Common, I've forgotten?

[King Brown]

Last year I asked if it was common for some Parker doubles to require a little push-down of barrels to load and extract the shells. My 12g VH is circa 1911.

Memory shaky but seems consensus was if not common members were familiar with the distraction and had learned to live with it.

Confirmation would put a smile on my old face.

[Grantham Forester]

I have a 1929 era VHE 12- 30" M&F no. 1&1/2 frame that my late father-in-law willed to me. It opens and closes like a Swiss watch, whether fired or unfired- not quite sure what you mean by the term "push-down"..

[Jeff K.]

King,
I have a couple of parkers that are tight enough that you have to push down on the barrels to open the breech enough to extract the shells. It isn't an unusual problem in my opinion.
Jeff

[Tom Hawkins]

If it is an extractor gun, the extractor on the barrels could be gummed up. I have used a small brass brush to clean this passage. I think it was a 22 cal. After removing the small retainer screw on the bottom of the barrels remove the extractor and clean it and the passage it passes through. It may not be the answer but it is a simple check.

[charlie cleveland]

yes the guns were made to give a push down on the barrels beinging empty or fired..if you just pushed the opening lever to the right and it just fell down by itself it would be wore out...charlie

[King Brown]

Thank you everyone for putting a smile on my face!

[Bob Jurewicz]

If the gun only acts this way when chambers are full with either a fired or unfired shell it could be as simple as the rim recess is not cut deep enough. I have had to cut a number of Parker chamber rim recesses and the opening and closing problem was totally solved.
Bob Jurewicz

[B. Dudley]

You may be experiencing a little spring back of the breech caused by how soon or late the sears grab on the hammers in your particular gun.

The cocking bell-crank hits the milled slot in the water table opening which causes a firm stop point for the opening of the breech.
Any return movement there may be after letting go of the barrels is the distance between time of cocking and time of stop.