Just curious- in looking at pictures of other VH guns about the same age as mine, the trigger guards seem to only have one screw into the stock while mine has two. They also seem to all have the serial number engraved on the trigger guard strap while mine does not.

Any ideas on why my trigger guard has two screws and no serial number?

I would second Chuck. Darlington Gun Works is located near I-95 and does excellant work. Jim Kelly is the owner and gunsmith. Their phone number is
(843) 393-3931.

Best Regards, George

It's not the first one to have two screws placed in them by a jack of all trades. Probably the original screw (closest to the triggers) could not be tightened, the wood having been stripped out, or number two it could not be tightened due to a split inside down the middle of the stock. Instead of fixing it, they get out grandpa's drill and place another hole right in the serial number with a second screw. At least if it was a split inside down the middle they did not place a bolt through the stock head also. I've got one with two screws like that I'm fixing now with a another trigger guard and another where they driled the original hole even bigger and put a monster next size screw in it.

It usually only occurs to them how to fix it after the damage was done and then someone tells them to fix the stock and then they won't need a second screw. But in 1950, who cared?

Go back to your local gunsmith and see if he has any parts "left over" following his work. An easy piece to leave out which would account for the gun not cocking is the cocking slide - #13 on the parts list you can view by going to the home page of this site and selecting Technical Information from the menu on the left.

And it would be easy to tell if the cocking slide was left out because when you opened the action, the lever would not stay to the right, since the trip/pin/spring slide into the little dimple on the cocking slide and without pressure from the cocking slide the three parts would just be dropped down into the action.

Thanks for all the help. The lever does stay to the right when I open the breech. I assume this means the cocking slide is in there.

It is interesting that I can see no trace of the serial number on the trigger guard. I guess it must have been buffed away when the extra screw was added?

Not necessarily Geoff. The two aren't connected. It just means that the lever latching pin is in there, that, when depressed, releases the top lever.

Edgar, Not to argue the point, but even if you flipped the gun upside down and got the trip to hold the lever open one time, once it was closed the trip /spring/pin would just fall into the action since it rides on the slide. See the little indentation on the slide? That's where the pin seats when opened. And the slide is what keeps the upward pressure on the three parts. We just fixed one where someone flattened the pin and took a file to the trip where the barrel lug presses down to release the trip. Could not find new parts so it works only so well now. That is why one should hold the lever when closing and then release to reduce the wear on these unavailable small parts. Not the best design. Just my observations and if I am wrong please let me know here in a cold goose blind by myself.

I was revering to part 20, which is the lever latch.

Damn touchscreen keyboard.