Tales Of The Missing Forend
Lost, Stolen or Strayed?
The Deeley & Edge Fastener is such a simple and efficient design that it’s found on old and new double guns alike.
Cider rolled through the alder run with a purpose. The sudden drop in temperatures pushed flights of woodcock into our coverts and birds were just about everywhere. His bell rang silent near the river, and his high head and straight tail made me stop to take a picture. When I did, my hunting buddy started cussing like a stevedore.
“Hold on!!” he yelled. “I lost my @#$% forend!!!”
While losing a double-gun forend isn’t common, it does happen. Truth be told, I’ve lost one before. And when I relate my story — or that of my friend — to other wingshooters, I’ve found losing a forend happens more than one would think. Maybe no one talks about it because it’s embarrassing and frustrating. Maybe it’s such a total pain to correct that once it’s fixed, everyone wants to forget about the miserable experience. To lose a forend on a semiautomatic or a pump requires disassembly, making it rare one is lost.
Owners really would need to make an effort to lose a fixed forend on a pump or a semi-automatic like this Cosmi.
Locked, cocked and ready to rock
Three types of latches are typically used for securing a forend to the barrels in both over/under and side-by-side shotguns. The Deeley Release is formerly known as the Deeley & Edge Fastener. It was patented in the United States on July 1, 1873 and simply and successfully attached forend stocks to barrels. A pull-down lever inset in the middle of the forend is easily accessed when an index finger is placed into the gap. One pull released the forend hook from the barrel hook, and the forend and barrels were easily removed. Theirs was such a brilliantly simple and secure way to attach a forend that over a century and a half later, it is a standard found on both old and new shotguns alike.
The Anson Release is a second option that operates in a similar fashion to the Deeley & Edge latch. A pushbutton extends from the tip of the forend and when it is depressed, a spring-loaded rod catches or releases the barrel hook. The button is known to gather debris like twigs and leaves resulting in some negative comments coming from the field. The Anson Release is commonly used on London guns.
A third type of commonly used latch is the Kremer Latch. J.C. Kremer and Ansley H. Fox developed the simple clasp for use with their price-point Sterlingworth grade. Parker Bros. used a variation of the Kremer Latch in their price-point Trojan model. The latch features a simple snap-on design that clips the forend to the barrels. What made the Kremer Latch ideal for entry-level shotguns is it required no additional time or expense for either materials or for fitting. Versions of the Kremer Latch are still used today.
The simplicity of the Deeley & Edge Fastener endears
us to the design … unless yours falls off.
Brains or Brawn
The importance of the forend varies by design and manufacturer. Beavertail forends gives shooters a positive grip and protects the front hand from barrel heat. The splinter forend is small and diminutive, and most shooters rely on a leather handguard sitting in front of the splinter for a better grip. But in many double guns, the splinter forend does more than just hold the barrel to the receiver. It’s the brains of the shotgun and contains ejector or extractor mechanisms. Additionally, in hammerless models the forend facilitates the cocking of the hammers. Without the splinter forend, said shotgun is rendered useless.
Lost, Stolen or Strayed
Forends simply come off because of wear. If your forend comes off, there are some things you can do. For mine, I retraced what I thought were my exact steps through the woods and came up short. I was bummed but not surprised because it’s nearly impossible to perfectly replicate a walk through the woods. But then I got lucky and found it when I exited the woods. It was on clear display, right where the woods met the hay field. My forend had strayed.
My friend’s forend was lost. I used the same approach and tried to walk in his exact footsteps while he guided me from a vantage point. After a few hours of searching, the sun began to set and we left with no luck. Another friend returned to the scene with a metal detector and he wasn’t successful, either. If he were shooting a new shotgun he could have called a gun shop or a manufacturer and gotten a replacement. Older shotguns present more of a problem.
Call a gunsmith to see if he’s got any parts of guns that have a forend you could buy. If not, try an online search. I found a British gunsmith called Southerton Guns that had a significant number of parts including assortments of 10 forends. Half were Deeley & Edge Fasteners and the other half were Anson Release versions. A lot of 10 costs a scant 20 pounds — which is about $25 bucks — or $2.50 per grip. That’s a killer deal, provided, of course, your gunsmith can work some magic and make one fit your gunning iron.
Another option is to contact an owner’s association or group catering to your specific shotgun make and model. The Parker Gun Collectors Association of America is one, the A.H. Fox Collectors Association is another and there are many more.
I found one for my friend on Ebay. The forend wood was fine but the irons were off. His gunsmith rebuilt the forend iron and solved the problem at an affordable price.
Parting Shot
There is a flip side to having a forend fall off and that is not being able to remove one, a by-product of a rear-facing forend hook. The solution is a simple one that won’t scrape off your barrel brown or blue. Take apart a wooden clothespin and insert the thin end between the barrel and the forend. Pull on the latch of a Deeley & Edge Fastener or push on the button of an Anson Release, and gently tap on the clothespin. The forend should pop right off. Once off, have a gunsmith clean and lubricate all parts and check the spring. That way you won’t need to go into the fields with your forend duct taped to your barrels.
