Its late and I kept at it until I found the problem. The cocking hook was not releasing because it was not retracting far enough back. That is because, grrrrrr, Simmons gunsmith put the cocking hook from another gun in my gun. I had two guns there, one was a 20ga for them to copy the barrels for other PGCA members. As you know, that didn't work out and when I got those barrels back, the cocking hook was gone, I made a special trip back and they fished around in a box of parts until they said they found it. But that cocking hook is from a gun ending in 004 , but it works properly.
So the cocking hook in the 16ga I left with them for the forend lug , they took out, obviously threw in the parts drawer, but luckily they put back in the cocking hook belonging to my pattern gun there. So now I have switched those around, and one gun has the right hook, but the other has a hook belonging to a 004. So I know Tom Carter had a gun there and maybe that was 004. So I might have his and if anybody has an 859 hook, that's mine. I'd like to trade with whoever has the 859 cocking hook, the gun is a favorite family gun and I take care of it.
Obviously Simmons, being Mod 12 people , didn't know that Parker parts were hand fitted and not necessarily interchangeable, and maybe some gunsmiths don't understand that you have to keep the parts straight when you are working on a gun.
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