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Hi Calguns, I have a puzzle that I'm hoping that you can help me solve. I have an older O/U 12 gauge that I love to use; it fits me like it was made for me. Unfortunately, I have problems with both firing pins that I just can't figure out on my own.
The upper barrel tends to get stuck out and not retract, but only with live shells. I can take out the pin, clean and lubricate everything, and get it to work perfectly with snap caps, until my next trip to the range, where the problem will appear again. The gun has no problem re-cocking the hammers. The pin does get stuck out but can be manually retracted with some pressure (i usually use a chopstick). The spring appears to be wedged somewhere because it doesn't act on the pin until I remove and reinsert the assembly. Why would this be a problem under recoil, but not with the snap caps?
The lower barrel never gets stuck, but it does tend to get light primer strikes. I have seen that if the upper barrel is fired first, the lower one tends to go. It's a little harder to establish that the light primer strike isn't happening with the snap caps, but with the stock off the action does appear to be working fine, even when only one trigger is used.
Interestingly both problems seem most prevalent when only barrel is being used, as required by my local range. I have tried using both barrels and that seems to help the gun function better.
Do I need new firing pins, or firing pin springs? Does the gun require a professional look? I'd appreciate anything that could point me to what's going on here!
The upper barrel tends to get stuck out and not retract, but only with live shells. I can take out the pin, clean and lubricate everything, and get it to work perfectly with snap caps, until my next trip to the range, where the problem will appear again. The gun has no problem re-cocking the hammers. The pin does get stuck out but can be manually retracted with some pressure (i usually use a chopstick). The spring appears to be wedged somewhere because it doesn't act on the pin until I remove and reinsert the assembly. Why would this be a problem under recoil, but not with the snap caps?
The lower barrel never gets stuck, but it does tend to get light primer strikes. I have seen that if the upper barrel is fired first, the lower one tends to go. It's a little harder to establish that the light primer strike isn't happening with the snap caps, but with the stock off the action does appear to be working fine, even when only one trigger is used.
Interestingly both problems seem most prevalent when only barrel is being used, as required by my local range. I have tried using both barrels and that seems to help the gun function better.
Do I need new firing pins, or firing pin springs? Does the gun require a professional look? I'd appreciate anything that could point me to what's going on here!
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