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old hammer gun question


The Juicer
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A farmer showed me his 12 bore hammergun. It was his father's so is thought to be around 80 years old. I checked markings and saw jt13. Net searches say it could be made by jt randall, circa 1900.

 

I fired it off around 10 times, the right firing pin does look shorter than the left by a good bit, and failed to fire the first 3 shots, but did the rest. Can replacements be bought or are they usually custom made?

 

when the guns unloaded and you tip it to the right, the top lever flops fully under gravity to the right thus letting the breach open. I'm presuming something is broken, would it be a spring etc? What would keep the top lever in tension.

 

I'm just checking to confirm he needs it fixed......

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Edited by The Juicer
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I fired it after confirming the brother in law fired it during the week before. I did hold it away for the first shots and gritted me teeth. The difference is I noticed these potential defects, they haven't. ... when it's loaded and the hammers are back, the right hammer stops the top lever fully moving. I've oiled it up for him too. Don't think it's seen oil in 20 years. Yeah I'll tell him not to fire it until he gets that lever fixed. Not having a hammergun, I was suspicious that was a safety issue!

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I am about as far away from an expert as you can get when it comes to shotguns but I'd say the top lever spring is clearly broken and the pins would need replacing as a minimum, but most importantly I'd get it checked out by a gunsmith, check to see if it is nitro proofed and stop firing it in the mean time.

 

My Baikal hammer gun will just about open when the hammers are cocked but there is very little room left for the top lever, not sure if that is normal for all hammer guns though.

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If you think that's bad, I was at a new permission recently and the farmers son joined me with his dad's old single barrel shotgun. After a while I noticed he was using a drill bit to prise out the empty cartridge. What you doin I says, the cartridge doesn't eject anymore he says. I had a quick look and saw the chamber was heavily rusted! I explained to him that guns need cleaned and oiled. He asked can i use a file to clean it, lol. No I explained. Some emery paper and wd 40 later it's ejecting again. That's shocking lack of maintenance.

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Yes the top lever needs fixing ASAP and the firing will need to be made to fit probably from a blank, instead of round stock. But please get it checked to see if it's in proof and what it was proofed for.

 

It can be fully refurbished and brought back to it's former glory question is is it worth the expense only the owner can answer that.

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