Re-jointing
 

Good afternoon all. At what point do you decide to re-joint and stop shooting a gun? Is a little loseness ok? If so what is the rule of thumb on what is the acceptable level of loseness. I am looking at a gun that when it is open I can feel a little bit play......with the forend off and shaking by the barrels it can feel a little play. It is a nice gun at a good price that fits me well but I want something with some life left. How do I determine how much it has left before re-jointing?

Thanks!

Bob,
I personally would not shy away from a nice gun that fit me well especially at a good price. I had Russ Bickel tighten a 16 gage that I put a lot of rounds thru every year and it came out great. This year I plan to give him the gun I will shoot in the Parker vs. L.C. Smith Challenge right after the competition is completed in hopes of having it back for the Vintage cup event. I don't think there is a number you can put on how loose is to loose. I think its personal preference but do believe that once it gets a little loose continued shooting will cause the condition to worsen at an increased rate.

I agree completely with Larry on these points and Russ Bickel re-jointed my DH 12 as well and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Dean

Bob - As far as how loose is too loose - if you can feel movement when you shake the gun with the forend off, that's too loose to shoot. You will only make it worse. If that is the case, shim stock of .005 to .003 should tighten the action until you can get it to a 'smith for a rejointing. I bought two such guns last year and did not think twice about it.

I HAVE PUT SHIMS IN SEVERAL GUNS WITH NO PROBLEMS, AND SAVED A BOATLOAD OF MONEY..THE GUNS AS FAR AS I CAN SEE ARE NO WORSE OFF BY DOING THIS.

PDD

Ok, ponder this. A highly collectible and valuable Parker that seems tight with the forend on but slightly loose with it removed....... fix it and void the "untouched" collectible criteria or fix it (tighten it) and restore its functionality?

I'm just wondering what the "die hard Parker" enthusiast would do. Remember, I'm talking highly collectible, holy grail class Parker shotgun. Do you keep it the way it is or do you bring it back to life so it can be used? If I can't shoot it, it isn't truly a shotgun but if I "fix it" is it still desirable ......? A quandary, huh!

Opinions?

Robin'

Thats a great question.If the fix is done right its undetectable.If I were going to shoot this gun regularly I would have it repaired.

Dave,

And undetectable "fix" is still a fix in a lot of peoples eyes. I know I have read comments by people that have bought guns with undetectable "fixes" that were discovered on disassembly and they were very upset. My point is, it effects the perception of the condition rare holy grail shotgun but is that acceptable or not?

If I can't shoot it, it is a wall ornament and isn't a shotgun but if I fix it, is it still desirable?

Robin,

My mindset is this...I don,t/won,t own a gun I can,t shoot.I will never own a 28ga.A1S so this is all hypotheticle[sic]but if I did I would have it made right.

On the same note.Wouldn't the perception of condition suffer if the gun was loose on the hinge anyway?

Yes Dave, in my opinion it would suffer and the closer a gun gets to absolutely requiring rejointing the more that 'perception' becomes magnified. Such a gun, especially a very high grade gun, in such condition has already lost considerable collector value so it is better to at least halt that deterioration of value and even bring some back by a skillfully done fix.

Take it to a gunsmith. I have an AH Fox that has a serious wiggle but shoots safely. It needs a hinge pin but still quite shootable.

WRT Robins question: I would fix it if I were going to shoot it. If I didn't I'd be thinking of the damage I was doing every time I pulled the trigger. I also think that only an American would even ask the question. The British would not think twice of repairing a loose Purdey or H&H worth $100,000+. They'd do whatever it took to make the gun properly functional if it were their regular hunting gun regardless of value. The more expensive it was the more likely they would fix it I'd guess.

"Highly Collectable" usually includes high condition and most high condition guns do not rock on the hinge. However, the value of a highly collectable gun in well used condition should not suffer if some maintenance is performed on the hinge area.

Robin
I would have the gun repaired. It is my feeling that a proper repair does not significantly reduce the value of one of those rare high dollar Parkers but one in need of repair does. A mechanical repair is a lot different than a cosmetic"touch up" and must be disclosed upon sale. JMHO
David

Thanks to all who have replied.....this gave me exactly the information I needed.....I need to go do some buying now.......as for shims where would I find these....are they special shims for shotguns?

Any good hardware store will have shim stock in either steel or brass. Brownells sells a package of shim stock in various thicknesses.

Bob, you get some shim stock and cut it yourself to fit the pin. I shoot two or three guns I've shimed, and a couple without shims that are tight with the forearm on, but slighly loose with it off. A drop of " Black Max " from Brownells will keep the shim in place. Paul

Thanks Ed and Paul....can't wait to give it a try....