I don't know why old doubles were not sealed inside, or were they ? Or some of them with something not now so apparent.
I have a book in front of me called The Shotgun Stock, design construction & embellishment. Author= Robert Arthur. Printed in 1971.
Page 153 Chapter 20, under the heading Gunstock Finishes, I read this.
"The next step is sealing, the sufficient application of some moisture resisting agent to all surfaces of the stock, both inside & out. The finish itself, as well as the sealer, should be as waterproof as possible."
O.M
With all respect, by 1971 the only American doubles made were the Model 21 Winchester and the Stevens 311, and maybe the reissue of the L.C. Smith. I've never had any Model 21's apart, but every one of my pre 1913 L.C. Smiths and all the 311's had no sealant whatever under the lock plates, in front of the butt plate, or under the forend iron, that I could see, anyway.
By 1971 they had super glue to seal the stocks, and polyurethanes, even Tru Oil and Linspeed.
Even my modern Citori and Beretta over and unders, have no sealant in the hidden parts of the wood, nor does my BSS or any other modern double I've owned.
I'm not saying no factory double gun was ever sealed under the visible parts of the wood, but I've had a bunch apart and never seen any trace of sealant or finish of any kind there.
By 1971 the custom stock makers were sealing the insides of the wood, but even then, I don't think the factories were as a usual practice.
Why?
The only rational reason I can think of is that time has always been money, and since the customer wouldn't take the gun apart before he bought it, they left anything he couldn't see unfinished and unsealed.
But then again, when Parker and Fox and Ithaca and L.C. Smith were all head to head competing in the market place, you'd think one of them would have dabbed just a couple of coats of their finish on the inside of the wood, then advertised it.
So maybe, they thought the wood needed to breath inside?
It's always fascinated me, every time I've taken some old gun apart.
