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Today I started out at the club shooting my 1907 Joseph Lang with the Baker single trigger that they used in their guns. Straight out it would not fire the second barrel. (Last time I used it, it worked flawlessly). On a few occasions I had my friend shoot it and it did fire the cecond barrel but not often, maybe two times.
Once I dry fired it, put two shells in and it worked fine. Then it stopped all together. It's going to my gunsmith next week but just curious what your thoughts might be. (I hope not expensive thoughts)

There are many Spanish and English single triggers that aren’t working. Crappy, and, otherwise.

I keep the old Silver Snipe around because I can get a gloved finger in the trigger guard in the winter. Well, that, and because it was my Dad’s gun.

Best,
Ted

i'm sure your admonition will be heeded, most heartily, by those who look to you for gunning advice. Whoever they may be.

I've worked on a Silver Snipe a couple times recently for a friend who bought one for $300, because it wouldn't reset the trigger to fire the second barrel. The first time I had it I cleaned the action in my ultrasonic bath, then dried and lightly oiled it. He said it worked for about 20 shots then started the same thing again, so I agreed to look at it again.

This time, as I looked more closely, I saw that the inertia block, though it would swing freely when touched with my fingertip, wouldn't swing freely when I tipped the gun up and down. Looking more closely I noticed that the axle upon which the inertia block pivots is a screw. I saw that the end of the screw opposite the head looked to be center punched to prevent it from backing out. I tried turning the screw CCW and it moved. I only moved it maybe 15 degrees. I then tried tipping the gun upwards and downwards and found that the inertia block now pivoted more freely. Another tiny drop of Eezox oil went on that pin.

I returned the gun to the owner today at lunch in hopes that it is now fixed. Time will tell, as he will be shooting it some more soon.

So many things .It was always a problem if someone else had been at it in the past , but if you have had the gun for some time tis is probobly not a factor here .
A gentle cleaning would always been my first thought .
Also check that the safe was not going on on firsts firing .
Check that the trigger is not fouling the guard bow and that it is coming fully forward .
After that it is a matter of checking springs and that any moving part is functioning .
The amount of recoil is also a factor in some older S/T's .
Loose stocks or trigger plates can be a cause , or for that matter if the trigger plate has sunk into the wood due to age and had the hand pin pulled up .
Hope its something simple !


May I also comment on Teds mention about Spanish single triggers ? In so much as AyA used a S/T that was a close copy of a Miller trigger .

A gunsmith good enough to be entrusted with a Lang should probably be expensive.

The single triggers used in Spanish guns are considered to be unreliable. That is because they are direct copies of the single triggers used in English guns. If it is your lucky day, perhaps the gunsmith will find some dirt or hardened lube in a place that impedes the workings of said trigger. But, often, that is not the case. Inertia single trigger designs often need a good thump of recoil to make them consistently operational, and we tend to load these old guns with the lightest recoiling and lowest pressure loads we can find. My father, RIP, put big, squishy recoil pads on everything he ever owned, and the pad he had put on a Beretta he owned impeded the inertia single trigger on the gun. It became reliable again after time hardened the pad up. My Dad quit using the gun when the trouble he had unknowingly caused, started. Took 20 years or so of sitting around for it to get better.

Hopefully, it is something easy to diagnose and rectify.

Good luck.

Best,
Ted

I have a flock of Miller trigger guns, only one required a minor sear contact adjustment about ten years ago. The others have always worked well. All of my Lancaster single trigger guns have always worked well. My 682 Beretta doesn't reliably set the second barrel with .410s, but I could get that fixed easily.

I never had any problems switching from one trigger to two triggers. I did have a tough time shooting skeet with a pump gun, though. I saw some of the other guys shooting their model 12s with the Cutts Compensators and I thought I would give it a try. I had a nice 20 gauge Wingmaster. An Ithaca Model 37- 20 gauge. A Model 12 skeet grade in a 16 gauge- okay there we go. The only problem I had was I kept forgetting to pump it after shooting the first shot on a double target. I'd just stand there pulling the trigger over and over and nothing was happening. So after doing that several times the guys shooting with me would start hollering at me after my first shot- pump it!! Pump it!! Pump it!! It took a while but I finally caught on.