Shotgun (extremely) difficult to break open.

bullets

Evening,

Hopeing someone here may have come across this issue before and can offer some advice before I go looking for a gunsmith or I foolishly whip out a file.

Have not had the chance to go shooting much the last year or so, since I dont drive I was always getting a lift off a buddy but he kinda lost interest in shooting anything other than some clays locally from time to time so my guns have been sitting in the safe for a few months without much use.

Went shooting some clays a few weeks ago for the first time in months with my O/U Bettinsoli Diamond it was always very stiff to break since I bought it and its only got about 2000 Rounds through it (even though its nearly 3 years old), it was difficult to break open (as per usual)
so I thought nothing of it, thinking it still needed a lot
more rounds through it to free out.

Last week though took it out again to shoot some clays and it was fairly hot out. When I went to break the gun to my horror the gun was extremely difficult to break open.
(Much more so than the previous week) Got me wondering
if heat made the tight tolerances stiff but turned out it
was not the case.

I did nothing to it, it did not get any bangs etc just the gun was almost impossible to open without force.
I only fired 3 shots out of it before deciding to put it away, and ended up shooting a buddies 525 and I cringed at every shot as its his baby and did not want to be fireing someone elses gun.

I tried dry fireing (with snapcap) one barrel at a time,
first the top and break, then the bottom and break, then both and break to see if it had anything to do with pins/springs but there was no change. Also there was no change with the body locking lever it had same spring consistance.

If I goto take off the forestock by opening the lever and ever so slightly angle it off away from the barrels the stiffness issue goes away.

I took the wood off of the fore stock and Put the metal parts only onto the gun. If I stick even a 50 cent piece between the metal of the forestock and where it rests on the barrels the issue goes away and the gun will break open and closed perfectly without any force.

The problems seems to be when the forestock is fully on.

Someone mentioned trying to file the forestock hook ever so slightly where it hooks into the main body of the gun.
Not sure where on this that should or could be filed (slightly) or even if that would be the solution.

Anyone got any ideas ?

If I stick a coin here the gun will break fine:


Without the coin in the default position its fecked


Thought it may have been an issue with the metal where
the gun pivots and blackened the area with a candle to see where was getting wear and what was not but this area
did not seem to be where the issue was.


Wondering if its this hook here that may be causeing the issue. Something maybe about the angle of it and how it intereacts with the partner piece when the forestock is fully on:

Tackleberrywho

bullets wrote: »

Evening,

Hopeing someone here may have come across this issue before and can offer some advice before I go looking for a gunsmith or I foolishly whip out a file.

Have not had the chance to go shooting much the last year or so, since I dont drive I was always getting a lift off a buddy but he kinda lost interest in shooting anything other than some clays locally from time to time so my guns have been sitting in the safe for a few months without much use.

Went shooting some clays a few weeks ago for the first time in months with my O/U Bettinsoli Diamond it was always very stiff to break since I bought it and its only got about 2000 Rounds through it (even though its nearly 3 years old), it was difficult to break open (as per usual)
so I thought nothing of it, thinking it still needed a lot
more rounds through it to free out.

Last week though took it out again to shoot some clays and it was fairly hot out. When I went to break the gun to my horror the gun was extremely difficult to break open.
(Much more so than the previous week) Got me wondering
if heat made the tight tolerances stiff but turned out it
was not the case.

I did nothing to it, it did not get any bangs etc just the gun was almost impossible to open without force.
I only fired 3 shots out of it before deciding to put it away, and ended up shooting a buddies 525 and I cringed at every shot as its his baby and did not want to be fireing someone elses gun.

I tried dry fireing (with snapcap) one barrel at a time,
first the top and break, then the bottom and break, then both and break to see if it had anything to do with pins/springs but there was no change. Also there was no change with the body locking lever it had same spring consistance.

If I goto take off the forestock by opening the lever and ever so slightly angle it off away from the barrels the stiffness issue goes away.

I took the wood off of the fore stock and Put the metal parts only onto the gun. If I stick even a 50 cent piece between the metal of the forestock and where it rests on the barrels the issue goes away and the gun will break open and closed perfectly without any force.

The problems seems to be when the forestock is fully on.

Someone mentioned trying to file the forestock hook ever so slightly where it hooks into the main body of the gun.
Not sure where on this that should or could be filed (slightly) or even if that would be the solution.

Anyone got any ideas ?

If I stick a coin here the gun will break fine:


Without the coin in the default position its fecked


Thought it may have been an issue with the metal where
the gun pivots and blackened the area with a candle to see where was getting wear and what was not but this area
did not seem to be where the issue was.


Wondering if its this hook here that may be causeing the issue. Something maybe about the angle of it and how it intereacts with the partner piece when the forestock is fully on:

I'd be more interested in knowing what caused it than fixing it.
A smooth broad flat file would remove the burr.

I'd bing it to a gun smith to look it over though just to be on the safe side, or if you do not have the proper equipment vise etc

bunny shooter

I'd go to a gunsmith

bullets

May end up going to a gunsmith, Right now though said
I would ask ye guys so I can hopefully gather a bit of info just in case anyone ever had the same issue before.

I'm hopeing get a lift to Midlands Sat to dust off the ol rifle and get a few shots in so may bring the shot gun along with me to see if anyone that knows more about guns than myself can spot anything wrong with it. Not sure if Jim from the range looks at repairs or not or if he just sells. Never been to a specific gunsmith before so will have to go googleing for something to stick in the girlfriends satnav.

~B

Tackleberrywho

bullets wrote: »

May end up going to a gunsmith, Right now though said
I would ask ye guys so I can hopefully gather a bit of info just in case anyone ever had the same issue before.

I'm hopeing get a lift to Midlands Sat to dust off the ol rifle and get a few shots in so may bring the shot gun along with me to see if anyone that knows more about guns than myself can spot anything wrong with it. Not sure if Jim from the range looks at repairs or not or if he just sells. Never been to a specific gunsmith before so will have to go googleing for something to stick in the girlfriends satnav.

~B

Put in carrigobrien Athlone Co Westmeath

J.R.

I certainly wouldn't file anything without knowing exactly what the problem was.

A lad in our club had a Beretta 686 Gold E which was tight like yours since new. He filed the metal part that meets the foreend....worked perfectly ...very, very smooth.

After a few 1,000's shells fired and the gun bedded he had an awful problem with the gun being loose....he put insulation tape over where the filing was done and gun lovely and smooth & tight again so he realised then that it was his filing that caused his loose problem.

Tackleberrywho

J.R. wrote: »

I certainly wouldn't file anything without knowing exactly what the problem was.

A lad in our club had a Beretta 686 Gold E which was tight like yours since new. He filed the metal part that meets the foreend....worked perfectly ...very, very smooth.

After a few 1,000's shells fired and the gun bedded he had an awful problem with the gun being loose....he put insulation tape over where the filing was done and gun lovely and smooth & tight again so he realised then that it was his filing that caused his loose problem.

If your trip switch trips, you don't just flick it back.
You see is there anything causing it to trip.

Go to a Gun smith. Something may have come loose and caused an alignment issue and as a result rubbing causing a burr to appear

bullets

cheers for the replies, I'll hold off with the file for now
I must take the forestock release lever off too, in case that is interfereing in any way, as when I put on the forestock the lever stays in the open position until a gently push it shut.
(instead of snapping shut when I but the wood to the barrell)
And also noticed some scuff marks where the wood from the forestock has rubbed against the barrell.

~B

Grizzly 45

Landers in Tralee,or Halpins in Listowel might be closer for a gunsmith Bullets.It looks to me like the bar is bent where your finger is in the last pic?It also looks very unfinished and non polished.
Gunsmith job,all right.
Simple field expedient,metal putty a piece of steel of the coin size into position.It isnt that the gun is unsafe,just a nusiance to open.See it that makes it any easier to work with after a few clays.If it doesnt it is esaily removeable with 20secs direct heat from a small propane lighter/torch.

bullets

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Landers in Tralee,or Halpins in Listowel might be closer for a gunsmith Bullets.I.

Cheers, I never thought of Halpins in Listowel.
Have family living down there so easy to get to and back in case I'd need
to leave the gun in. Also have also been meaning to take a look at his store for ages as I hear he had a deactivated Bren Gun on display. Have not been
in his store since I was a teenager!

The non-polished looking area I had darkened to check the fit in case one
side was rubbing heavier than the other side when everything was together.


~B

Rovi

John Conroy near Portlaoise is a very well regarded gunsmith in shotgun circles, if your other options closer to home don't work out.

Grizzly 45

They had to take the Bren away from the display.:(
BUT he has a fine selection of vintage rifles ,and Sean is a great man for the chat and a total gentleman to deal with.

patsat

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

They had to take the Bren away from the display.:(
BUT he has a fine selection of vintage rifles ,and Sean is a great man for the chat and a total gentleman to deal with.

You could stay there for hours looking at the vintage rifles and talking!

I have!:D