Stiff O/U

[The_Future]

My father-in-law has a fairly old (10ish years I'm not sure) Huglu O/U with and extremely stiff action. I don't know much about O/U and I was wondering if there was some way of something it out and whether I should use some sort of grease to lube the action or would the hoppes gun lube work fine.

Please no rips on turkish made guns. It is what he has and I just want to make it run smoother for him.

 

[ArmedBear]

Pro-Shot Pro Gold grease in a small jar.

It's really sticky, stays put, and doesn't turn to liquidwhen it heats up.

Use a finger and cover all areas that meet or rub against each other with a film of it. Close gun, wipe off excess that oozes out on top of the action. Occasionally wipe it out and put in new grease.

The stuff works great, even on a stiff gun, and since it stays put, you don't use too much of it. It works out to be really inexpensive to use.

 

[rbernie]

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My father-in-law has a fairly old (10ish years I'm not sure) Huglu O/U with and extremely stiff action. I don't know much about O/U and I was wondering if there was some way of something it out and whether I should use some sort of grease to lube the action or would the hoppes gun lube work fine.

Keep it away from the Viagra.
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Sorry - couldn't resist!

 

[Geno]

I agree with ArmedBear. For me, I like Rig Grease, but for the same reasons as he stated.

My Spartan O/U was pretty stiff until it had a few boxes of shells put through it. I think it was just the fact of opening/closing it.

FWIW, I like a good stiff action. I have never liked those that flop-open on release. But that is just my preference.

 

[Pete409]

FWIW, I like a good stiff action. I have never liked those that flop-open on release. But that is just my preference

Doc,

I'm just the opposite in my preference. I like an O/U that just falls open from the weight of the barrels when the opening lever is pushed.

In my view, I see no reason to have to exert any force to open the gun (other than pushing the opening lever). A stiff action does nothing to make the gun safer or stronger. It just makes the shooter have to expend more energy in opening and closing the gun between shots.

If you are just going to shoot 50 to 75 shots at a casual pace for the enjoyment of it, then perhaps it's no big deal. BUT, get in a tournament where you are shooting 100, or 200, or perhaps even 250 targets in a day during 90+ degrees temperatures and having to walk and carry your gun, shells, and all your gear and you will appreciate not having to expend energy needlessly in opening a gun with a stiff action.

 

[ArmedBear]

The way a Perazzi feels when you push the lever and open it is about as perfect as it gets.

Haven't bought one yet, though. They're kinda steep.

 

[mswestfall]

The Future,

My experience in stiff opening O/U'ers is related to the cocking levers. You can lube the heck out of them but nothing will substitute for wear.

It's not the age of the gun but the number of rounds thru the action that counts. How many rounds does your father have thru the gun?

 

[Red Label]

So how does a perazzi feel, is it stiff or loose or kinda in the middle?

 

[The_Future]

Not that many I think. He's a causal shooter so probably not that many I don't believe more than 1k rounds. I'll see if I can talk him into letting me shoot it some.

 

[mswestfall]

In my experience a Ruger Red Label and a Winchester Model 101 tend to loosen up sooner than other O/U's I've been around.

I'd like to hear what other people have experienced....

 

[ArmedBear]

So how does a perazzi feel, is it stiff or loose or kinda in the middle?

Neither, really.

It just feels perfectly fitted and smooth, kinda like cocking a good Single Action Army.

 

[Bud Tugly]

If you're going to ask your father-in-law how many shells he's fired, you should also ask him if the gun has always been that stiff. If it has then it's likely a mechanical issue for a gunsmith. If it was much looser in the past then a good cleaning and lubing should return it to its previous form.

 

[peacemaker45]

There are two things that cause stiffness in break action guns. One is the force required to actuate the cocking levers. The other is the friction between the the metal parts of the joint. To tell which is causing you difficulties, see how much different it is, opening the gun with the hammers uncocked, such as when it's just been fired, and with the hammers set, like it's already been opened once, since being fired.

If it opens really hard when uncocked, but a whole lot easier when already cocked, then take it to a 'smith, and have him lighten up the firing pin springs.

If it's still stiff when cocked, then go to your local auto parts store, and buy some valve lapping compound. Take off the forearm, and smear some of the lapping compound on the mating surface of the hinge. Get as little as possible on the hinge pin(s) and locking lugs. Now reassemble, and open and close the action about a hundred times. Disassemble and clean very well. Presto, smooth gun. Or, take it out and shoot it a couple of thousand times.

Note: There will always be some effort required to set the cocking levers, but it shouldn't be excessive.

 

[dalepres]

This is a timely thread for me; I came to the shotgun forum tonight with this same question. My shotgun is a Mossberg Silver Reserve 12 gauge O/U. I've had it about 3 years but only shot less than box of shells through it. This is my first ever experience with any double-barreled shotgun.

So I got a few ideas about getting it to open from this thread but I also have a problem closing it. When I close it, I have to operate the release lever to get it to close. There is a black bar in the bottom of the mechanism that has a bevel on it but it doesn't move to allow the barrels to close unless I operate the lever. If I forget to operate the lever it just slams hard into that bar without any give.

So, I take it that it should close without the release lever? Does it just need more working? More lubricant? or a gunsmith?

Thanks,

Dale

 

[The_Future]

It was really hard to close with it cocked so I'm thinking option 2b: shooting it alot.

Also the action probably hasn't been cleaned in a while so if anyone could give me a step-by-step guide for that it could smooth it it signifantly.

 

[Red Label]

I can't speak to the Winchester 101 but I definately have experience with my Ruger. The Red Label is somewhat different in that it does not have a solid hinge pin that runs completely across the reciever. It uses trunnions inside the reciever on which the barrels pivot. Whether this is what gives the Ruger its "loose" feel or not I do not know. What I do know is that after 8 years of sporting clays my Red Label feels no different than it did on day one. It has always opened easily but locks up tightly with no perceived wear to the trunnions or movement of the top lever that would indicate excessive wear.

 

[Pete409]

The Future,

I don't know of any O/U shotguns that should require the shooter to hold the opening lever in order to close the gun. Here is what I recommend.

Remove the buttstock. This usually means removing the recoil pad with a Phillips screwdriver. Then remove the stock bolt with a large, long-handled screwdriver or a socket wrench with extension (depending on the shape of the bolt head).

Once the bolt is out, hold the fully assembled gun with barrels on the floor and your leg wrapped around the barrels for stability. Wiggle the buttstock in an "up and down" direction, not side to side. While wiggling the stock up and down, pull rearward on it. With a little effort, the stock should come off.

Then soak the entire receiver in a pan of solvent such as kerosene or mineral spirits (paint thinner). Slosh it around good in the solvent for 10 minutes. Remove, allow to drip dry, lubricate action parts (springs, hammer pivot points, etc) with a gun oil, and reassemble.

Also, I suggest the use of a gun grease on the hinges and the locking bolt which engages the barrels for lockup. Repeatedly opening and closing the action will help loosen it up.

 

[ArmedBear]

To piggyback on what Pete said...

Break-action shotguns have a mechanism that keeps the release lever cocked open when you open the gun. When you close the gun, the chamber face hits a little metal button on the face of the receiver. That is a "trigger" and it allows the lever to pop to the closed position when it is bumped by the barrels as you close the gun.

There are several reasons why this mechanism doesn't work right, to wit:

1. As Pete says, there's crud in the receiver. It can't hurt to clean it if you're not sure.

2. The mechanism is installed wrong -- it can be easy to flip some parts or the spring in the opposite order and make the thing not work right. I've done this when I disassembled an ancient SxS and the parts of this mechanism fell out before I could see how they went in. It took some experimenting to make it work right, but it works fine again now.

3. The spring or possibly another part that cocks the lever open is broken.

The internals of these Turkish guns are not made all that well, and they're known for breaking. However, the beauty of a break-action is that they're not hard to figure out if you're patient, so you can fix them.

Good luck.

 

[ArmedBear]

Addendum:

You can test the mechanism by pushing on the little button on the receiver face with a stick or other hard, non-marring tool.

In normal operation, the lever should stay open, and pop shut when you push the little button. You can then open it again and it should stay open.

I believe that parts 11, 12 and 13 in the exploded view on Page 17 of the manual are the parts I'm talking about.

Get the manual here if you don't have it: http://www.mossbergintl.com/pages/silverreserve.htm

 

[The_Future]

Thanks for all the advice. He's out of town this weekend so I'll try the cleaning and such as soon as he gets back.

 

[jetman]

I've got a BRAND NEW Browning Citori, that is very stiff as well. I haven't had a chance to get it out to shoot just yet and was wondering if it would loosen up after a few hundred rounds went down range. Are ALL Browing type actions this tight when new? It works just fine but requires the effort mentioned by the OP.

 

[ArmedBear]

Brownings do tend to be very tight.

Use grease.

 

[rcmodel]

If they are not tight when brand new, they sure as heck won't be tight after a couple cases of ammo.

IMO: Don't worry about it on a brand new Browning, or any other quality O/U until you shoot it enough to break it in.

Also, you have to remember, there are cocking arms in there cocking both hammers & both ejectors at the same time, every time you fire both barrels and open it.

Just keep the forearm iron, henge pin, ejector cams, and locking block surfaces greased and it will be fine after you shoot it a while.

rcmodel

 

[ArmedBear]

If they are not tight when brand new, they sure as heck won't be tight after a couple cases of ammo.

Not true.

Maybe that's true of a Japanese Browning, but it's not necessarily true of a higher-end shotgun. Basic Brownings are perfectly acceptable as they come, and they're very durable guns, but they're hardly the gold standard for receiver fit and internal finish. When a gun has to be "broken in" to function right, that means that the end-user was left to do the final finishing -- not a showstopper, but that's the case, nevertheless.

...lest anyone pick up a really nice gun they want and think there's something wrong with it because it opens easier than a new Citori...