doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Chewed up Forearms etc.

Down through the years, I have looked at hundreds of old doubles that were worn and well used, but the forearm wood and often, the wood around the front of the trigger guard is extremely scarred. It is so much worse than the overall condition of the rest of the gun that it sometimes looks like that wood you see in National Geographic on Viking boats dug up by archeologists.

Does anyone have any theories for this extreme wear or damage. I have heard that some hunters would hold down barbed wire fences with their guns' forearm while crossing the fence. Yet I don't see scratches on the forearm iron or trigger plate bottom metal suggesting this is the culprit. Maybe porcupines getting into the gun safe and chewing on the salty sweat soaked wood?

Check this out Keith
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/19925926

Barbed wire and Labrador puppies; I don't know how the Viking boats got that way...Geo

Rings. I have had more than one marred right rear FE, right where a ring would contact the wood for a right handed shooter. More on splinters then BT.

In my neck of the woods, I've seen most hunters hold down that top strand of barbed wire with their buttplate. Those that don't often sing soprano. I have never seen anyone hold the fence wire down with their forearm. Could be a regional thing. As far as rings causing the damage, that could be a contributing factor. But considering how many hunters wear rings, I think we'd see a lot more guns damaged this way. The Vikings found out the hard way that Tru-Oil looks good, but offers scant protection from sea water and the ravages of time.

When a gun is set on it's butt leaning against a tree, a car bumper or whatever else, then falls, it gets dinged more often at the forend because it's moving faster than the areas of the buttstock.

When guys hold down a fence wire with their gun, I have never seen one use the buttplate, but all used the rear of the forend. I came from Iowa, so we did not have many higher end guns. Over the years, I have had dozens of guns with forend fence damage. Maybe it's a regional thing.

I guess I never learned to use my gun for holding down barbed wire. I just use it for shooting. Durn, I feel stupit.

I don't hold the bob-wire down with my gun anymore, but we all used to cross fences while quail hunting by pushing the middle strand down with our guns and crawling THROUGH, not OVER since the top strand was usually cow high around here...Geo

I looked at an English BLE which had the side panels pushed in so they were considerably lower than the rear of the action. Pushing down on barbed wire fences caused that.
Mike