I was wondering when beavertail forends began to appear on American SxS's.

Like most of you, I prefer the splinter forend, but a beavertail is sometimes handier on a target gun. It eliminates the need for a glove, and may be a gripping benefit in some instances. And there are numerous sizes of beavertails...

I'm not advocating B.T's, just wondered from a historical standpoint when the factories started offering them as an option.

JERRY

They seemed to become an item of interest for trap guns in the years after WW-I. I know A.H. Fox Gun Co. made double guns with "beavertail" forearms in the 1920s, but they didn't appear as catalogue offerings, or on price lists until 1931. They are not offered in the 1919 Ithaca catalogue, but they are offered on Grade 4 and above in the 1925 Ithaca catalogue.

I understand Parker was the one of the first, if the not the first to introduce them for their skeet and trap guns. I guess all of the others followed suit. From what I have seen, the one that Winchester designed for the Model 21 was about the best looking one out there. A lot of the other ones that were made or are currently being made look bulky. When Reinhard Fajen was in business, the beavertail blank they sold was modeled after the style that was used for the 21. Personally, I prefer beavertails to splinters. I like to have something to wrap my hands around. Barrels do get hot.

I have favored splinters all my life, but........now I've got a BT and find I really like it. And it doesn't look bad at all. Older Miroku 351A.

My 1927 trap configuration Ithaca NID 4E has one.

1926 Elsie Eagle

The 1922 Folsom catalog advertizes , on Baker guns, the Perfect Grip, which is a beavertail forend for a sxs. That's the earliest beavertail forend I am aware of. I have an example of this forend and the forend iron is modified to accomodate the extra forend recoil forces on a beavertail.

The Winchester Model 21 (1931-1991 or so) built most of their reputation with the beavertail and single trigger. Opposite of most any other gun company.

Model 21 28 ga, I think that Ithaca Gun Co. furnished mostly Beavertails on their grades 4 and up during the 1930s and until production of doubles ceased. Similarly, Iver Johnson did the same.

Practicality, fine. Aesthetically, should have left them on the beaver......

The early Ithaca beavertails were short and bulky, but about 1935 they started making much nicer looking beavertails.

A 1930 20-gauge and a 1936 12-gauge, both No. 4E --





Ithaca also used a nice looking beavertail on their Lefever A-Grade --



During the Savage years, Fox had a Trap beavertail --



and a Skeet/Field style beavertail --

The "bulky fore-end" of the Parker SBT was standard from the intro in about 1915 (all the ads show the non-splinter fore-end and a straight grip and no safety). This was a dedicated trap gun.

Quoting myself from Parker Guns: The "Old Reliable" @ p.71: "The beaver-tail or trap-style fore-end became an extra-cost option in 1923, probably due to the demands of Parker's modern trapshooting clientele." My research was to Parker advertising, catalogs, flyers, etc. The Parker Story published the actual production records, and may move this date slightly back, but I'll stick with 1923 until I hear otherwise. It is doubtful that Parker was first, and the first Parker beaver-tails were defective in-so-far as they were too much wood to grip with too little metal structure. This was quickly corrected with the large screw seen at the front of the BTFE, which braces the wood internally to the barrel clasp. There may have been a recall, as I have never seen a factory original BTFE without the metal bracing screw. EDM

After introduction of the Smith Double Barrel Trap gun in 1920, the 'Trap Package' included a beavertail Schnabel forend with the reinforced barrel lug, Automatic Ejectors, Hunter One-Trigger, standard recoil pad, and two ivory sights.
Images of the Smith BTFEs here http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/15656750

And the Smith "Steamline" Skeet BTFE, introduced in 1929, here http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/18779715