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I'm wondering if anyone here has slimmed down an SKB 200E or 385 beavertail forend. I have straight-stocked (long tang) 12 gauge SKB marked 200E, but it seems to be a transition gun for it has the same silver-grey receiver color and engraving as the SKB 385. Whatever. It has a beavertail forend which would look much nicer as splinter style or even a more svelte semi-BT forend especially as it has the straight-stock already. Anyone do this conversion this to one?

I like the gun because it's in my top 3 best hitting SxS's I've ever had, and it's pretty light and handy at 6 3/4 pounds. 26", choke tubes, ejectors, it's a good solid any-ammo hunting SxS. My buddy has dubbed it "short woman-big tits." It could use a breast reduction.
sure it can be done

but - why alter a gun you shoot well
Would it be possible to find a second forend to alter? Who has SKB parts about?

You could try the alteration on the second forend.

Bigs tits ain't all bad....



Best,
Ted
Dave: I have not done the breast reduction with an SKB but have with several other s x s's. Take a good look at the inside of the forend with the iron out. You would draw a profile on the wood of where you want to take it (its final configuration) and even make a template to get it perfectly uniform. I have used a horse shoe rasp and belt sander to take them down then a finishing (profile) sander to get it perfect. Finally, finish to match the buttstock and send out to your friendly checkerer (with buttstock so he/she can match). It's a good off-season project as it takes a while to get it just right but worth it.
Originally Posted By: OH Osthaus
sure it can be done

but - why alter a gun you shoot well



Couple reasons. One, I'm a tinkerer and can never leave well alone. I really enjoy the process of modifying something more to my liking. It's not a collector or heirloom type gun. Two, I don't think it will make a huge difference on my hitting or not with it. I did the same with a Beretta Silver Hawk and had its ugly BT slimmed down to a much more pleasing semi-BT, and I shoot that gun better than ever.

All that said, if for some reason this SKB can't be done "well" I'll leave it as is.

I just thought there might be someone here who has either done it successfully or can warn of any pitfalls based on the specific SKB forend construction.
Good ideas Ted and Gil.
The important issue, as to whether it can be done and look right, is how well does the forend fit the barrels now? I don't mean around the edges where you can see it. But, are the undersides of the barrels, the bottom half, a snug fit to the wood? All beavertails aren't. When you start removing wood at the upper edges you may find that there is an ugly gap between the new top profile line and the barrels. One way to tell how snugly it fits is to press a thin layer of Play-Doh inside the forend and slowly and carefully snap the forend into place on the gun. Then, remove it and see how much thickness you have in those areas.

That said, I was considering the same thing on my 200E 20 ga. I looked at it yesterday and preliminary indications are that it fits pretty well, and that it could be done to look right. Haven't decided to alter it yet though, because mine is a 99% gun and I kinda hate to alter it. My beavertail is not nearly as big as some, and I really shoot it well as is.

Good luck, Dave. Post pics before and after please.

SRH
Stan, I'll try the putty and see if there's a chance. I'd most likely have a pro do the work because I want to to look good. smile Out of 20 SxS's I've had in the last 15-20 years this one, the 16 gauge Silver Hawk I mentioned, and a Ruger Gold Label are the three that were really "easy hitters" for me, so i'm hanging on to this SKB for a long time. I shoot it well at the range and it's a handy pheasant gun, and might even see some early wood ducks. I got the heebie-jeebies and sold the Gold Label when I read they were no longer supported by Ruger.
Dave, Just a thought and it would require a little side by side comparison to see if it might work. Maybe you could get the splinter wood from a Mod 100 and inlet the ejector parts and fit to the 200 iron??
Dave, I'd bet the gun you have is not marked SKB. From your description, what you have is one of relatively few (a few hundred?) SKB's imported under their own name in the late 80's. Those were the first SKB's with choke tubes . . . and SKB screwed up the model numbers, because on the earlier Ithaca SKB's, E stood for ejector, not English. The original 200E's, as most folks will remember, were pistol grip-BT guns. You wanted a straight grip, you had to get a 280E (which also had a BT). When those late 80's guns came in, 200E = straight grip and beavertail.

To your question: I had a 20ga 200E on which someone had done a nice job of converting to straight stock (which you don't need to worry about) and splinter. What they did, in the case of that particular gun, was find forend wood off a 100, then shorten the original 200 forend iron (which is much longer on a BT forend than on a 100 splinter) so the ejectors would still work. Looked pretty good. I don't think that would look so hot on your gun, because those late 80's guns had a different finish applied to the wood than the Ithaca-era guns. But I suppose a good wood guy could make the finish match. More likely would be shaving down your BT to a long and slim splinter. I had another Ithaca SKB 200E on which someone had done that, and it looked pretty good.

The real Holy Grail, IMO, came on some of the very last 385's--when they matched a straight grip to either a generous splinter or maybe semi-BT, and a nice oil finish. I had one of those guns for field test, and I thought "Hey, they finally got it RIGHT!" At which point SKB stopped making sxs. Those very late 385 field guns are even less common than those late 80's SKB's like you have.

Best of luck in your efforts!
If the gun shoots well for you, that's one thing, but I can't stand beavertail forends...

I have a Miroku Daly that came with a semi-beavertail forend. I saved the original forend but made a splinter from scratch...and checkered it myself. Turned out well.

I think it would be much easier to render the Beavertail to a smaller dimension. I had an English Miroku that came with a splinter for a pattern. Checkering is something that takes a lot of practice.

Good luck Dave
I have a 12 ga 280E that I've thought about turning the BT to a splinter. When I get to the point of making a decision, I think about tagging along to the local gun club with my dad when I was a young kid and the fascination I had at the time, of the doubles sitting in the gun racks and how cool I thought the BT forearm looked. I told myself at the time "one day I'll have a SxS with a BT forearm."

I guess nostalgia has prevented me, to this point, from changing it to a splinter. Plus, like you I shoot it well and it's the only double I have with the BT forearm.

If I do decide to change it to a splinter, it would be interesting to see how yours turns out, if you chose to go that route.
It's actually a pretty simple job, I have done a few but not an skb.
Don't over think it just get out your tools and do it. Take your time around the nose to make it perfect and you can't miss.
Just my thoughts, Tom
I've replaced 3 of them. Bought one forend wood on ebay (listed as Ithaca but knew what it was) the others and parts required from Ron Sharp (Sharps Guns) in Canada, previous Ithaca employee that purchased all the remaining parts inventory. Parts were last purchased about 4 years ago. Any remaining?
Larry, this one is marked "New SKB Arms Company." The receiver/engraving is a dead ringer for the 385, but it's clearly a 200E in other ways. It's not the most offensive beavertail I've seen and in fairness to the gun it feels pretty good in hand. That said, this would be even niftier with a more streamlined forend.





Dave, also factory recoil pad IIRC? I think the main knock on those guns, for fans of the older Ithaca imports, is that they were heavier. I bought 2 20ga 200E's, new, 28 years ago this month for $850 apiece. (One was for a hunting partner who was also a big SKB fan.) Thought that was a pretty good price, considering what they were going for when Ithaca ceased importing them about 14 years earlier.
Larry, yes, factory "SKB" pad. With a microcell pad swap it's right at 6 3/4 lb. which isn't too bad for a modern any-ammo 12 with ejectors and choke tubes. The receiver has been glass bedded, btw. Shaving the beaver would most likely take the weight down a little bit more. It's a 99% gun and I've only got a couple hundred more involved in it than the 20 gauges you mention above. Most important thing is this thing shoots really well for me. I used it at the Great Northern last time I shot up there and held my own with it. It's a handy spot-hopping pheasant gun. I've had two SKB 100 12 gauges and they were both lighter, but I didn't shoot either one particularly well and had no confidence with them.
I'd say you made a good buy, Dave . . . and it's obviously working out well for you. Short barrels are somewhat "out of fashion" these days, especially on 12's. But if you shoot it well, that's the important thing.
I didn't have any putty or Play Dough handy, so I cut a couple rectangular strips of low-grade (thin) paper towels and laid them in the barrel channels. With the paper in place I couldn't come close to snapping the forearm shut. The last fuzzy picture shows the end of the forearm with no paper and snapped shut. It seems to be fitted pretty close. A chance for a long, lean splinter or perhaps a lean(er) semi-BT?



I'll get some modeling clay and try that next, but I'm starting to have my doubts on whether this is a good idea or not..
The problem with the paper, Dave, is that you don't know where the tight place is. If it is in the wrong place it still won't look right.

If I do mine I will get an extra beavertail forend, just in case it turns out bad.

SRH
You are most correct, Stan. I imagine the critical area is right where you'd expect the edge of the newly shaped forend to meet the barrel. The whole "new edge" junction along both sides.
If you watch EBay and you are patient, you can pick up a new or like new forend for about a $100.00. Then you could alter it and still have the factory original one in original configuration. Also if you screw it up you did not just ruin your gunstock. One sold about a month ago for $75.00.
Thanks! I'll watch for one.
Dave, be aware that at least the finish, if perhaps not the fit of an Ithaca SKB BT forend, will be different than what you have on that gun. And given that only a few hundred like yours were imported, you're much less likely to find one of those compared to one of the old Ithaca forends. But it may well be the same as a forend on a 385. You might want to check with the SKB guys in Omaha about the availability of forends. If you're REAL lucky, they might have one of the slimmed-down forends (more like a generous splinter or a slim semi-BT) that came on some of the very last 385's they imported. Worth a check. The latter would require refinish, because those slimmer forends had a duller oil finish than your gun.
Larry, that was excellent advice. After some picture sending and phone conversations with SKB in Omaha I have a 385 splinter ejector forend coming along with all of the needed hardware. The wood won't match, but with some stain and a refinish it will be good enough for my purposes. The splinter is 1 3/4" wide by 7 1/4" long vs. the present 10" x 2 3/4" beavertail.
Dave, the last one I did , I needed to shorten the tube for the latch, and used part of the cord of wood that "needed" to be removed and used that to fill in the gap between the barrels and fore end. The result was nearly invisible. Go for it.
Mark, they are sending along the shorter push down rod and guide for this splinter along with a few other necessary parts. I will no doubt need help with this.
Put inletting black or cheap lipstick on the barrels on the entire surfsces that the forend contacts. Or at least along the areas where the new edge of the splinter will be and see how many contact points transfer to the forend.
Or put some painters tape on the barrels along where the slimmed forend will be and see if the fit snugs up at all.
Nice to see a topic go over 2 pages and not turn into a peeing contest!!
10-4 Bobby
Dave, you hit the jackpot with one of those very late 385 splinters! Congratulations.
Followup on the beavertail to splinter switch. The new 385 splinter was both a good match and fit. The gun weighed 7 lbs 2 oz when I bought it with a large with a large Kick Eze pad installed. I took that "wheel chock" off and replaced it with a microcell pad and 1/4"spacer. That along with the new splinter forend brought the weight down to just under 6 1/2 pounds. Looking forward to taking some roosters with this shotgun! (My wife's a puzzle nut.)



That looks amazingly nice. Looks like an easy carrying nice fitting hard hitting 12 gauge.
Dave, where does it balance now? Likely the change in the pad and the forend should more or less offset each other. Looks very nice now!
The balance point is about a half inch in front of the hinge pin. Couldn't be more pleased with how this came out! Thanks for the suggestion of contacting SKB!
Well played! The colors are a good match, or did you re-finish? Always great when a plan comes together. Mark
Thanks, Tut, Larry, and Mark.

The forend color was close, so my wood guy refinished to get it as close as he could to the high-gloss finish of the buttstock. He admittedly couldn't get it quite as shiny, but that's OK. The stock head finish is crazing with a spiderweb pattern on the finish lightly cracking on both sides. You can't see it in the pictures or even in bad light, but it's there and won't heal by itself. So after I do a little clay shooting we're going to refinish the buttstock to match the satin finish of the forend.

The previous owner had the stock head glass bedded, so she's ready to rock and roll.
Always like to see projects like that work out. Pheasants are already alarmed about next season, Dave!
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