Forearm Question

[davidsapp]

Will a ML forearm work with a 20 gauge smoothbore shotgun barrel? Or does a shotgun barrel need it's own forearm?

Thanks
David

[Grumulkin]

Muzzleloader, 12 gauge and 20 gauge Encore barrels all take different forends.

[davidsapp]

Thanks!

[contender222]

I have all three and I know a 12ga forearm will fit a 20ga barrel, just has a small gap on the sides since the 12ga is larger diameter. I think the ML forend will fit if you get longer screws for it.

[Hopalong7]

    A muzzle loader forearm fits over the bosses for the ramrod and has a slot for the ramrod to go through therefore no other forearm will work.  Now....I got a 12ga turkey barrel(Katahdin) right after the Pro-Hunter models were introduced and acquired a Pro-Hunter forend for said barrel.  I very soon bought a Katahdin 45-70 barrel and decided to shim my Pro-Hunter 12ga forend a bit and see if it wouldn't work for my 45-70....had to change screw size but the spacing was the same and it work like a charm.  Ok....it worked for that, why couldn't I shim it a little more and make it fit my 24" standard contour barrels...works great and shoots like a charm.  Has a little more air space around it but that might help it cool faster....yeah!  So I have two forends for all my Encore barrels(except pistolin').  I use leather trimmed out of a heavy belt for the shimmin'.  

[jjvw]

I wish they made them all with dovetails, like the shotguns and the way contenders are.
I would think that a shotgun forend on a reg barrel would shear the smaller bolts, especially the 45-70.

[Hopalong7]

     Amen on the Dovetails.  One could assume that TC went away from the dovetails because of the amount of recoil generated by the bigger rounds, but then they used the smaller screws .  So far... the little screws and the 45-70 Katahdin and Pro-Hunter shotgun forend have worked OK.  Understand I'm shooting 300's at no more than mid-range trap door level and 405's at even lower loadings.  With the synthetic stock and forend and 45-70 Katahdin barrel this thing weighs zilch and flex-tech stock or no...this ol' man can't take but so much!

[jjvw]

I just got a 20 ga slug barrel and was able to modify a boyd's laminated heavy forend to fit. I used a deep socket wrapped in sand paper to enlarge the barrel channel. Screw holes did not need enlarging except to countersink for the standoffs. It withstood 30 rounds for sighting in.