A new over and under is it locked?

[DebugDeadeye]

Hi.

I used to pump action shotguns and I just bought my first CZ over and under.

And I'm not sure if it locks all the way. The opening lever doesn't center when you close the action and still sits somewhat to the right.

I oiled it according to the manual. Didn't help much.

It's pretty stiff as it's new and I can't open the action without the lever but I want to ensure that it really locks before running shells through it.

The attached image shows the lever when the action is closed.

Thanks in advance.

[W.R.Buchanan]

It is supposed to be off to the right. If it was strait back the gun would be worn out. It was built like that to indicate that the action lockup is tight.

Just shoot it it's fine.

Randy

[G-forceJunkie]

What he said. When it goes straight or a bit over the other way you know its worn out and time for a rebuild.

[Imageview]

It took about 400 shells for my cz double to smooth out, after that it was tight but easier opening and closing. If it locks, you?re probably overthinking it and it?s fine.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The Locking Lug is tapered and fits into a tapered slot under the barrel. Wear allows the Lug to go farther into that Slot as time passes and the Opening Lever works it's way back to the centerline. When it goes beyond the centerline it is time for a rebuild. However it is doubtful that you will ever see that unless you shoot the gun competitively, as it will take hundreds of thousands of cycles to wear it out.

Just go shoot it, it is fine The Czechs make good guns and the CZ factory has been around longer than most of us.

On another note: Make sure to Grease the Hinge Faces every time you put the gun together, or before each use you need to take it apart and Grease it. If the Hinge gets dry it will seize, especially on a hot day. I buy Vaseline in Travel Size Tubes and keep it in a plastic bag inside the gun case, and it works just fine. Ohers have Magic Spuges for that purpose. Hot Tip: Get a Hard Case for the gun so you have to take it apart each time you use it. Store the gun in the case, and put a bag of desiccant in with it to suck up moisture and prevent Rust.. This will keep the gun looking new for as long as you own it. I keep all my Nice Shotguns in Hard Cases and they all look new after many decades of use. You can find nice used ones on Ebay..

All of these Break Action types of guns are put together tight and are expected to "wear in" with use. However during that time it is especially critical to keep the Hinge Wet or Galling can occur. You should avoid this at all cost ! Also don't slam the gun closed. Close it smoothly and this will get easier the more the gun is shot.

I learned this the hard way on my Citori Sporting Clays .410 O/U and it broke my heart when it seized on a Hot Day! And it cost me $250 to get it fixed!!!


Randy.

[mike.h]

Congrats on the new shotgun!

[DebugDeadeye]

Thanks, everyone! I ran 150 rounds through the shotgun over the weekend.
Works like a charm!

W.R.Buchanan, thanks for your detailed recommendations! Grease and silica gel in the case are great ideas.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I forgot a Silicone Gun Rag to wipe the gun down before putting it in the case, and I also use a Bore Snake thru the Bores on the range before I put the gun away.

I have been doing this for the last 20 years and all of my guns look like new. It takes a minute to do and then you are done and will have confidence that your guns will stay nice.

If you look at the shotguns that show up at Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays shoots they all seem to be nice guns. We have several at our club that show up regularly and were $20-50K when new. They also look new because they are handled with care . They sit in a Gun Rack when waiting to shoot and then they go back in a case when done and being transported.

I traded in my Citori XT from 2008 with easily 15,000 rounds thru it for my Citori CXS last year. I got more for it than I originally paid for it. The gun shop estimated that it only had 100-200 rounds thru it? Who was I to question the experts?

My Citori .410 shown above has nearly 10K rounds thru it and there is not one mark on it! that's because I take care of it and handle it with care. It was used when I bought it and came with the case

Knowing when damage can occur during handling is a key factor here and you will learn all the places where you can bang the gun into stuff when you are taking it out of the car/safe/case and putting it back in. This is also why my good shotguns live in their cases instead of a Safe. They don't call it "Safe Rash" for no reason. More dings occur when removing a gun from a safe that any other place.

Rifles and Pistols live in the Safe because they are only shot occasionally and I am very careful when taking them out or putting them back in a crowded safe.

My Shotguns are used 4-6 times a month and none of my rifles or pistols have as high a round counts as my O/U's and Ithaca. My Ithaca even has it's own Hard Case and the barrel comes off it to go back in.



Hope this blurb makes others aware of these little things I have learned over the last 50+ years. I have a Mauser .22 rifle (ES340B) that I bought when I was 18. It looks exactly like the day I bought it and is my most prized possession. It was made in 1929 and I paid $50 for it in 1968!. It is worth close to $2,000 now and is the last gun I will ever sell. It lives on the Front Line of my Safe cuz I shoot it more than all my other Rifles.



Randy

[edgerly779]

have a belgium browning superposed 20 ga. O/U mfg in 1953 still locks uptight .Thousands of rounds thru it. Same with my 101 bought new in 1968.

[pennstater]

Lot of good pointers for the break action shotguns from Randy. If you don't mind Randy, where did you get that hard case for the Ithaca? Thanks.


MLC

[W.R.Buchanan]

It is a Browning Case but I can't find it in any of the current Browning Case ads, and only found two pictures of similar cases both of which had British Double Rifles in them. It maybe have been some kind of Take Down Rifle Case ? It works for the Ithaca and has room under the barrel for all the extra stuff. This gun was my first shotgun I bought it from a friend in 1973 for $100.

This type of case had a name and I can't for the life of me remember what it was called? Had something to do with a Car or Shooting Brake. Boot Case? Trunk Case?

Maybe someone who's brain still works can remember what it was called? I've had it for about 15 years. I got it from somebody like Optics Planet. Not sure on that either.

Randy