[tank mechanic]

I took a Mossberg 152k that was a wedding present out for the second time today. I was having fun sighting in the scope and just plinking away at the targets. About 90 rounds into the session I pulled the trigger on the second to last round in the magazine and two rounds went downrange. I thought I must have pulled the trigger really fast or something and wrote it off. About another hundred rounds later I had the same problem, but this time it was with three rounds. It was in the middle of the mag and after the three rounds fired, it was back to normal. I know that the next part with get some disapproving head nods, but I kept shooting. About another 150 rounds later it happened again. I will be completely tearing the rifle down later to check it out. What do I need to look for in the rifle? Anyone else had this problem? The rifle has sentimental value and I would really like to keep it functioning.

Thanks,
tank Mechanic

[SDC]

I'd strip it down and make sure none of the parts (especially the sear or the firing-pin, or their meshing parts) look worn. Another possibility is just that there's some dried oil, grease, or other crud in the lockwork that's stopping everything from freely moving the way it should. Numrich has spare parts listed for the 152K if you need them.

[Jim Watson]

Could be worn or dirty parts.
Could be your technique.
A co-worker of mild interest in firearms asked me to help him sight in his .22 auto, a Stevens, I think. So I bedded down solidly in sandbags, lined up on a target, and squeeeezed. Brrap. I was "milking the trigger" and it would run away until it was empty or jammed. From offhand, no problem. When shot by the owner from any position, no problem. But it would double or run completely away about one time in three with me shooting from a solid rest. The poor owner could not make it do that if he tried, but he was so scared, he would not shoot the rifle thereafter.

[Mat, not doormat]

I'm going from memory, here, but my dad's got a mossy that did similar things. I'm thinking it was a 151K though. What differences there are, I don't know. I'm not really up to speed on those guns. However, on a 151K, the rifle loaded through a tubular mag contained in the buttstock, and the action came apart by unscrewing a cap from the rear of the reciever. Sound familiar? Anyhow the gun had been religiously "cleaned," after every shooting session for the last 40 years. Dad and Grandad's cleaning method was to run a bunch of patches and brushes down the bore until patches came clean, and then pour oil down the bore. By the time I came along, the gun was a jam-o-matic, and when it wasn't jamming, it was going full auto. Not healthy. I tore into the action for the first time, and found 40 years of varnished up gunk, oil, and dirt. Some of this was causing the firing pin to stick in the extended position, functionally turning the gun into an opn bolt subgun. I got everything de-gunked, lubed, and reassembled, and it's been fine, ever since.

~~~Mat

[Jim K]

IIRC, the 151 has a tubular magazine in the butt stock, the 152 has a box magazine, but otherwise they are pretty much the same. Again IIRC, they use a "hammer" which is like a short length of bolt and slams forward when the trigger is pulled. If the action is dirty or the sear or hammer worn, the trigger pull can be very light or the hammer can "jar off" when the bolt slams closed, creating a full auto rifle, though not a very reliable one. SDC and Mat are correct in that cleaning is the first step. If that doesn't correct the problem, new parts or working over the old ones may be needed. If there is no obvious wear on the sear or hammer, check the sear spring for loss of tension. Parts for those old guns are hard to get, but some parts for newer ones will interchange.

Jim