Chris 1985 Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Evening all I just need to throw a stupid newbie question out there, if I may. It came to mind reading another thread. For those that don't use snap caps, do you still pull the trigger, reset and fire the second barrel before storing? Or do you just close the gun after cleaning and put it away? Atb Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Just close and put away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispti Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Just close it and put it away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Agreed. Forget snap caps and relieving stress on the hammer springs. Firing the gun dry might shatter the firing pins, whilst snap caps merely transfer the tension to the ejector springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Poon Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Clean it then store it away , no snap caps , flags ,trigger pulling or anything . That's it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottoj18 Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Do a search mate, there's tuns on this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Essex Hunter Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Evening all I just need to throw a stupid newbie question out there, if I may. It came to mind reading another thread. For those that don't use snap caps, do you still pull the trigger, reset and fire the second barrel before storing? Or do you just close the gun after cleaning and put it away? Atb Chris Go in a gun shop and see how many guns have snap caps in them!! TEH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 1985 Posted July 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 That's helpful. Thanks all. I've just been closing it and putting it away, but had this sudden horror when reading the other thread that I might have been damaging my new baby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Poon Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Just had a quick google on "who invented the snap caps for shotguns" not much come up just descriptions of snap caps. Does anyone know who first designed them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Not sure but they are used by gunsmiths so I guess it was a gunsmith around the time ejectors became popular? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicykillgaz Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 All you need to do is hold your trigger in whilst closing the gun and it doesn't set the firing mechanism, no need for snap caps or putting it away under stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Apart from autos and slide actions :-) U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Apart from autos and slide actions :-) U. UD I have managed on nearly ALL my S/A to de cock them. I simply pull the bolt back just before the lock engages. Pull the trigger and slowly let the bolt go forward. The hammer folows the back of the bolt not a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) All you need to do is hold your trigger in whilst closing the gun and it doesn't set the firing mechanism, no need for snap caps or putting it away under stress.I can see Auto safety will be a pain if you try that! The safety will stop you releasing the sears while the gun is open surely? also on a S/T set up I guess only one hammer will decock? Edited July 31, 2013 by Lord Geordie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) UD I have managed on nearly ALL my S/A to de cock them. I simply pull the bolt back just before the lock engages. Pull the trigger and slowly let the bolt go forward. The hammer folows the back of the bolt not a problem. oh....I must try that.....I thought the mech that prevents full auto and slam firing would prevent it. Sorry men if I got it wrong. Thanks. U. Edited July 31, 2013 by Underdog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I tried it on my al48 and my 870 and I can not do it. I do now however remember doing it on my Benneli ! Thanks. U. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunnerbob Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Nice clean, no snap caps and put away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbrian Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I suppose that's the advantage of hammer guns - hammers and the main springs at rest and no ejector springs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Springs wear out eventually, not used snap caps for a very long time and never seen the need, if it makes u warm inside then buy some, if not don't lose sleep about it as at some some point u will have to replace the springs anyway (normally a very far away point in the future). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicykillgaz Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I can see Auto safety will be a pain if you try that! The safety will stop you releasing the sears while the gun is open surely? also on a S/T set up I guess only one hammer will decock? Never really thought about the second barrel on a single trigger gun I just assumed it sorted both, it's how I've always done it on break barrel shotguns, never tried with my pump but I can soon check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicykillgaz Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Just checked my pump seems to work on that too as far as I can tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayman Posted August 1, 2013 Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 Snap caps have their purpose with gunsmiths/dealers/owners who want to dry fire guns to test the action, and with training for novices to get used to trigger pull and for instructors to hear the timing before introducing live fire. They really have no purpose in modern guns with coil springs for storage purposes. Coil springs are 50% compressed even when released, and when the strikers are released the return springs are tensioned, so releasing one set of springs in storage only tensions other parts in the action anyway. Their purpose in storage is historic. Old guns were made with hammered V springs - these lose tension over time and the relief of these in an old gun does preserve the spring life, but if you have a modern gun the springs are made of spring steel the same as car valve springs, and I dont notice too many people taking the head off their car to relieve their valve springs when they park up. A cars valve springs may do many millions of reciprocations without fault, and your gun's no different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browning 425 clay hunter Posted August 1, 2013 Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 Just out of curiosity what sort of age do we class as a old gun ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayman Posted August 1, 2013 Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 Anything that comes from the period when guns were essentially hand made, ie traditional English sidelocks from pre - 60s etc mainly had hammered V springs. Steel technology has improved dramatically over the last 50 yrs, so even the few guns today with V springs ( ie Perazzi etc) have far superior tension qualities to the old ones. Coil springs largely replaced V springs as technology in metal improved. Metal technology in guns pretty much parallels that of car engines. In the 50s an engine needed a rebuild after 50,000 miles - today engines last 500,000 miles or more. Guns are the same, the older the gun the shorter life the parts will have in wear / tension terms, but anything made in last 20 years should have 10 to 20 times the component life compared with, say, a pre-war < WWII gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cumbrian Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 Wouldn't really disagree with Clayman, who clearly knows his subject. All I would say, however, is that the Stanton (i.e. best quality) springs on my hammergun, now about 140 years old, are so resistant to the cocking of the hammers that they must be as strong now as when they were made. Equally, I have to be careful when releasing the hammers against the power of my thumb if I wish to de-cock them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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