Stock breakage

[ArtS]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

Also, the root cause of a lot of damage can be forces other than recoil. If a gun is banged around or dropped an internal crack can start which is then worked on more by recoil. I feel that this is what causes split heads on parkers and foxes. And LC Smith featherweights have so little wood in their heads that they can crack with even the slightest forces applied in the wrong direction.

Back in the 50s and 60s, old doubles were worth little, but LC Smiths couldn't be given away due to cracking behind the lock plate. Many of the ones listed today still have them.

I own a lot of English guns and they too have stocks which you must be careful with. Most 12 ga English box lock game guns weigh 6 to 6-1/2 pounds, about the same as an American small bore. The small bores are less. They were built to a different concept and also require much more care in handling. I was waiting at Fieldsports table at a gun show once with the intention of buying a 20 ga Hollis. I had looked at it previously earlier in the day and come back. Someone else was examining the gun and while I waited, they for some reason set it butt down on the floor too hard and the stock snapped completely though behind the tang.

[Drew Hause]

Do these count





All different guns but I don't know the loads
A 20g



This may be Destry's 12g that Dr. Bill worked on





IMHO short chamber 16g and 20g when treated to Western Super-X boomers are at risk

[Drew Hause]

This is the Smith design defect; inadquate wood at the head of the stock. IMHO cracks at the apex of the lockplate start at the head of the stock

[Drew Hause]

Fox Sterlingworth cracked down the middle



David Trevallion sent me this pic of a Fox ready for a staple repair

[Drew Hause]

Lefever

[Woodcock survey]

Thank you Drew. The photos show shiny places indicating to me bearing surfaces. The Smith has the least, The Parker quite a bit. Any play between stock and receiver would set up a hammering effect that would be amplified by heavy shells.
This shows the mechanics of how it occurs and confirms my use of light shot charges at 1200 or less velocity.
I appreciate all of your responses, thank you

[Drew Hause]

We know the loads specified on the hang tags that came with the guns. It would seem reasonable to use them

[Alfred Houde]

I think age gets lost in the discussion as well. When you are talking about a firearm that is 100+ years old, that wood is going to be dry. It may look great on the surface, but it is most likely dry as a bone underneath.

The same with the steel. I don't understand why some feel the need to lengthen chambers or open chokes on steel that is already weakened/stressed from age and use.

Conservation should be the mission, not accelerating their demise.

Just my opinion, many have others.

[Cold Spring]

The OP's question was about the use of heavy loads and recoil effect on Parker stocks.

Those crude cross bolts and cracks pictured by Drew in the middle of the boxlock stock heads (Parker, Fox) may well be attributed to lateral pressure on the side of the stock, as in falling while hunting. Cracks in LC Smith sidelock stock heads are irrelevant to this discussion. Why post them?

On the other hand chipped-out areas on the sides of boxlock stock heads can be an indication of recoil effect from shooting. Can we see any pics of those on Parkers in particular?

[Drew Hause]

Alfred: shotgun barrels have no moving parts, though there is some flexion with the shot and expansion with the ejecta.
Properly designed and fabricated barrels, using metal appropriate for the application, subjected to pressures for which they were designed, do not weaken over time...well, maybe in a few thousand years
The problem of course is corrosion, pitting, obstruction, and using shells for which the barrels were not designed. None of us can know the abuse our barrels may have experienced before we acquired the gun; but a bore gauge, bore scope and wall thickness gauge and help.

Frank: how can you know that a boxlock stock head split down the middle wasn't caused by excessive recoil?





THIS certainly looks to be from trauma