stevens 311c double trouble

[nobody1369]

new to me , like new condition, first time dove hunt third shot both barrels fired!
two shots later happened again.
stock removed no obvious problems, or wear.
any clue?
any help greatly appreciated

 

[rcmodel]

Pretty unusual on a double-trigger 311.

Maybe dried oil or grease preventing full depth cocking on one hammer?

Try putting the stock back on, and with an EMPTY gun.

Bang the butt on the floor hard a few times and see if one or the other lock trips.

If it does, thoroughly clean the hammers & sear's triggers, etc. with solvent and a Q-Tip or pipe-cleaner.
Then put the stock back on and try banging it on the floor again.

If it still fires?
The hammer notch, or sear is damaged, or the springs are weak.

rc

 

[Steve C]

More than likely the sear engagement of your second barrel is worn, broken, out of adjustment or fouled and is disengaging under recoil. Right now the problem is small as it doesn't happen every time but will likely get worse with shooting. Take it to a gun smith who will examine the mechanism and fix the problem before the doubling becomes constant with every shot. A test to see if its only an issue with the second barrel would be to switch to firing that barrel using the rear trigger first and find if it will double.

 

[Blue68f100]

My brother use to fire both barrels on a old DB with dual triggers that my dad had. His fingers were so long he would contact both triggers at the same time. Some times a single trigger has it's advantages.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes!

And I have even seen some people put two fingers on the double triggers!
Thinking it would be faster then moving one finger to the other trigger.

Don't Do That!

rc

 

[jmr40]

I've owned 3-4 of those over the years including one bought new in the mid-70's. I've had issues with every one of them. They were an inexpensive gun 50-60 years ago with cheap internal parts. Most of the useful life was used up on most of them years ago. I'd consider any of the 311's wall hangers.

 

[1911Tuner]

They were an inexpensive gun 50-60 years ago with cheap internal parts.

Sadly, that pretty much nails it. It's a shame, too...because the 311 Stevens was a pretty good shotgun as inexpensive doubles go.

I've owned several and never had issues with any because I observed the golden rule: "Shoot it when you have a reason and let it rest when you don't."

Observance of that rule has let thousands of 311s continue to bring home the game for decades after they were made. Ignoring it leads to all sorts of problems. It was never intended to hold up under the rigors of CAS or trap/skeet shooting sports.

 

[texasred777]

One of my uncles had a double 12 gauge that would fire the second barrel almost every time. At a Thanksgiving family get-together, at his house in the country, several of us brought rifles and shotguns to do some shooting after the meal. A cousin had a little .22 semi-auto that almost everyone tried. Then the uncle brought out the 12 gauge double. The cousin was the first to try it. Uncle told him to expect the second barrel to fire. Well, the cousin fired the first barrel, waited, nothing happened for about a full second. The cousin relaxed just enough that when the second barrel fired, he was almost knocked down by the recoil! Talk about a bunch of men laughing!!

I have a Stevens 311 double 20 gauge. I bought it, used, on the internet about 3 or 4 years ago. I have no idea how many shots I've fired in it. A bunch! I've never had any kind of issue with it, so far. To me, it's a great firearm.

 

[possumbelly220]

My first gun that I bought and paid for with my own hard-earned cash was a Savage 311. The first thing that I did was put both fingers on the triggers and pull the front trigger. Needless to say it mashed my big fat second finger and both barrels went off! Being a kid (14 or 15) I just trained myself to pull the back trigger first and never had that problem again.

 

[BBBBill]

Never ever pull the triggers without live ammo or snap caps in the chamber. Broken firing pins and peened/bulged firing pin holes are almost guaranteed if you do.

 

[possumbelly220]

Never ever pull the triggers without live ammo or snap caps in the chamber. Broken firing pins and peened/bulged firing pin holes are almost guaranteed if you do. Well BBBill, it was loaded!!!

 

[kwg020]

As I recall the back trigger is the Modified barrel and the front is the full choke barrel. There is no reason for both triggers to have a finger on them.

I have never had a double on mine but I can see where some oil or grease may have gotten hard and it has adversely affected the trigger mechanism. I'd start by taking off the butt stock and blowing a can of cheap carburetor cleaner into the action then re-oiling. kwg