Shot gun action problems.

Good morning,

This is my first post in this section and I am hoping for some pertinent advice. I have just bought a 10g. double barrel box-lock Richland side by side. It was made by a Spanish firm Lanber. The barrels and the general condition of the gun seem to be good but my suspicious eye detects weld on the bottom of the knuckle at the front of the action. It does not seem be structural but more cosmetic, as if there to fill a corrosion pit. I have dismantled the action entirely and all else seems to be perfect. The edges of the action face seem to have been peened to close the gap from allowing light through, the peening is perhaps .003" high, could this have been done when new? But apart from that the action is smooth and tight.

Am I being squeamish about putting some shells through this gun? I would appreciate any opinions.

Charles.

Truck tire and sash cord. Take an old truck tire and lay it flat on the ground. Place the butt stock inside of tire, lay the barrels on top of the other side of the tire. Fix one end of the sash cord to the trigger, play out the sash cord, load the barrel. Next go to the end of the sash cord and before you pull the cord, do a Hillary Clinton and duck and cover. Repeat for second barrel (if it's still there).

Check the chamber dimensions.
A lot of older sxs have short chambers becasue they were intended to shoot shells with cardboard end caps, rather than crimped ends.

Review the proof marks. Be sure it has the approprate proofs for smokless powder.
Dont be suprised to see proffs from countries other than Spain.

If the weld you describe is on part of the hinge mechanism, its probably to compensate for ware. This is cheep way to address the problem. Replacing the hinge pin is usualy a more durable solution.
Peaning to close the gap at the breach is a way to hide side to side play in the action.

Sounds like you may have a loose action that has been given the equivelant of a cheep valve job.

Fixing broken is one thing. Fixing worn out is another.
look the lock works over carefully for exessive ware in the hammer notches and sears. Check hinge joints on hammers and sears for exessive ware as well. You dont want a 10 to double when your shooting it.

ahall said:

Check the chamber dimensions.
A lot of older sxs have short chambers becasue they were intended to shoot shells with cardboard end caps, rather than crimped ends.

Review the proof marks. Be sure it has the approprate proofs for smokless powder.
Dont be suprised to see proffs from countries other than Spain.

If the weld you describe is on part of the hinge mechanism, its probably to compensate for ware. This is cheep way to address the problem. Replacing the hinge pin is usualy a more durable solution.
Peaning to close the gap at the breach is a way to hide side to side play in the action.

Sounds like you may have a loose action that has been given the equivelant of a cheep valve job.

Fixing broken is one thing. Fixing worn out is another.
look the lock works over carefully for exessive ware in the hammer notches and sears. Check hinge joints on hammers and sears for exessive ware as well. You dont want a 10 to double when your shooting it.

Click to expand...

I Second that!

I'd also take a long hard look at the hinge pin itself, not so much for slight wear, which would be normal, but to see if it has been replaced. If it has, get a decent side by side smith to look the whole thing over

I have heard of one or two replaced pins breaking because they were too brittle for the job.

Keith

With regard to the action the sears and notches are in excellent shape, I think that pin has been replaced but it seems to be a competent job and a file test indicates that it is not glass hard.

My inclination is to think that there was some rust or perhaps chemical corrosion on and in the knuckle which may have weakened the pin and required its replacement. It may have been left through an closed season without cleaning when full of salt water.

The barrels are perfect inside and out, and the action is square and tight on the upper two thirds of the standing face but it is possible to detect the peening on the bottom third on each side. The top lever locks the action and binds tight very cleanly and lies a little to the right of center just as you see on new guns. I cannot get a feeler between the barrel flats and the action flat until about the back lump when a .006 will enter and touch the lump but starts to bind as it is slid forward revealing a tapered gap.

Does this provide you with any more helpful information?


Charles.