doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Old wood shrinking and wood/metal separation

I'm looking at a nice pre-war Francotte 12. Not a fancy model but a very solid field gun with some nice features, like side clips, Greener crossbolt, and wild arcaded fences. Metal is 85+% all round and the wood shows the typical battle scars of a well used, well cared for bird gun. The only issue I see is some wood shrinkage and separation between wood and metal at the back of the receiver.

I'm sure this is a common issue. My question is how seriously others would view it or whether anything can or should be done about it. Would it be worth glass bedding the stock and trying to fill the gap somehow. Any thoughts?

Bill

If it were separated towards the front of the action I worry about a split stock. I'd pull the stock and check for cracks. If the stock is solid a little glass bedding should snug it up well. One other thing to consider if it is a new purchase is where the gun has been for the last few years. I bought a gun much like you describe which had been just north of Lost Vegas for about a decade. After six months in a much more humid home the stock swelled up to almost eliminate all the slight gaps. I figure the gun had been in an extreme low humidity for so long the entire blank was bone dry and picked up moisture like a sponge which caused it to return to normal.

Thanks! Good point. Montana to Tennessee might have a similar effect....