C&r guys gotta question

[watsonville]

I'm looking into purchasing a c&r shotgun what do I look for to ensure I can fire it I know make sure steel barrels no dents in barrel and make sure lock up is tight but anything else thanks in advance the maker is Ithaca and another is laurona and sauer

[Dark Mod]

Im assuming its a side by side?

[watsonville]

Yes it's a side by side

[gun toting monkeyboy]

Make sure it has both firing pins, and that both locks work. Bring snap caps if you need to. Check to make sure that the fore end stays on if you bump it or shake it. Have the seller break down the gun in front of you to show you that everything stays together or comes apart as it should. Look for cracks in the wood around the inletting of the action and at the wrist of the stock. Check the buttplate to make sure that it isn't cracked or held on with tape or chewing gum. Check to see that the safety works. These older doubles often have an automatic safety that turns itself on when you close the action. Make sure that if it does have one, that it actually turns the safety all the way on. AND make sure that if you pull the triggers while the safety is on, that neither of the locks go off as soon as you take the safety off. Finally, make sure that the barrels are not damascus barrels. If they are, they were only safe for black powder loads, and they may very well have hundreds of microscopic cracks between the different layers of metal that have developed over time. That would make them unsafe for any loads now. I am not saying that all damascus barrels are unsafe, but they are something that should be left to the experts.

-Mb

[Mike A]

If you intend on shooting the gun, you should check to see that it is "on face," that is, that the barrels and the face of the receiver have not warped away from one another over time. Usually that is caused by extensive firing of ammunition that is too high pressured for the gun, which is another whole discussion.

Pull the forearm off, leave the barrels attached to the receiver. Hold the stock/receiver in one hand and try to wiggle the barrels side to side. A tiny wiggle is OK, but any serious movement is a bad sign, and will get worse over time until you have a loosy-goosy lockup. This can be fixed, but it takes a serious gunsmith with knowledge of doubles and some $$ to do it right. Some do it with shims and expoxy or shims and solder, but those are temporary and kind of "Fibber McGee" fixes frowned on by serious double enthusiasts.

I agree in general with all that the previous poster said. But if the gun is in high condition, at a good price, and you WANT it, don't be too put off by damascus barrels. Just have them checked by a gunsmith who specializes in doubles to see what ammo they can handle.

MANY discussions of all this on www.doublegunshop.com/BBS. A couple of searches would give you a LOT of info. Watch out; doubles are addicting, if you aren't hooked already!