Top Lever spring?

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Shot sporting clays this afternoon with Brett Hoops at Hunting Hills outside Waynesburg, Pa. We both decided to shoot our 20 ga grouse guns. I was shooting my old VHE 20, my favorite grouse gun. Now, calling this gun a shooter might be a stretch--a beater/rain gun might be more appropriate. I had just run a station when on the last shot, the top lever went to the side and had no tension--when you closed the gun up, the top lever wouldn't go back to center. You could push it back to lock the barrels, but it would come loose.
Is this a broken top lever spring?--I don't know the 'inards of a Parker, so I welcome your comments/suggestions/recommendations.

[Jerry Harlow]

More than likely, probably 99%. If it is a serial number close to or over 200,000 it had the new improved coil spring in a tube and even when they broke they usually continued to function. Thus the idea for the tube encasing the spring. If it is the old style it is a v-spring and will need to be replaced, and fitted to the gun. Dixie Gun Works sells new ones that one can hand fit, using a Dremel tool and files to copy the proportions of the original. But if you are not up to that any good Parker repairman can do it or possibly fit a used one to it.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

thanks Jerry, it is #179466, so probably has the V-spring.

[Brian Dudley]

Yes, it has the V spring. And it is broken.

[Jerry Harlow]

Brian can easily fix it for you if he has the time.

[Harry Collins]

The Dixie Gun Works springs are way over sized. I take the broken spring as a guide for length and thickness. When reducing the thickness I file the along the length of the spring. It is said that if you file up or down along the width of the spring It could cause it to be weak. If you use a Dremel try not to get the spring hot. When I have ordered top lever springs I get several because you never know when the next one will break. As I recall it is about an hours worth of work from start to finish.