Now that I've finished every project that I ever attempted (that's a joke, there, son), I thought that I'd take a gander at my grandfather's old side by side shotgun.
It's a turn of the century Janssen and Sons 12 gauge model with external hammers and a "Belgian Laminated Steel" barrel. Now, I know what laminated steel is and I know what sort of problems are inherent in those relatively cheap barrels. A few years ago, I had it magnafluxed and we couldn't find any problems, so I've been shooting it off and on with fairly mild black powder loads. It's a peach, really, but it has some cosmetic issues and one functional problem.
Here's the deal: the hammers are mismatched and the front of the triggerguard is not attached. Also, now and then, both barrels go off at once (ouch).
So I have some questions, in my typical long-winded way. In the world of shotguns, is a hammer a hammer? In other words, can I reasonably expect that I can go to someplace like Dixie and buy a pair of hammers and expect them to fit (with some fiddling - I'm not asking for the world here)?
Does the same hold true of triggerguards? What's happened is that there appears to be a threaded piece at the front of the triggerguard that has broken off. The triggerguard looks like every other sxs triggerguard of the era that I've ever seen. One size fits all?
Oh, also, the external firing pins haven't mushroomed, but one of the collars looks like it's starting to get a split in it. Is that something that's a standard part?
Finally, regarding the dual barrel shoulder busting feature, it seems pretty obvious that a part has worn, but I haven't taken the lock apart to see what it is. I'd appreciate any pointers on what to expect (aside from filthy sludge).
Now, I know that this is a pretty cheap shotgun, from the very beginning up to today. But its value to me is immeasurable, so I'm not looking at this as an investment or from an economic standpoint. It's still functional, but there are degrees of functionality and I'd kind of like to up this one a few notches.
It's a turn of the century Janssen and Sons 12 gauge model with external hammers and a "Belgian Laminated Steel" barrel. Now, I know what laminated steel is and I know what sort of problems are inherent in those relatively cheap barrels. A few years ago, I had it magnafluxed and we couldn't find any problems, so I've been shooting it off and on with fairly mild black powder loads. It's a peach, really, but it has some cosmetic issues and one functional problem.
Here's the deal: the hammers are mismatched and the front of the triggerguard is not attached. Also, now and then, both barrels go off at once (ouch).
So I have some questions, in my typical long-winded way. In the world of shotguns, is a hammer a hammer? In other words, can I reasonably expect that I can go to someplace like Dixie and buy a pair of hammers and expect them to fit (with some fiddling - I'm not asking for the world here)?
Does the same hold true of triggerguards? What's happened is that there appears to be a threaded piece at the front of the triggerguard that has broken off. The triggerguard looks like every other sxs triggerguard of the era that I've ever seen. One size fits all?
Oh, also, the external firing pins haven't mushroomed, but one of the collars looks like it's starting to get a split in it. Is that something that's a standard part?
Finally, regarding the dual barrel shoulder busting feature, it seems pretty obvious that a part has worn, but I haven't taken the lock apart to see what it is. I'd appreciate any pointers on what to expect (aside from filthy sludge).
Now, I know that this is a pretty cheap shotgun, from the very beginning up to today. But its value to me is immeasurable, so I'm not looking at this as an investment or from an economic standpoint. It's still functional, but there are degrees of functionality and I'd kind of like to up this one a few notches.
