doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Tightening a Parker Trojan?

A friend is considering buying a 16 Ga. Parker Trojan. The release lever is left of center and that makes me think excessive wear, otherwise the gun is in good to fair condition. Is the fix accomplished by replacing the hinge pin, the hook that fits the hinge pin or both? What is the approximate cost and is it worth doing on a $900 shotgun? Thank you for your replies.

I would start by putting a temporary shim on the barrel hook. Cut a strip of material from a Coors can, form it to the contour of the barrel hook and reassemble the gun. If this solves the problem Locktite it into place for a semi-permanent fix or solder a piece of shim stock of the appropriate thickness to the barre hook for a more permanent fix.

Total cost for option 1 - about $5.00 including the beer.

Option 2 will cost a bit more - probably $20.00 if you can't do the soldering.

The way Parker Bros. would have tightened it would be a slightly thicker bolt-plate in the barrel lug, and if it was off-face a slightly larger diameter roll.

As Researcher has stated bolt wear & hinge wear are two entirely separate issues. Off Face cannot be compensated for by adjusting the bolting & bolt wear "Should Not" be compensated for by adjusting the Hinge, other than bringing it "Back" on face if it is off. "If" the gun is On Face & you shim or otherwise adjust the hinge to bting the bolt back to center then you have prevented the bbls from seating to their proper position & done more harm than good. The levers were designed & made to rotate around to take up bolt wear.

If the Trojan has a replaceable wedge insert in the barrel lug as the other Parker models do, I would try to change it for a thicker one as Researcher says.

Remove the forend and grip the gun in the area of the hinge and shake it. If the hinge is worn you will feel the looseness - if not, it is simply the bolt and/or the wear insert that need attention.

All Trojans should have the replaceable bolt plate. The Trojan was introduced in 1912. The first style bolt plate in 1905 and the final style bolt plate in 1910.

DelGregos still do a "proper" Parker tighten up.

Did you mean the top lever was left of center? Or was it right of center? If it really was left of center, then that would be normal and there would be a lot more wear before it would need tightening.
Pete

I think you have that backwards sxsman1. With the gun standing on it's butt - barrels pointing up - and while looking at the top of the barrels, action and lever, if the lever is to the right of vertical it is considered good while if the lever is more to the left of vertical it is considered worn.

Wyobirds, keep life simple. Check first to see if the gun is off face. Place a sheet of paper between the breech end of the barrels and the action. If the gun closes easily and the lever hasn't moved to the right then it's probably off face and the hook needs attention. A thin shim is by far the cheapest way to tighten but only a proper rejointing by a good gunsmith will permanently fix it. Expect somewhere around $300 for the job. Cheaper can be found but be careful they know how to do it.