doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - FIX FOR S X S/ loose when open(Side to side)

JUST TRYING TO COME UP WITH A GOOD SOLID FIX FOR SIDE BY SIDES (ESP FOX) THAT ARE SLIGHTLY LOOSE--wobble side to side just a little-- WHEN OPEN. BOTH ARE TIGHT WITH LEVER TO THE RIGHT WHEN CLOSED, ON FACE. THIS MAY BE A NERDY THING OF MINE. THANKS! GIL

The most important thing, as I've always understood it, is that it be on face even when the forend is off the gun. The forend iron, if fitted right and not excessively worn, will push the barrels tighter against the breech than they may be when the forend is detached from the gun. Thus, we check for off face, and looseness, with it off. With it off, if you grip the action in one hand, holding the barrels toward the ceiling/sky, and shake it lightly from side to side, you should feel no movement in the action. Then hold the gun horizontal with a strong light source behind it and look for daylight between the barrel breeches and the breech face of the action. Any daylight seen, or looseness felt when shaking, is a cause for concern. OTOH, if you feel no looseness in the action and can see no daylight at the breech at all, put your forend back on and go enjoy the gun. To further complicate the issue, a gun can be on face but have a bit of looseness when you shake it, but it'll be off face soon if you keep shooting it, you can be sure.

Be aware that a gun going off face, in the early stages, may be off face on one barrel only. I have seen doubles that were tight on face, with the top lever even a bit to the left of center, that felt loose when opened for loading. I don't like this, but it is not a cause for immediate concern, IMO. However, if the barrels are off face, even a tiny bit, it needs to be addressed before shooting it any more.

I hope that has not confused you further. I'm no Michael McIntosh when to comes to explaining the workings of a doublegun, I'm afraid.

I don't understand the problem if it is tight when closed.

Most are slightly loose when opened.

This slight fault can come up a few years a gun has been re jointed, or is just a case of normal knuckle joint ware. Just to make certain that the gun is correctly on face there is a little used trick of the trade that was commonly used but has now fallen out of use not because it was not a good method for a quick check rather that the product used is now not so easy to obtain though if you know where to look you can still purchase a box for little cost. If I said typewriter carbon duplicating paper would you folks know what I was talking about, if you do a piece covering the guns breach with the duplicating surface facing the barrels and the gun closed it will leave marks on the barrel face that is tight against the breach face. It is not a substitute for the traditional smoke lamp but a quick way of getting a yes no status of the barrel to breach fit.If the breach fit is passable the fault can be found with the fore end iron because when rejoining the the pressure that is normally applied by the Iron to the knuckle joint is increased making the joint become tighter and is released by filing the the barrel catch slot in the Iron. Now if this slot is not filed correctly and leaving a little bearing surface the constant on and off of the guns fore end, ware here will cause the knuckle joint pressure to lessen causing lateral movement when the breach is open. This sort of movement is also caused by normal ware and tear, the cure is simple but it does not appeal to some folks because it involves a punch and a hammer. The late Jack Rowe and Larry Potterfield made a short video that can be found on u tube showing how to improve the irons tension on the guns knuckle joint. Though like others have said if it is not much of a movement leave well alone.

That's a curious comment, gunut. Care to expand on it?