My 1899 Parker 12 gauge

[Harry Collins]

Shane,

They don't look enough out of round to worry about. It is hard to tell from the photo just how thick the barrels are. I would find a gunsmith that is capable of measureing barrel wall thickness. If it is loose the cost of tightening would more than the gun is worth. How is it loose? Is it back and forth or up and down or both?

Harry

[D. Shane Burton]

Well, the barrels lock down completely--no up and down looseness. It just seems to have a small bit of play. I guess I really need the gunsmith to determine that. You can just feel a slight probably side to side give in the closed barrel to action fit, not even enough to be visibly noticed, just felt. This is without shells in it. I don't have any other side-by-sides, so I don't know exactly how bad it is.

I wish I could hand you the gun through the screen so you could check it out.

Thanks for the help, Harry. I'm going to bring it in and see what they tell me. It would be nice if I could at least get a shooter out of the 16 GA. I also believe these guns will look far better if I clean them, and now that I know they're not that valuable, I think I'll clean off 100 years worth of grime and see how they look. Any objections for the sake of patina? Or would cleaning be okay?

Shane

[VH20]

Slight looseness ("off-face") can be remedied for safe-shooting purposes by shimming the hook as a "temporary" fix. Determine how loose the gun is by finding the largest feeler gage you can close the gun on without forcing it (place the gages between the chamber end of the barrel and the breech face of the receiver). When you determine the thickness of that gage, make a shim out of stock of that thickness (or slightly less) or just use the feeler gage itself to cut the shim from. For instance, if the gun will just close on a .002 gage, make a shim out of .0015 stock or gage leaf. Cut the shim to fit the curved surface of the barrel hook that fits around the hinge pin of the receiver. Pre-bend a curve into the shim by wrapping it around a drill bit a little smaller than the hinge pin diameter, until the shim takes on a curvature that matches that of the barrel hook. Apply a dab of grease to the shim to stick it to the hook and carefully re-assemble the gun and check the fit of barrels to receiver. If too tight, go down to the next size stock and make another shim. If too loose, go up a size. I have a couple of Parkers I did this "temporary" fix to years ago, and I'm still shooting them that way because they work perfectly and I hate to send them off for a proper repair, but I'll get around to it.

[D. Shane Burton]

Awesome info, Jim! I'll check the tolerance when I get home. Since my dad's a retired machinist, I'm sure he can fabricate a proper shim by these directions, if that's the problem.

Shane

[Harry Collins]

Shane,

I'll show you the fix in pictures. I purchased the brass shims in sheets at the hardware store for about $5.00. As a temporary fix cut a aluminum can (Beer or Coke) down to fit the hinge pin.

Harry

[D. Shane Burton]

Cool--that really helps. I didn't have the opportunity to have my dad check the tolerance this evening, so I'll try later tonight or tomorrow. I know we can do that if need be.

Thanks again, Harry.

Shane

[D. Shane Burton]

Well, it seems the 16 Gauge's left barrel has an 8/1000 in (0.008) gap and the right is 10/1000 in (0.010). There may be a slight tilting, so let's say 9/1000 in (0.009) out. I'm guessing these are too far out to shim? I guess I'm looking at both just being parts guns.

Shane

[Dean Romig]

Harry's right. Depending on the amount of wear at the hinge, some guns will require a thicker shim than others while others in better condition require no shim at all.

[D. Shane Burton]

Thanks guys. I'll get my dad, who has experience with these things, to help me when he can--probably over the weekend. I'll post the outcome.

Thanks again for all the help.

Shane

[Bill Murphy]

Don't give up on shooting these guns because there are no parts to "part out". Shooting is your last hope.