with the necessity of wearing a glove upon the left-hand to shield it from the heat of the barrel" which "provides a suitable handgrip for firearms...to the end that they may be used with more freedom and range of movement than has heretofore been possible."

No idea what this was supposed to be

Feb. 1915 Forest & Stream
http://books.google.com/books?id=lRMcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA115&dq

Some Canadian.

BTW we discussed this in 2015, with contributions from Researcher but the images were on Photobucket and are lost
http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=389279&page=all

THIS is interesting
https://books.google.com/books?id=YqJbN1-TtXMC&pg=PA59&lpg
A BTFE on a Parker A1S double SN171598 in 1915?? Maybe someone could look up the SN in TPS?

"Beaver Tail Forend" on a rifle, 1921
https://books.google.com/books?id=gJkwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA701&lpg

Iver Johnson Special Double Trap with "Beaver Tail Forend" 1922
https://books.google.com/books?id=JCkkAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA68-IA2&lpg

Who else but Beaver Cleaver.

One minor point of correction, Drew. The Iver Johnson Super Trap was the one offered with a beavertail, and it was a double barrel. The Iver Johnson Special Trap was the single barrel trap gun, and I don't believe it was ever offered with what was referred to as a beavertail. I have two of these, and the forend is a fairly long, straight, full forend .......not a beavertail shape at all. The literature described it as a "large trap style forend". You will occasionally see one of them with a shorter, smaller forend with a schnabel shape. But, I'm not at all certain that they were originally on these guns. Many Special Traps have had the original full forend replaced with the smaller one that is seen on the old Champions.

The early Parker reference is very interesting. Thanks for your research and postings.

SRH

BTW, if you enlarge the ad you linked to showing the Super Trap you can extrapolate that the wording says "The Beaver Tail forend blankets both barrels and protects the fingers (possibly hands?) from heat".

Wow that freeman grip is too cool

Brett Favre

Here's a good shot of the underside of the f/e on a I J Special trap.
Click on the top pic then scroll right

http://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-fo...un_id=100808625

SRH

I think it was the same guy who named the place where pitchers warm up and wait to be called into the game the bullpen.

You are correct Stan and I changed my post.

And yes, the BTFE was likely inspired by the Heikes Hand Protector Patd. Feb. 15, 1889



F. H. (Harry) Eachus, Secy., West Chester Gun Club. A Lefever?



Harry 3rd from right in 1912



Other trap shooters used a glove. Woolfolk Henderson courtesy of Chris Lien

Here's an ad introducing the Hunter Arms Ventilated Rib c. 1925



"Manufactured with Beaver tail or small forend..."

The U.S. makers used different designs to keep the heavy BTFEs attached to the hardware.

Hunter Arms Wadsworth Ptd. used a recoil through-lug





Bro. Daryl kindly sent these images of the "Baker Perfect Grip"



Reinforcing lugs and inlet into FE wood





Fox Reinforcing Lugs

Only if Justin Beaver is his son.

One thing for sure they look fat to my eyes. It's a mistake to think they can be grasped like a O/U or Semi Auto fore end. The lucky ones will come off and the unlucky ones will fail either the J-hook spring / joint or the hanger or the rib comes loose. Goes from annoying to crappy day real quick. I just use a leather hand guard and avoid the entire mess if possible.

I've got four S X Ss with beavertails. One is an early A grade Fox, one is a BSS, one is a 20 ga. SKB, and one is a .410. Two of them have been shot a lot, the other two a fair amount. The BSS has been shot by me so much that is is off face, and shimmed. None of the forends have ever fallen off, however.

I don't care for the looks either, but sometimes guns come your way you shouldn't turn down.

Like the 32" Fox A grade





SRH

Parker "Trap Model" forend now available on the double gun

May 1922 Outers' Recreation
https://books.google.com/books?id=9ns7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA436

June 1922 Forest & Stream
https://books.google.com/books?id=00woAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA262

Illustration
https://books.google.com/books?id=yJY7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA721

Winchester Model 21 Trap reinforcing lug

Interesting reading. I am just about finished putting a beaver tail for-end on my L.C. Smith hammer gun that now has 32" Armor steel barrels fitted to it. I have been using this gun for trap shooting and wanted a beavertail for it. The wood for was already inletted and had a hole in the end for the recoil rod. I was able to get the banjo escutcheon and roller release from a friend. Luckily Hunter Arms for-end metals have the same dimensions whether a hammer gun, Featherweight, Regular frame and ejector. On the ejector gun it needs two more openings, one for the kickers and the other for the post for the ejector springs.
I had to make the part for the recoil rod that attaches on the end of the for-end. In Brophy's Plans and Specifications, it gives the size needed and it is brazed on. The recoil rod was easy to make, it called for 10-32 threads and so I used 3/16" cold roll steel for it and pressed a 5/16" piece over it and put a screw slot in it.
I would like to post pictures, but Photobucket will not let me share them. I joined jpbox and they are not working. Any suggestions for a photo hosting site?