My 'New' SxS is hard to close.

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Ninja42

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I recently brought a SxS shotgun, a BRNO 'Special Poldi' 12ga from 1963, and though the finish is worn and the wood is scratched, it locks up tight and seems to me to be in good mechanical condition overall, execpt one little detail; The ejectors make the gun very hard to close when both barrels have been fired. In fact, the gun is so hard to close that I have to brace the butt against my arm to do it, and I cant help wondering if this is normal, as I am not used to break action weapons. It just feels wrong to force a gun shut this way, and i am worried that I may damage it if I keep doing it.

Is it normal? I had a smith check the gun before I took it to the range for the first time, and he found nothing wrong with it, but I wonder if he missed this.

Thanks.
 
No, I just checked. I am fairly sure that the problem is caused by the ejectors, as I have no trouble opening and closing the gun when I havent fired it, and no shells have been ejected.
 
My SxS is tough to close, but super tough to open after firing. I have to rest the middle of it on a solid opject and 'press' the two sides downward using the object as a fulcrum to get it to open. Not sure what the best fix is.
 
a BRNO 'Special Poldi' 12ga from 1963
Click to expand...
I would imagine the ejecter cocking cams and locking bolt surfaces have never been properly greased since the gun was made 47 years ago. Probably dry as a bone in fact.

Figure out where everything is that rubs on what:

And then put some good high film-strength grease on it.
(GunSlick, Lubriplate, Moly auto chassis grease, etc.)

rc
 
Sounds like the ejectors and cocker are a little stiff from being new. If that is the case, the one sure cure is go shoot it...A LOT!!!!
Click to expand...


Ditto. My old Sarasqueta, when I bought it in 1971, was stiff to open after firing. A few seasons of ducks, geese, and doves and it got normal. Now, it's smooth as silk, but I don't shoot it much anymore, retired it for waterfowl with the steel shot laws. It's choked mod/full so don't make the best of dove guns. But, it still shoots and I keep it around.
 
I'm not familiar with the gun model but is it possible that it is a "self opener?" When the gun is opened after firing does it "spring" open and eject the shells? That would account for a stiff closing gun.

Also when the gun is fired how do the shells eject? If they go a long way and with great velocity (not uncommon among Euro guns) then the gun will be harder to close as there is more spring to reset. I don't think there is anything wrong with the gun but a good lubrication and perhaps a strip and clean might ease the problem. I suspect it will also get easier with more use.

As for the guns that are hard to open it's probably a firing pin that is not retracting into the breach when the gun is opened. Check the primer indents and you will probably find they are somewhat elongated instead of round from the pin dragging on the primer. That is a sure sign. If the gun gets better with use it is because the firinig pin is shorter due to wear.
 
My son has the Remongton Spartan and it is also hard to close. We did not care for ejectors and use the extractor selection all the time for him. I shortened the springs on each side by 8 coils. It closes much easier now than before. It is still stiff even after about 5000 rounds.
 
Yeah. I wonder if it's got crud under the ejectors. Maybe try brake cleaner or gun blast or whatever, then oil it. (With the barrels off, of course)
 
I just took it apart, and apart from a little piece of red plastic under the left ejector, there were no crud in it at all. I wiped it down with break-free anyway though, and gave it a fair amount of lube. There don't appear to be any improvement in its stiffness, but now that you have shared your expiriences with me I am no longer afraid that there is something wrong with the gun.

It does however shoot the spent cartridges a few meters, which may indicate that there is a little more tension on the springs than there need to be. Perhaps I should consider to cut a coil or two of the ejector springs?

PS: No, the gun does not open by itself, in fact I was (very!) surprised that it even ejected the spent cartridges, as the clerk in the shop where I brought it specifically told me that there were no ejectors on this model.
 
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