Got an OLD shotgun,got some pits, should I fire it,ideas?

V

Varmint Eviscerator

New member
In case you missed my first post I will tell you guys again; I have a hopkins and allen,made around the 20-30's it has some pits in both barrels and i have never personally fired it, only SAW it being fired about 10years ago and remember it vaguely, its a side by side and it can be taken down. I also fear shooting it because it is a straight comb gun with no recoil reduction features.
I was told to put it in sand bags or something and pull the trigger with a string, then someone else told me it was fine and to just shoot it
what do you"profesionals" suggest?
Chase
 
Tie it to a tire and hide behind a tree when you pull the string.

I'm serious. Who knows what's been done to that gun over the years.

John
 
Any old shotgun should be gone over by a competent smith before even one shot is fired from it.

Shotguns and grenades have similar working pressures.
 
HA I have a damascus as well(happens when all your stuff is inheritedcept 1 gun) no this is modern steel.
I will have a smith look at it though!
Smith charges 25 dollar fee, so I was hopeing that was going to be a last resort. Is there any "cheating way" like looking for stress patterns or depth of pits??
Thanks for the advice though,since I live around some burbs and NY tends to be sickly liberal I have to shoot sub 22 at a steell back stop and no boomers(shotguns centerfire)
Chase
 
I realized I had been shooting a pitted barreled double after getting back from a recent hunt. I thought at first the barrel was just dirty until I got a flash light in there and I could see that there was significant pitting. It is about 5 inches down from the chamber, barrels are carbon steel, shooting dove loads, so in retrospect I doubt I was in any danger. It was very unsettling to see on such an otherwise nice older gun.
 
thanks alot, rich. you got me thinking. i thought my old 20 ga was real dirty still. you know. stuff that wouldn't come off easily. well, i went and looked just now and it is pitted pretty bad about 5 inches down from the chamber. lol. still shoots just fine, but then again it's modern metal, and thick in that area.
 
I might suggest a set of Briley "Companion" tubes for 28ga. They will fit inside the barrels and will not pose a problem if the barrels are weak. 20 Ga tubes need support from the barrels, 28 ga does not so they would be safer.

Downside is their cost, about $300 new (Look for used)
 
Barrel is probly ok since it was fired about 10years ago not that much should have happened i think I will pay for a smith to look at it and I will make decisions based on that
Chase
 
Aw, hey, forget about it and go ahead and shoot it, most that could happen is you lose an eye..or a hand..maybe only a finger! ..save the 25 bucks!!!

That is, unless you think your vision or hands are worth more than 25 dollars.

Hopefully you do.
 
If the pitting is more than a little (more than can be cleaned up with a bronze brush for example) I wouldn't shoot it....Even testing from a distance( the old tire and string method) doesn't prove much...I might be OK for 1 shot, or 10 shots, or 100 shots, but might eventually fail, with really, really bad results.

Sounds like a "wall hanger" to me...

My .02
 
DEFINITLY MORE PITS THEN A BRUSH COULD REMOVE!
Yea that was my fear even if it checked out, it might fail afetr 100-300rnds, I like my face, I think I am pretty handsome,seeing is beleiving so sight is pretty important as well
Thanks, probly should go to the local shop and get a better ol' Scatter gun:rolleyes:
Chase
 
"Even testing from a distance( the old tire and string method) doesn't prove much"

A. Gun blows up, you save $25.

B. Gun does not blow up, it just might be worth spending the $25 on.

Admittedly, this was probably a more useful method when the closest gunsmith, or imitation gunsmith, was 20 miles of muddy roads away and the horse was tired from dragging logs.

John
 
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