doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Fore arm issue

Just purchased a Holland Royal. I have problems getting the fore arm off. The button pushes fine and wit the fore arm off it appears to be working fine.
I have to put a tiny screwdriver under the push button and gently pry the fore arm off.
What could be the problem?

What keeps the action/forend relationship tight is a tight fit between the action knuckle and the forend iron radius. But that depends on a tight fit between the forend iron and the back of the barrel lug. The rear of the lug is often a slight angle, so that once the forend iron moves a tiny bit there is a loss of the tight fit.

Sounds like that fit may be really tight or the two surfaces are not polished. If that's the case try a little oil or gun grease on the back of the forend lug, then see if you can pull the tip of the forend out from the barrels while holding the button down.

This may help you home in on a diagnosis. Good luck.

Seems apparent that the release push button is not moving the release quite far enough to completely disengage it from the forend lump. I don't know if H&H forends have any adjustment for this, or if you will need to have someone examine the mechanism to see what needs done to fix it.

Prying it off with a screwdriver is apparently providing additional leverage to cam the release back a bit more to finally free it. It is probably a very small amount of additional movement that is needed, so everything looks OK when you operate it off of the gun.

Using a screwdriver to pry it off should be just fine until something breaks, or until the forend lump solder joint fails.

Sometimes opening the gun slightly will let the forend release easier, until you get the fit adjusted. Probably just a file stroke or two for someone who understands the job.

just a suggestion,
use a half of a clothes pin to "pry" the for-end away. start with the thin end and gently tap down between for-end and barrels with a leather mallet.
I had a Fox restocked and the for-end was extremely difficulty to remove and I couldnt get it off to send it back to be relieved. Another smith, (who was correcting the issue told me about the clothes pin.)

Sounds like the forend iron is screwed too tightly to the wood. The mechanism is binding. With the forend off loosen the screws 1/2 a turn and you’ll feel the button loosen up.

That could be the problem, eeb. I just tightened down a screw on a forearm a few days ago- to make the screw run north and south in order to make it look good and it tightened the latch too tight. I had to loosen it up a bit again to get it to work.

Mike, I have used a credit card to pry the forearm off in the past. Less chance of damage.

Yes, something non metallic. Even a thin plastic putty knife, or spatula.

Um, no actually. The forends on virtually all modern double shotguns are designed to be pulled off with nothing other than a finger tip and reasonable force.

Some are simple spring loaded pull- off mechanisms and some have other mechanisms such as an Anson, lever, or a pushbutton release, as this H&H apparently has.

None of them are designed to be removed by prying them off with screwdrivers, putty knives, or any other tool. Repeatedly needing tools to assist is applying excessive force, and that may eventually cause further problems. Perhaps expensive problems. What is needed is a correct diagnosis, and then a proper repair or adjustment.

Some stalker should be along shortly with a photo of an antique double that has the forend attached with a pin or wedge, to prove I'm wrong.