Gun Stuck Closed
 

My wife inherited her grandfather’s Parker. According to the S/N search it is a 1905. The original damascus barrels were replaced by Parker in the 60s (we have the originals) with modern steel barrels.
Right now, it is stuck closed. The top lever is off center to the right and will move further to the right but will not go far enough to break the gun open. The safety was stuck in the fire position but by manipulating it and wiggling the aft trigger, I got it to move to the safe position.
Does anyone have any ideas to get the gun open? I am very familiar with guns but new to Parkers and don’t want to damage it.
I have attached pictures to show the position of the top lever and of the receiver.

John, how forcefully have you tried to open the action?

If I find one of my Parkers seems to be stuck closed (which has been an extremely rare occurance) I hold the lever all the way over and thump the gun at the hinge pin across my knee as if I were trying to break a stick of wood... This has always worked for me.

Others may advise against this method but if it's going to open, it will usually open with this method.





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I tried that with no luck. The top lever doesn’t seem like it will go far enough to the right. My other shotguns go further and have a positive release when I move the top lever.

Try removing the forend first. Then try to open it. This sometimes works...

No luck with that either.

If the gun has been unused for many years perhaps congealed oil has hardened between the barrel flats and receiver. A squirt of penetrating fluid into that area may loosen the barrels?

There are some MAJOR considerations here:

Did you use/fire the gun before this happened? If so, have both barrels been fired?
If only one, see a qualified double gunsmith!
If both have been fired and it still won't open, see a double gunsmith to avoid damage to the gun.
If you fired the gun prior to the lock up, with what ammunition? High speed? Imports?
In any case, your best bet is to consult a qualified double gunsmith.

One of the cardinal rules of good gunsmithing is to NEVER force anything...

The gun has not been fired in probably 40-50 years so I don’t know the answers to the above questions. Nothing has been forced at all.
My next step is to follow the advice above and find a reputable gunsmith to look at it. The problem is finding one in the Montgomery, Alabama area. I don’t want to ship it anywhere.

Might want to gently, (with the safety on) run a cleaning rod down each barrel and make sure that there is not something in the chambers

If I recall, the new bolt design had not yet come out, and a friend had precisely the same issue with a gun he left with me. It was the bolt, still engaged in the barrel lug, and due to wear of the offset pin, and bolt, rotating the top lever pushed the bolt ever so slightly to the side. In the end, and, as John suggests, I resorted to doing something I wouldn't ordinarily do. Putting the gun in the wood jaws, I placed a hardwood stick against the top lever and gave it a firm rap with the mallet. Opened right up, and continued to do so each time the gun was closed gently. On closing the gun somewhat more forcefully, it locked right up again.