Newbie with forearm issue

[Clint Hubbard]

New member and proud new owner of a Parker Reproduction DHE, 20 gauge, SST, choked M/IC, splinter forearm. Beautiful gun.

Not sure what i did when I took it off but cannot get the forearm back on the gun when assembled. I can get it on with the barrels off the receiver but the ejectors stay open.

I'm fairly certain the issue is the rounded steel pieces protruding from the forearm that seem they should be inside the forearm but are not right now. They do not move with finger pressure at all and I can't find any diagrams of an 'exploded' forearm to see what it looks like on the inside. It seems these pieces should be flush and work in conjunction with the ejectors when the gun is assembled. But like I said, I'm new and am not sure how I got to this point.

Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.

[Jeff Kuss]

You need to recock the ejector hammers.

[Brian Dudley]

Then you will find out if your issue is an isolated incident or a real problem.

[Robin Lewis]

Go to the FAQ on the main page, it answers your question

[Dean Romig]

It will be difficult to cock both the left and right ejector hammers at the same time. Just cock one at a time. With a hardwood dowell and with the point of the forend firmly braced against your belly and the ejector hammers up, using the end of the dowell force one hammer back into the recess in the iron until it clicks locked in. Then repeat the process with the other one. If one or the other... or both will not stay cocked, you will need to send it to a qualified gunsmith with extensive experience with Parkers.





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[Clint Hubbard]

Thanks, Gents. Mission accomplished with an old piece of butcher block I had handy.
Much obliged.

Thanks for the info about FAQs as I had not seen them. I did a forum search but will check out the FAQs in the future. Thanks, again.

Best regards.

[Dean Romig]

The FAQ link as well as many other links from the left column on the Home page seem to be underused.
This is not directed at you Mr. Allegheny, but just an observation judging by some of the questions we see on the forum.





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[Chuck Bishop]

To avoid this problem, always take the forend off with the hammers cocked. Do not dry fire on an empty chamber or with snap caps and then remove the forend.

[Charles Shelton]

Ejector Hammer conundrum: I do not understand.

I have two parker reproductions. Both have splinter forearms, double triggers, and straight grip (no pistol grip).
The 20 gauge was purchased new several years ago and the 12 ga before that used, but not abused.
They have both been shot quite a bit on clays and game.

On both guns the ejector hammers always look like the ones in the forend picture that started this thread. They look the same whether I remove the forend before or after pulling the triggers on a snap cap.Both guns eject empties 4 feet or more.
The 12 ga forend is a snug fit but the 20 forend slips right on with no effort.
I tried using the dowel to cock the 12 ejector hammers, but all that did was to cut the wood. It took a corner of a steel vise to cock the hammers.

For the ejectors to work so well (like new) can it be that they are being cocked when the gun is fully assembled and broken open to load? That is all that I can conclude.

Confused

[Chuck Bishop]

If both guns do exactly the same thing, I doubt it's a mechanical problem identical with both guns. Do this

Open and close the gun a few times without touching the triggers or safety. Now with the gun closed, Do not do anything else except take the forend off. The hammers in the forend iron should be retracted. If they are, you should be able to put the forend back on the barrels with no problem. If the hammers are up, you have a problem that an experienced Parker gunsmith needs to look at. Let us know what you see.

[Charles Shelton]

PaSxS,
Thank you the suggestion.

I had done this afternoon just what you suggested and the hammers are always "up".
Both guns were like this when I bought them! One new and the other used.

The 20 ga forend slips in to place and locks easily with no effort.
The 12 forend is a tighter fit, requiring me to place the curved end against the front of the receiver and press toward the receiver to get it to drop into place and lock..
The only part of the receiver that may be contacting the forend is a single pin .
On the 12, I may be pressing on that pin, but that does not seem to be the case on the 20.

Another question?
What can I expect if I keep on shooting these guns as I have for decades? What can happen? Has anyone actually had a gun fail because of this? If so, in what way did it fail?