Gun opens itself when fired

[Dibble]

Can I have a bit of advice please.

I grew up shooting and after a 30 year gap I've just got my Certificate and bought my first Gun an almost unused Franchi Harrier.

First time out was clay shooting this Sunday.

On the first stand it failed to fire the second barrel i pulled the trigger again and it worked.

Second stand again it failed to fire the second barrel and when I opened it it ejected the unfired cartridge.Overall it's ejection was poor.

Third stand was 2 clays close together and initially I thought it had done the same thing again but it had actually opened by about 5mm. Possibly stupidly I thought I might not have closed it properly so I tried again giving it a good slam closed, It opened itself again.

 

I've taken it back to the RFD and was given 3 options, Repair, Change for another gun or a slightly reluctant refund.

I like the gun so went for repair...........not sure about this choice now.

So what could be wrong?

They are going to examine and test it but what should they be doing?

Was the gun dangerous?

[snow white]

I would have gone for another gun

[billytheghillie]

4 minutes ago, snow white said:

I would have gone for another gun

+1

[mossy835]

another gun.

[welshwarrior]

Could be a simple as a worn top lever spring it could be a lot more.  

[wymberley]

Patent it.

[Snoozer]

Another Gun for me.

[kenholland]

the bight want's tightening up.

[Ultrastu]

I wouldnt trust that gun .or rfd ..

He shouldnt be selling a gun in that state to start with.

Money back for me .

[figgy]

Think I'd have got my money back. Gone elsewhere and bought a good used By gun.

[Old farrier]

To be fair you’re rfd sounds like he’s trying to help 

could be a lot of things wrong here to many to list 

even subconscious operator error 😉

have it fixed and next time you shoot it I would suggest that the first round of clays is with the club coach 

any more problems and then go for money back 

[Dibble]

The gun looks almost new, not a mark on it, case, chokes, booklet not sure how the RFD would have known it would open, Do they test them? Of course now I'm thinking it could happen on anything I buy.

I'd already looked at all his stock in the price range (£590) when I chose this one so I'd mentally written them off and decided I'd chosen the best gun.

I suppose now I've given him the chance to fix it I should go through with it but google doesn't give many hits on "gun opens when fired"  (except for Brownings) so if he says "It was the XYZ which I've ABCd " I'll have no idea if it's ********.

When I get it back I could get a box of heavy cartridges and give it a good test but could it bite me?

 

[Ultrastu]

Let him test it and show you it working .before you depart .

[The gouse]

 This is a common problem with them after shooting 20,000+ shots you will see people with elastic band around it to stop it happening. So not a  nearly new gun. 

[Seadog1408]

Let him try his repair as you have agreed to this, if you are still not satisfied with the result get a refund.

[Gunman]

Get rid ASAP you could have bought someone else's trouble . Alternately ask if he would agree that you take the gun to a competent gunsmith for assessment and  the seller pays  for the work done .

Biggest problem is that a lot dealers buy and sell guns but know very little about the mechanics . At the same time they buy and sell guns without testing or having them serviced . 

 

[Dibble]

I've emailed GMK who have been quite helpful, it's a 2006 gun and never been back to them for repair.

I can't believe it has done tens of thousands of shots as the its unmarked except for a small stain under the safety catch when you select the bottom barrel, the woodwork is matt. butpad is unmarked.

 

So has it been left at the back of a cabinet for years and gummed up? or a bit of rust internally?

 

The RFD did make a point of saying he stored them , if unassembled, with the toplever eased off and showed me how to do it...........

 

Sorry for going on, I've bought and sorted a lot of dodgy motorbikes in my time but I'm out of my depth here and Gunsmiths do seem to like confusing the rest of us................It's a screwdriver if 69.99999million of us in the UK call it a screwdriver it's a screwdriver......not a turnscrew.....

[TIGHTCHOKE]

No, it's a turnscrew, perhaps that is part of your problem, like you say, you are out of your depth and perhaps you should be a little more trusting of the man from the Gunshop.

Weapons like you have bought will often not have been extensively tested, let him get it sorted and try it before you make a decision.

There is no need to put anything heavier than your usual load through it.

[Gunman]

Screw driver or turn screw ?. Personally having worked on the bench making and repairing guns for nigh on 50 years I have always used screw drivers .Whether they have been on screws , pins or nails .

The only times I used the term turn screw is for the largely useless case accessories items .

[Scully]

7 hours ago, Gunman said:

Get rid ASAP you could have bought someone else's trouble . Alternately ask if he would agree that you take the gun to a competent gunsmith for assessment and  the seller pays  for the work done .

Biggest problem is that a lot dealers buy and sell guns but know very little about the mechanics . At the same time they buy and sell guns without testing or having them serviced . 

 

This. 

[Ultrastu]

This goes for airguns too .

When an issue with a gun arises owners often just px them for something else (with nowt said) .the rfd .then slaps 100 % profit on it with no checks at all and puts it on the shelf for sale .

The rfd doesnt see any profit in testing guns at point of purchase or before sale and the new owner gets lumbered with the problem .

 

Its one of the biggest problems i have with buying sh from a shop .your more likely to get a lemon than you are from a private sale and you pay more for it too .shops that let you try before u buy are best .

[Dibble]

I was working on the theory there was about a 20% markup but I suppose this varies on the price of the gun. Pricing from dealer to dealer seems a bit random as well.

Whats the hourly rate for servicing in the London area?

[GingerCat]

Let him fix it and I'm sure it will be fine. Guns aren't like cars and are mostly pretty simple beasts and normally can be fixed without much issue. As for its appearance  my lanber has easily done 20k+ (probably did that before i got jt) and looks like new. My Beretta has probably fired enough to employ a loader at gambore but also looks new despite being 15 years or so old. 

If it fits you and he's repaired it ( or sent it to someone to fix if he's not a smith) don't worry about it. If you have lost confidence in it then px or sell it when he's fixed it. 

[Dibble]

So I've had a call from the gunshop, the gunsmith has "eased off the action" and fired a box of cartridges with no problems.

I'm going to pick it up and see how it goes but what does "eased off the action" mean.

I'll be upset if the toplever has moved too far over

[josie]

I would have went for another gun. It sounds as if the gun is badly worn. I also believe its illegal to sell a faulty gun , at  least the dealer is trying to sort it out , i would have got rid.