I am trying to determine the length of the forend for a stock I'm working on. It will go on a 375 H&H Winchester.

I am going for a classic English look, with a short forend.

Anyone have any pictures of rifles with shorter forends? And associated measurements?

I have always been curious as to WHY the English put such a short forearm on their rifle stocks. Is there a real reason or is it just because that is what they have always done. Everyone has their own esthetic values, none better than others. That old saw about beauty being in the eye of the beholder probably does apply but I am curious as to WHY the short forearm started.

An English forend should be 8.5 to 9 inches in length measured from the front action ring...The short forend is because the barrel band swivel should be at 10.5 to 11 inches ahead of the forend or two inches in front fo the forend...

The only reason the US forends are longer is because the front swivel is in the forearm itself...

I don't know many folks that have arms so long that they that need all that extra wood sticking out in front of the action, but that is only my idea of what a stock should look like and I much prefer the feel and pointability of the English guns, especially in big bores..To each his own and thankfully we have a choice.

Here's what Ray is talking about. The stock template is an old Rigby .350 Magnum. This rifle is a Dakota 76 in .375 H&H. NOTE: that the stock cracked and a brilliant job of invisible repair included a bit of glass bedding where the recoil lug meets the wood.

Regards

Ray and Tim, thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. I love the lines on that rifle!

Great rifle Tim! Would you give some details on who built it and who did the repair work. Sorry for the minor hijack. Great question wish I would have ask it my self. J.C.

I believe the short thin forend on bolt rifles made in England, is simply a carry over from the splinter forend of the doubles, both shotguns, and rifles! It is simply a matter of style of a country, just like the ugly California style stocks of the bolt rifles of the fifties,and still used on Weatherbys, and the Beavertail forends on double shotguns from the USA! A matter of taste, or lack there of, depending on your point of view!

quote:

Originally posted by JC375:
Great rifle Tim! Would you give some details on who built it and who did the repair work. Sorry for the minor hijack. Great question wish I would have ask it my self. J.C.

JC,

Dakota action/Lilja barrel with NECG sights and trap grip cap for spare foresight were married by the stockmaker at Bernie Laubser's shop in Paarl, not far from Cape Town. I ran the rifle through the London proof house to get the right stamps on the barrel of this classic Brit caliber.

Boone Berlin did the crack repair and bedding. He lives a few hundred yards from engraver Ken Hurst in Robersonville, NC (910)220-3332.

Regards, Tim

Nice left hand rifle.
Bill

Bill,

Thanks. Looks as if it gave TradermarkTex an answer.

Reckon I'll be putting in in the Classifieds next month once I do some due diligence on value and take more pix...

Regards, Tim

quote:

I ran the rifle through the London proof house to get the right stamps on the barrel of this classic Brit caliber.

Now I have heard of everything! That has got to be the coolest thing I have read on this forum in a long time. Beautiful.

Jason

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

quote:

I ran the rifle through the London proof house to get the right stamps on the barrel of this classic Brit caliber.

Now I have heard of everything! That has got to be the coolest thing I have read on this forum in a long time. Beautiful.

Jason

Jason,

Thanks. Not hard to do even with my minimal UK gun contacts.

Regards, Tim