doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Restoring a Darne V21

I recently acquired a Darne V21shotgun and from what I can tell it was made in the early to mid 1920’s. For the most part the metal
Is good but the butt stock is pretty beat up and the butt plate needs to be replaced. After reading some of the old threads it sounds like removing the stock is very difficult and comes with some risks. It appears a previous owner had tried to remove it and ended up
Just applying a glossy finish from the checkering back. The forestock and checkering area of the buttstock appear original. There are numerous dents and dings that need to be raised as well and I am looking for suggestions as to how to do this without removing the stock or risking damage to the checkering. Also wondering if anyone knows what finish the Darne craftsman used as I hope to get it as close to original as possible. Lastly, any ideas where one might find a replacement butt plate? Any help is greatly appreciated!

I am presuming that the gun in question is a two piece stock. I have taken down both Darne and Charlin doubles with one piece stocks and it was a simple job. The only thing to watch is losing the balls out of a Charlin. I ended up buying a box of 100 stainless ball bearings of the proper metric size from Fastenal. (5mm is what sticks in my mind.) The guns will work without them but they lose that buttery smooth operation. I secretly believe that the people who say they see no difference in action between the two makers may simply have tried a Charlin with no balls (pun intended).

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