doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Is this a Mod 21 Hession forearm, or what?

I have a Model 21 12 gauge Vent Rib Trap gun that I use for sporting clays and skeet. Based on its overall configuration the gun is prewar. I've always felt the original forearm is a bit too wide and bulky for my style of shooting, and recently I found/bought another forearm that is significantly narrower and more to my liking. I just had it fitted to my gun.

I have Ned Schwing's M21 book and found reference to the Hession style forearm that was made on special order to be as slim as possible. However the book states that the Hession type is the same length as the "Field style". Also, that the "Field" style is the same length as the "Skeet" style. Since the Skeet type was 9.65" long, that would make the Field and the Hession also 9.65" long each.

However.... the slim forearm I just bought is almost 11" long, very close in length to the original Trap forearm on my gun. See the pics below. The original Trap forearm is on the right, and the unknown slimmer forearm is on the left. I am thinking my new purchase (the one on the left) is a Hession style made for a Trap gun. Does this make sense to the Model 21 experts out there?

Thanks for your replies. Silvers

Having taken the forend off #196xx, which is a 1947 Skeet gun with kidney checkering, and compared with photos...

I'd say you have a 'skeet style' forend there. It's very, very close to mine in profile and length.

Of course you know that because of the thin wood where the forend wraps slightly around the barrels, that when installing the forend you need to be very careful to not let it snap against the barrels. Pieces of wood have been busted off by the careless...

Shotgunjones,
Are you sure your forearm is almost 11" long as in the pics in my original post? The reason I ask that is my 21 Skeet gun has a slim forearm similar to the unknown one I asked about, but the skeet gun forearm only measures about 9.7" long (same as the reference in Schwing's book).

See the pics below. This forearm is from my 21 Skeet gun, 12 gauge. P.S. the bottom of the firearm is aligned with the zero inch mark on the mat. The angle of the camera makes it appear to be above that.

I am still wondering about the slim forearm in my original post that is almost 11" long. Is it the elusive Hession version made for a Trap 21, or not? If so, is the length reference wrong in Mr. Schwing's book? Silvers

I'd like to bump this thread up for the BBS members who sign on at work. They may have missed it yesterday. Silvers

Measured again. From start of wood to tip of wood 10 3/4". This is a 1947 G2186B. Pal of mine has the near twin to this one, 2,000 serial higher but still with kidney checkering and when we had them side by side on the table there was no difference except that his had the forend anchor while mine has instead a 1/4" piece of rock maple between the forend iron and the wood.

Our two 'skeet' guns seem to have longer forends than the one you picture.

Silvers, what is the width of the slim forearm versus the wide one at a given point? The slim one doesn't look like it will extend as far above the centerline of the barrels as the wide one. I have some 11" forends that are not as wide as others, but not by much. Give your widths so we can compare.

Eightbore, thanks for your reply. The width of the original prewar Trap forearm directly across the very front edge of the forearm iron is 2.450". The slimmer one at the same measuring point is 2.230".

The height of both forearms are 1.350" versus 1.320" at the same measuring point, so you are correct, the slimmer one doesn't extend as far above the barrel CL as the slimmer one does.

Not much of a decimal difference in both planes but what a difference in "feel". Silvers

Thanks. As I remember, Schwing mentions the "centerline" difference in various models, but, as with most researchers, he leaves the final details of research to their readers.

Measured at (I think) the same point. Front of iron. I take that to mean in front of the latch, where the metal ends.

W 2 3/16"
H 1 3/8"

From top to bottom:
1939 16 Gauge Skeet
1953 'Duck'
Late Vintage 'Custom Built' 32" VR, sold as 'Trap'
1968 'Custom Grade' 20 Gauge with 'Field Beavertail' per original Winchester letter.
The 32" VR 'Custom Built' was sold to me as a 'Trap' gun but I noticed that the forearm was decidely shorter and narrower than the 'Trap' style. I believe that this is a 'Hession' style and the gun was built for Live Pigeon. Sadly there is no Cody record on this gun. -Dick



BTW this is the 'Custom Built'.