Safety and Top lever stuck

Pittypatdugan · 12-11-2016, 04:16 AM

Shooting skeet with 2 trigger 28 ga repro
Today and after shooting right barrel, I tried to
Open, top lever would not move, saftey would not move
Frozen forward
Took the forend of thinking barells would drop off
No luck, put it back on , then bumped the forend
By the way right trigger frozen , fired left empty
Barell and trigger would move back and forth

Took forend off again , bumped forend harder with
Glove on hand and it opened

Dry fired right barell 15 times or so and it happened
Again, went thru same procedure and it released and opened

What is my problem that caused the right trigger to freeze
Top lever to lock and saftey not to move ????

Hope I don't have to take stock off

B. Dudley · 12-11-2016, 08:02 AM

You are going to have to take the stock off. Something is going on in there. But it is hard to say without checking it out.

Richard Flanders · 12-13-2016, 04:34 PM

This could be a simple fix. A shell with too large an extractor rim has maybe jammed in the rim recess in the breech and stuck the bbls closed. This has happened to me a number of times. Put it into a rubber jawed vise.... VERY CAREFULLY.... and very slowly clamp the bbls more closed while trying to operate the lever - IF this is the issue, it won't take much and the lever will work. My 28ga does that regularly, especially if I use AA hulls, which are very inconsistent in rim diameter and roundness. I have a vintage DH12 that does the exact same thing. A real PITA. The safety sticks on mine also, but only if I hunt with it in the rain or wet snow. Go figure. I've had to push the safety button pretty stiffly against a tree to get it to disengage. Once the gun dries out, it's fine. Something to do with the connector between the button and the trigger blades, I think. Too long by a few thou, perhaps. It could be though, that with both isses at the same time, that it is something altogether different and internal.

Pittypatdugan · 12-13-2016, 05:32 PM

After posting, I then realized that I had a set of barells that I bought from an auction, for 15 dollars, thet were 28 inch and I had them fitted to another 28 ga repro. They worked without problem on that gun. I mixed them up and they fit fine and after shooting 15 shells, Winchester, it caused the problem, several times.

I shot the gun with the correct 28 inch barells and no problem.

There must be some small abnormal fit somewhere, or it could be the Winchester shells

In words of Ed Mudderlack, "investigation continues"

Richard Flanders · 12-13-2016, 05:37 PM

The investigation is long over on this issue in my shop. It is most likely the Winchester AA shells. Take a half dozen AA's + the same in STS's and stand them on a table. Take a dial caliper and put it on the table and around an AA extractor rim and rotate the shell and watch the dial indicate an out of round rim. Then try it with the STS hulls and you'll see that they're pretty round. AA's are the worst of every type I've tested. I can shoot old papers or Rem STS hulls in my old VH12 all day with no issues; try a few AA's and I'm having to sometimes break it open over my knee. Same in the Repro 28. It's not the gun; it's the shells.

BTW, the newer generation AA HS hulls are worse than the older generation with the nice thick sturdy plastic.