In an ideal situation, the clearance between the triggers, sears and safety should be so that there is no noticable movement in the triggers when you take the safety off. However, it is not uncommon to have some movement in the triggers upwards when taking the safety off. In order for the movement of the safety to be smooth and with ease, the bottom of the lever should be rounded on the leading edge so that it will push the triggers down when the safety is put back on. If not, there will be binding.
The whole issue you are having with the safety and the tang screws being able to be overtightened explains a case where the wood has shrunk, or has been compressed due to oul soaking or a restock where the inletting is improperly cut.
The gun not opening MAY have something to do with the safety reset rod and the binding of the improperly adjusted safety. The bound up safety is preventing the top lever from pushing back the reset rod. If you remove the reset rod, you may find the gun will at least open. Or if you want to completely pinpoint the safety as the culprit, remove the jacket assembly from the stock and see if everything works (except the safety of course).
The safety jacket being installed soley in the wood is one of the flaws in the Parker design (in my mind). It is never a good idea to have any mechanical part dependabt on the wood. The good thing about the safeties is that they are pretty forgiving. The angle of that lever can be tweeked back and forth or even side to side. And reshaped. Or even material added to it to make adjustments. The trigger blades can be adjusted too if need be. Sometimes it is easier to file the triggers than the safety lever.
Turning the trigger return spring upside down is not your answer. It may be, if anything, a temporary remedy to a larger issue. And it is not the way it was intended to operate. It is there to take up slack in the triggers. Not add more.
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B. Dudley
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