A loose forend on a side beside shotgun is an easy fix, let me show you how. This is a
Winchester Model 21 built in the early 1930s. The Model 21 was introduced in 1931 and about
30,000 were made up until 1959 when production was moved to the Winchester Custom Shop. This
gun is mechanically sound, but the forend is just a little loose. The barrels are still
tight against the face so fixing this forend is pretty simple. With the wood removed it's easy
to see the importance of the forend. When the gun is opened these recesses move the cocking
levers recocking the internal hammers. The forend iron also houses the automatic ejector
mechanisms which eject the empty shells after the gun is fired. You can see that the forend
iron fits between the knuckle and loop serving as a latch to keep the gun together when it's
open. It's this gap behind the loop that lets the forend wiggle. I begin by taking off the
forend retainer and catch. It's important to note the orientation of the spring.
A bench block is necessary to support the forend iron as I drive out the pins.
I also need to remove the extractors from the barrels to prevent the ejector hammers in the
forend from pressing against them. It's easier to remove the extractors because the ejectors
are spring-loaded. With these parts removed you can more clearly see how the iron fits between
the front of the action or knuckle and the loop. The slot and a forend iron is a little oversized
allowing the forend iron to wiggle slightly, not a problem. All that's required is to move a small
amount of metal at the end of the slot tightening the forend iron against the loop. This can be done
by upsetting metal behind the slot stretching the forend iron slightly. The area could also
be built up by welding or soldering in a shim, but the iron would have to be reblued. The gap
is a couple of thousands about the thickness of a piece of paper so I don't have much metal to move.
I have a punch that's been ground and polished to a wedge shape. With the iron firmly against the
metal bench block, the punch is struck firmly on the hidden side of the iron to stretch the metal
and provide a tighter fit. It doesn't take much stretching so it's important to check my progress.
This technique should never be used to tighten up an old gun on which the barrels are off the face.
The back of the slot should make considerable contact with the loop. I
coat the contact surface with the marker to check the fit. The forend iron is just starting
to make contact with the loop or what I call a soft fit. Now it's a simple matter of fitting.
I carefully file off the shiny spots
until I have just a bit of clearance,
then strike the iron again.
We are looking for a firm contact or a hard fit between the forend iron and the
loop. The sides of the iron as well as the inside of the slot are dressed back flush.
Cold blue blends in the appearance then everything is reassembled. a proper repair
such as this one should last for many years and leave no evidence of the work performed.