How tight is tight enough?

[Jeff Mayhew]

My new hammer gun was pretty tight when I received it, but after a thorough cleaning last weekend I can detect a very slight amount of play. I cut a shim of aluminum foil that is two thickness's worth (one sheet doubled over) and inserted it into the hook before closing the action. This was sufficient to bring the gun back to absolutely tight (with the forend in place).

I often hear people say that a little looseness is "nothing to worry about," but it seems to me that it transforms what should be a unified structure into a hammer and anvil that strike each other every time you fire. The effect is to compound the problem on every shot.

Any opinions on this? Thanks!

[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

Jeff,

You are correct that shooting a double with a "little looseness" will indeed produce a "hammering" effect. This will in time cause a gun to become looser. Now, a little looseness will take some time to become very loose. Of course, the heavier the loads shot, the more rapid the rate of deterioration, least in theory...

On guns that are just slightly loose I use sections of automotive feeler gauge to shim or tighten up the action. In fact, I have a Parker EH 10 in the hall closet that I term a "boat gun". This boat gun is not locked up in case any Canada geese get lazy and want to rest in my pond. This gun is old and worn but with a .005" shim is very shootable and has proven to be deadly on those Canadas!. Now, a .005" is a thick shim but to put the gun back on face would be $300. That would put my investment into this gun far past what I could ever sell it for. If this gun were of more value I would pay to have it put back on face as I have for several other guns.

I attach shims to the barrel hook with modern bonding agents such as Gorilla and Locktight gels. One should be careful cleaning around the shim because those gels are far from permanent in these applications. One could of course silver solder a shim in place.

Please note that a shim will tighten a gun but not necessarily put it back on face correctly. One reason for this is that a gun may wear the on the top or bottom of the hook. If you want a professional repair, then pay a professional to do so. If however you want to continue shooting your gun with no or little more wear, then install a shim. The gun can always be put back on face professionally at a later date.

Mark

[Ed Blake]

Mark is correct on all points here. A slight looseness will usually require .002 or .003 to put it right. Brass shim stock from the hobby store is good. You can bend the shim slightly to make it fit the pin, then apply a dab of grease and you're good to go.

[Don Kaas]

No "looseness" is tolerable in a Parker, IMHO. They weren't "loose" in the day and when they were the owners sent them to Meriden to "tighten action". I second Mark's admonition to send it to a professional gunsmith to be repaired PROPERLY. Parkers were and are fine shotguns and deserve sympathetic professional care. Amateurs with tools have ruined more Parkers than field use ever did. Like any machine, they wear and require maintenance and sometimes, repair. Good Luck with it.

[ch]

Yes you can send them to get fixed but you better have another gun to shoot because smiths are sometimes "very careful" and may have your gun a while.