Dry firing, ejectors, etc.

[Steve McCabe]

I am new to Parkers, just having acquired my first one, a 1923 VHE.

My question is, what is the proper protocol for dry-firing a gun with ejectors and disassembling it?

I'm assuming the gun can be dry-fired and then the forearm removed and the barrels separated from the receiver. Will this cause harm to the ejectors? What is the proper sequence? I was told to never " dry fire the ejectors," but I'm not clear on what this means. Do I need to invest in a set of snap caps?

Any and all clarification and advice most appreciated---and thanks in advance for your patience with a new guy.

[Brian Dudley]

The gun does not even have to be dry fired. Just take it apart.

[Dean Romig]

If you dry fire it before taking the forend off you’ll have trouble (impossible) putting the forend back on until cocking the ejector hammers in the forend. And when cocking the forend hammers against a solid stationary object you can harm the forend wood if it slips. (Voice of experience) so always remove the forend without having dry fired it first.





.

[Brian Dudley]

Not true. The forend can be removed with the gun uncocked.

[Steve McCabe]

I have always stored my guns with the firing pins fired, so that the hammer spring is not kept compressed. Is this not an issue with Parkers?

Here's a hypothetical scenario: I have just spent time afield and am packing up to go home. I remove the unfired shells from the chambers and close the gun. I want to break my gun down to put it into a takedown case.

How do I proceed?

Do I leave the closed gun cocked and then remove the forearm and open the top lever to disengage the barrel set from the receiver?

Do I dry-fire the gun after the barrels have been removed?

Do I put the receiver in its case cocked?

What's the correct protocol to follow? As I mentioned, I'm interested in 1) protecting the longevity of the hammer springs and 2) not harming the ejector system.

Again, many thanks in advance for any clarification you can provide.

[Dean Romig]

Not true. The forend can be removed with the gun uncocked.


Yes it can but you can’t put it back on withour cocking the ejectors in the forend first.





.

[Daniel Carter]

The ejectors do not trip if the fore arm is off, therefore they are still cocked.

[Dean Romig]

Parker hammer springs are coil springs and you can store the gun indefinitely with the hammers cocked. Even after the hammers are dropped there is still significant tension on those springs. They will not lose their strength at all if stored cocked.
And, you can dry fire a Parker Bros. hammerless gun without snap caps with no harm at all to the gun or firing pins.
The ejectors are the thing you need to worry about on a Parker so equipped. Damage is easily done to the stop plate or doll’s head by allowing thebejectors to snap back against the stop plate without snap caps or empty shells.





.

[edgarspencer]

Yes it can but you can’t put it back on withour cocking the ejectors in the forend first.
.

What Brian, and Dan are saying is true. Dry firing, then removing the fore end does not trip the ejectors, so there is no issue re-installing the fore end. The ejectors are still cocked. All that aside, there is no need to dry fire the gun in order to disassemble it.

[Dean Romig]

The ejectors do not trip if the fore arm is off, therefore they are still cocked.


Agreed - IF the forend is removed before dropping the hammers.





.

[Brian Dudley]

I am not getting involved in this any farther.

[edgarspencer]

Brian, I feel your Pain!
Dean This topic has come up numerous times. Remove the fore end before you dry fire the gun, Remove the fore end after you dry fire the gun. It makes no difference. The ejectors don't fire unless the hammers have been dropped, the fore end is attached, and the gun is opened.

[Daniel Carter]

Do not recall the make of o/u that a woman at my club was trying out belonging to another member. She took it home and the next day no one, owner included could put it back together. It was in a breakdown case and had to be re-assembled. After listening to the gnashing of teeth i recalled tripped ejectors being discussed on this forum and took the forearm inside and using a pencil eraser end cocked it and put it together.
I could not understand how it was in that tripped state until i fired it opened it tripped the ejectors and took the forearm off without closing the barrels. Not closing it allowed the ejectors to not cock.

[Rick Losey]

Brian, I feel your Pain!
Dean This topic has come up numerous times. Remove the fore end before you dry fire the gun, Remove the fore end after you dry fire the gun. It makes no difference. The ejectors don't fire unless the hammers have been dropped, the fore end is attached, and the gun is opened.

Ok we can settle this once and for all

Prior to the up coming woodcock season— Some one send me a CHE or better 28 gauge - 28 or 30 inch barrels in case I need the leverage

I will take it down and case it with every possible combination. And reassemble it again for each hunt. Dry fired, cocked, right barrel tripped left cocked, right cocked left tripped etc

After the flight birds go south I will write the study up for the Parker Pages and return the gun if I don’t forget where I got it

Problem solved

[Daniel Carter]

The generosity of the members of this assoc. is boundless.

[Steve McCabe]

The ejectors don't fire unless the hammers have been dropped, the fore end is attached, and the gun is opened.

So, at the end of the day, if I were to empty the gun, dry fire it, and then open it, the ejectors will fire and hit the stop plate, right?

[Daniel Carter]

So, at the end of the day, if I were to empty the gun, dry fire it, and then open it, the ejectors will fire and hit the stop plate, right?

Not if you remove the forearm, the ejectors can't trip without the forearm on. With the forearm on you will also re-cock the hammers.

[edgarspencer]

So, at the end of the day, if I were to empty the gun, dry fire it, and then open it, the ejectors will fire and hit the stop plate, right?

Right.

[Dean Romig]

Here I go again, apologizing for something I’ve said here that could be described as ‘misinformation’...

I just tried every combination of dry firing two different Parker ejector guns both with the forends on then off and various combinations of each to try tobget the ejector hammers in the forend to trip and I could not duplicate what I described in an earlier post in this thread...
I know it has happened to me in the past by accident - at least once on a Repro and at least once on an original Parker.
But the fact that I can’t duplicate it kinda negates anybclaim I made earlier.

For this I apologize. If anyone can make their ejector gun do it please post here how you did it.





.

[Daniel Carter]

Dean, what i described in post #13 was done by firing then opening and tripping the ejectors and then unlatching the fore end with out closing the barrels to re-cock them. I am fishing down the Cape and no guns to try it with.

If you do not try to help you will never make a mistake and you and many others here always go the extra mile to give the best you can. Thank you.

[edgarspencer]

I’ve never tried it , but I think removing the fore end on an open Parker would be A, ill advised, and B, difficult.
Dean, I have had, and known others to have had one or both ejector hammers trip on removing the fore end, but this was a result of dirt, wear or both, in the sears.

[Dean Romig]

Thanks Dan!

By the way, it’s just a “fish story” without pictures. :whistle:





.

[Phillip Carr]

I’ve never tried it , but I think removing the fore end on an open Parker would be A, ill advised, and B, difficult.
Dean, I have had, and known others to have had one or both ejector hammers trip on removing the fore end, but this was a result of dirt, wear or both, in the sears.

Several years ago I had used my ultrasonic cleaner to clean up a Parker I had purchased.
When I reassembled I could not get the forend back on. It was only after a lot of frustration that verbal abuse of the Parker I realized the the ejectors had tripped.
With a lot more physical and verbal persuasion I cocked the ejectors and everything operated normally.

L.C. Smiths on the other hand have the ejector cocking mechanism in the frame assembly.
If you dry fire before removing the forend you will need to reset the ejectors ( they made a tool for this ) or you can use a small wrench as a lever to
Reset them.
Lots of L.C. Smith forend wood has been damaged by people attempting to reinstall the forend with the ejectors tripped.

[Daniel Carter]

Dean and Edgar you can, awkwardly, remove the fore end that way but why you would is beyond me. Did it on an ejector gun and had to re-cock them. Again it is awkward and clumsy. Used a piece of brass stock and re-cocking went well but will not do that again.

No hero photos but got the one i wanted on the first cast and not another strike after.

[edgarspencer]

I can imagine with your attention being paid to the fore end, the barrels could easily fall off the gun. OK if you're doing it on the carpet, but not on the side of a dirt road.
One of the guys who shoots with us is the type who goes nuts when you tell him not to do something. There was an extra button on a remote I hooked up for our old trap, and we told him "Under NO Circumstances should you EVER push button C" I will not tell him Not to remove his fore end with the gun open.

[Dean Romig]

I think I know him....





.