doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Double Discharge

Hey all, kind of a curious question.

What are some of the reasons a double trigger SxS double when the front trigger is pulled?

Thanks as always

Greg

Usually it is the angle of the sear tip in relation to the hammer bent.

I often see sears that have been bent slightly to reduce sear engagement as well, this leads to a very dangerous situation where the sear tip is not seated fully in to the hammer bent. I just had one in last week like that from a long time client, I straightened the sear and the problem was resolved.

Those are the two most common sources of doubling in my experience.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to correct me.

A fold in one's gloves.

I had an O/U that doubled, and an inspection revealed a trigger pin had worked loose on one side.
Mike

Sometimes people decide to 'adjust' the sear tip engagement angle and profile. It ends up not for the better and recoil of one shot jars the second bbl off as well.

Here's a couple of pics of the sears out of a Browning that someone did just that,,and the gun responded with an occasional double.




Quite a few different things can cause it from mechanical to things like the shooter 'fanning' the triggers...pulling the front trigger and the trigger finger slipping right off & past the front trigger and slapping the rear trigger in one quick motion).
It feels and sounds like the gun doubled,,but you did it yourself by pulling both triggers in very rapid succession.

A gloved hand can cause it as well as BrentD points out.

I had an old friend (my father's age) whose double shot the left barrel automatically when he shot the right one. He responded by shooting the left barrel first from then on. He has been gone more than half a century, so I can't find out the details of choke, barrel length and make now. We did hunt "birds" together and he liked nice American guns, so it wasn't likely a full/full 34" gun.
Mike

Bad sear engagement, almost always.

could be just dirt or sliver of wood. take it apart and clean it first. also you will get a better idea of what is wrong. you can't tell anything from the outside.

Greg I've had my finger slip off the front trigger and bump the back. Took a bit before I figured that one out. And no I didn't load the left barrel after the first time.