doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com custom from an SKB

I restocked my 20b 200E with a straight grip stock and splinter forend, fitted a new triggreguard and fabricated a new trigger, reducing the weight from 6 1/4 pounds to 5 1/2 pounds. But it is still a SKB...

First let me say that I do not have any knowledge as to what steel was used for the action body on these SKB guns. However as they were not originally case hardened there is a strong possibility they used a heat-treatable alloy steel & as such should likely NOT be case hardened. Don't have one case hardened until you find out for an Absolute Certainty the metal is compatible.

I've replaced the B.T. forend on several of my SKB's. Wood and parts were readily available. I've seen SKB's imported shortly after the breakup with Ithaca that were completely blued.

MarkII has played around with the metal on enough SKB's to know what he's talking about. I've owned quite a few (and own a 12ga 150 now), but I have never attempted to have one "customized". However . . .

A few years back, I spotted one sitting in a shop in Wisconsin. Immediately noticed that something was "off". It had a straight grip but a splinter forend. Asked to take a look. Marked 200E, so of course should have been pistol grip and beavertail. Looking closer, someone had done a very nice job of converting the stock to straight, fitting the trigger guard tang, etc. They then got their hands on a Model 100 forend (splinter) and shortened and reworked the forend iron so that the ejectors still functioned properly. (The 100 forend is a lot shorter than the 200 beavertail.) 28" barrels; chokes had both been opened to a tight IC. Managed to bargain down what I considered already a good price by pointing out that the gun was no longer original and had been tampered with significantly. Another in the "wish I'd kept" category as a bad weather grouse and woodcock gun.

Had another one on which someone had slimmed down the beavertail into something more like a long splinter. You can go that route as well, but you can't shorten the wood unless you also make the necessary changes to the forend iron.

Mark Robson has also done DT conversions on a few SKB's. Think he outlined the process here sometime back.

The Webley & Scott 700/SKB/RBL comparison is to the action. There are obvious cosmetic differences.

After looking at one of my SKB's this morning, I'm going to rethink the action reshaping. There isn't all that much room for that. At least not for someone with my skill level.

Since these are both 100's with short forearms I don't have to worry about changing anything other than the forearm width and shape which is pretty much a semibeaver. I have contemplated this before but never got around to it. So, I've just fitted a buttstock on one of them so far.

How to get that ugly silver plating off the trigger I don't know. Maybe a bath of Coca Cola (its supposed to dissolve everything overnight ). More seriously, I imagine there are places that can remove it with an acid bath of some sort.

In the end, I might end up with a nicely fitted and balanced 20 gauge which would suit my needs well.

I'll look for the thread on fitting double triggers to these. I know it can be done, but I doubt I'm the man to do it.

Brent

Brent you under estimate yourself. It's not hard, and you can do it with hand tools. Chief, if you pull the stocks off an RBL and Japanese SKB they are nearly identical inside. Brent there are parts available to convert an extractor gun to ejector if that would be something you would be interested in as part of an upgrade. Getting nicer wood turned, doing an English straight stock and having an extension welded onto the trigger guard tang. Polish the receiver, and blue the trigger plate. Add a Silver's style pad to the existing stock. Nicer checkering, change the profile on the back of the receiver, take the automatic safety reset out. Re-sculpt the balls of the fences, nicer finish on the current stock. These are just part of the possibilities.

Hi Mark,
Different understanding of copy, maybe. Similar I will agree, copy no, as they look externally quite different. The WS 700/SKB link would be much more like a copy as they are very similar in outward appearance. Well, if you discount the final finish and a few other details! As far as the internals go they are very close, (the SKB/RBL)I agree.

Chief