doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Disaster struck yesterday

Sorry about your misfortune and I am really glad to hear that you were not hurt..... About five years ago I bought a Model 21 at a gunshow in Louisville and I took it out pheasant hunting the following Monday. I didn't see any birds all day and was disappointed that I didn't get to try out my new gun. So on the way back to the car I thought- what the heck. Late in the day. No one around. There was a styrofoam cup stuck in a little tree alongside the path. So what the heck? I just had to try out the gun. So I backed off about thirty yards, aimed, pulled the trigger and KAA-BOOOOM. The cup totally disappeared and I thought- man, this gun really kicks! Then when I opened it up, I looked at the primers saw that both barrels had discharged. These were two 1 1/8 oz. high velocity trap loads I loaded for about 1200 fps. But it didn't phase the gun. I guess the Winchester proof load tests proved out right after all!

I did a dangerous thing to an old pin sterlingworth 12 with short chambers to boot.I have old eyes and can not see close and loaded two three inch magnum Winchester turkey loads by mistake,do not remember the load ,but it was the heaviest ones! When i test fired the gun it had really heavy recoil and doubled and the snap on forearm fell off.Did not hurt a thing except my pride! I suspect the recaseing of the frame caused your failure! Sorry for your loss! Bobby

Years ago I had a 16 gauge Stevens 5100. On opening day I went duck hunting for the first time in my life. I had no experience shooting crossing shots and missed one duck after another after another. In frustration I began shooting both barrels a once, I don't know how many 1-1/8 ounce doubles I put through that old beat up Stevens but needless to say it took a licking and kept going, as for me, after 2-1/2 boxes of shells I finally managed to hit one accident-prone duck. I would suspect that you had bad shells in your gun that caused the failure.
Steve

When the hen turkey I killed the other day walked behind a tree at about 75 yards....I eased both hammers back. When she walked behind another tree at about 35 yards I brought my gun up...when she walked out I let her have it with the right barrel...boom. The recoil was immense to say the least...as the smoke cleared.

I looked down at my hammers and they were both down....I got up broke open the gun and removed 'two empties' that were loaded with a total of 9 drams of black powder. No damage to the wood or metal.

I'm a south paw and was sitting in an awkward position holding my little 10 gauge hand cannon lightly. At the recoil my finger slipped back on the rear trigger. I would consider having the triggers reversed if no alterations to the gun were required, which I hear is doubtfull.

For now If I cOrk both hammers again sitting...I will definitely pull the rear trigger first.
L.F.

I have a Parker which was re-colored twice within the first ten years of its life, which began in 1897. I know this because the factory records state so. That should give you an idea of how much the gun was used. In the ensuing 100 years it may have been recolored after that as well, though there is no record of it and the gun has little color left on it now.

The frame must have been faulty as it has no signs of cracking.

Regarding the Fox, I wonder how a ugn which was recently refinished by a well know refinisher could have a doubling problem. I would expect that if the gun had been properly put back together any cause of doubling would have been remedied. Is this a case of putting a new paint job on car with a gerasy engine?

Greg Tag ------ Greg, as you probably know, I have been engraving firearms for 48 years. Had quite a few of them re-cased and none as to my knowledge have ever failed --- at least nobody complained. I believe the problem lays in one of the following;
1) didn't anneal before re-casing

2)allowed re-casing temp to rise to high and for to long

3) bad ammo

Alot of these guns have come from out the woodwork. Being passed-over thru 40s-50s-60s-70s,80s-90s for pumps and autos. These old things have had time to get older. Now shot by more, failures will be more.
Btw, fat fingers can cause doublin'.

Could be a chicken/egg paradox. The action depends on frame integrity to keep the sear noses in the hammer notches. Let us suppose that a crack opened along the frame, likely through one of the holes that the axles go through, and expanded just enough during firing to allow the sear to slip from the notch... might be difficult to discern from doubling.

Point is that the frame crack may have caused the double discharge. Especially possible if this is the first time the gun has doubled.

Here's the picture of the one on eBay.


Another one showed up with a very similar crack.

Pete

I have my old Philly Sterlingworth hung over the fireplace...looks good there too!
Kinda takes the tweed outta you.
Who knows what load that farmer shot Pete? Knowning farmers, as I do, any shell will do for the barnyard pest/dinner!