doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com true purpose of the beavertail forearm>

Some relevant points regarding the extended arms of the turn-of-the-century shooters

1. They used some boomers.
Jan. 2 1897
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1897/VOL_28_NO_15/SL2815017.pdf
Charles Grimm defeats Doc Carver in Chicago for the �Cast Iron Metal�
Grimm used a 12-bore L.C. Smith gun, 7 3/4 pounds, 3 3/4 drams Schultze, 1 1/4 ounce No. 7 shot, in U.M.C. Trap shell.
Carver used a 12-bore Cashmore gun, 8 pounds weight, 4 drams of Carver powder, 1 1/4 No. 7 shot, in U.M.C. Trap shell.

2. Doc Carver was 6' 4" and 240, but most of the shooters were shorter and lighter (with a smaller waist) than today's.

3. Guns were limited to 8#.
Guns used for Live Birds had to weigh less than 8 pounds at the 1894 GAH
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1898/VOL_30_NO_24/SL3024020.pdf
John L. Lequin. secretary of the Interstate Association, writes us under date of Feb. 25 1898 as follows:
�We have received inquiries from most all directions recently from a number of shooters who are probably desirous of entering the Grand American Handicap next month, concerning the weight of guns, and whether the handhold and recoil pad will be counted as a part of the gun when weighed. The subject has been placed before the Tournament Committee of the association, which committee has decided that the guns will be weighed naked.
Kindly note, and make this public through your paper at your earliest opportunity and greatly oblige.�

The Baker Gun Quarterly, Volume 5, No. 3, May 1900 had an article on the weight of Trap/Pigeon guns used by Capt. A.W. Money (8 pounds - Money used a Greener, Smith, and Parker), C.W. Budd (7 pounds 14 ounce Parker), H.D. Bates (7 pounds 13 ounces), R.O. Heikes (7 pounds 15 ounce Parker but after the GAH at Live Birds he went back to his Remington hammerless and won the 1st GAH at Targets), J.S. Fanning (7 pounds 15 ounce Smith), W.R. Crosby (7 pounds 12 ounce Baker), and Col. A.G. Courtney (7 pounds 14 ounce Remington CEO).

4. The straight left arm went out of fashion after about 1910. This may be Capt. Money c. 1914, who was not a big guy and may be using a hand guard



Jack Fanning




Live action (the first minute) from the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, courtesy of Swedish Olympian Hakan Dahlby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl...t-ts=1422579428

Thanks, Don, for filling in the holes I left. Your work with the turntable has been so helpful to those who can take the time to understand it. I remember reading the article in SSM, years ago, but the "Aha"! moment came for me several years later as you explained to me why, most likely, one of my little .410 doubles was so easy for me to shoot well ........... it had the MOI of a 6+ lb. 12 gauge game gun. And, it was simply because of how/where the weight was distributed in the gun.

SRH

it would appear as time went on, bbls got shorter for reasons of balance and the ability to grip the gun closer and off the bbls? remember, im talking strictly competition guns.

if so, it would a be interesting contrast as bbls today are growing back out to longer lengths with no provisions to allow the hand to grip the o&u further out.

odd indeed.

so....was the beavertail f.a. originally designed for that reason?

According to Don Zutz, the purpose of a beaver tail forend is compatibility with a pistol grip and keep the hands in alignment.

from what im reading here is that it was originally designed to keep your hands from being burned on a sbs.

and strangley enough, when the o&u came on to the scene, the wide btfa remained, even though the chance of burning ones hand on a o&u was practically eliminated.

hey drew...just curious why youre dreaming of ks(tornado alley) and living in az!?

"True purpose of the beavertail forearm"

To take an otherwise decent looking gun and turn it into a monstrosity......

Drew,

Either that picture is much earlier then 1914 or it is not Capt. Money, or both.



Capt. Money was retired back in England, Noel was living in Herefordshire, and Harold was managing a rubber plantation in Ceylon by May 1912. I believe Albert and Harold actually returned to England the summer of 1910, and Noel had been there since his return from the Boer War. The last shoot report for Harold Money I have been able to find was May 24 & 25, 1910, at the Calcasieu Gun Club at Lake Charles, LA. A letter from Capt. Money to Ed Banks confirms what they were doing in 1912.

Dave

From its introduction in the January 2, 1923, Parker Bros. catalogue, they called it the Trap Model Fore-end --



and continued to do so through the last Parker Bros. catalogue.

In the big 1937 Remington Parker catalogue they call it a "beavertail."

so parker confirms their reasoning for it in writing. its to protect the hand.