Velocette Posted Sunday at 13:23 Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:23 I've noticed that people have good things to say about the wide range of shotguns sold under the Army and Navy name and thought it would be an idea to get one and see what they are like. This cropped up at Holts at the last auction and became mine for £21.00. it looked to have promise !! When I picked it up it didn't look too bad, the bores were fine and it didn't rattle so that was all good. I started with the fore end because it ejected only one cartridge and this was the state of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 13:28 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:28 It all came apart easily and apart from the one spring broken, all was well. At this stage I got a reply from the Army and Navy archives, giving the story of the guns original owner. Mine is serial No. 61314 and I see that Mr Repard bought two guns that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 13:33 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:33 I took both leaf springs out of the fore end and simply let it extract rather than eject and that works well. Turning to the action, I managed to move the safety button with a good squirt of oil and a gentle tap with a brass drift. All the pins came out without damage and this is what's inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 13:41 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:41 I'm not sure about the origins of the action, the top lever operation being unusual having a coil spring rather that a leaf. Perhaps someone recognises it ? Lots of lovely detail though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted Sunday at 13:48 Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:48 Very interesting, watching with growing appreciation of your expertise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted Sunday at 13:50 Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:50 Seems a shame not to have her ejecting? Maybe wabbitbosher or someone has a spring that will fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyH Posted Sunday at 13:51 Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:51 Nice! Love that! I would like to know how to bid and when the next auctions are on at holts as it’s only 30ish mins away from me I think? I have a few of AYA yeoman hammer springs your welcome to try and see if they might fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 13:53 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:53 The sticking safety catch was a pleasure to repair. The small screw fastening the outer button to the underside was quite tight and when I slackened it a fraction, it all slid and worked correctly. A close look revealed a missing "stake" screw which locked the main screw into its exact position and had allowed someone in the past to overtighten and therefore disable the safety. Starting with an 8BA cap screw I cut a slot in one end and then trimmed it down to 4mm so that it fit flush with the screw head. I used a junior hacksaw with a Bahco blade because they are thinner that normal and stoned down the undulations of the blade to make it as narrow as possible and it worked well. Failing that I would have used a Jewelers saw with their really narrow blade to get the slot as narrow as needed A slight oddness is it having ring set strikers which I've usually seen on continental guns but I'm sure someone will know about this. Unlike some, these came out reasonably easily using an enormous tool I made specially for the job ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted Sunday at 13:56 Report Share Posted Sunday at 13:56 Love these threads, keep um coming….will you be making a new V spring? What's the barrels like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 14:01 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:01 The stock wasn't as bad as the description made out and is pretty solid with some lovely figuring. It was covered with some nasty French polish which came off easily and after a good polish and oiling is starting to look respectable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted Sunday at 14:05 Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:05 WOW! How lovely to find that under all that carp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 14:06 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:06 The plan is to make some new springs, but much weaker than the one that did work which sent a cartridge flying way over my shoulder. 1 minute ago, TIGHTCHOKE said: WOW! How lovely to find that under all that carp. It was amazing just how well finished it was under the debris and an inch of Vaseline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 14:18 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:18 13 minutes ago, old'un said: Love these threads, keep um coming….will you be making a new V spring? What's the barrels like? The barrels are fine, the bores are clean and shiny with no dents and a few rusty marks on the outside which are nearly all under the fore end. There is plenty of choke in it too, The only thing I'm not too keen on is the "swamped " rib which together with a higher comb than I'm used to makes the gun shoot a bit high for me. This will be addressed but in the meantime, a 3/16" high piece of ultra strong magnet placed just in front of the barrel bead seems to correct things enough to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted Sunday at 14:33 Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:33 25 minutes ago, Velocette said: The plan is to make some new springs, but much weaker than the one that did work which sent a cartridge flying way over my shoulder. It was amazing just how well finished it was under the debris and an inch of Vaseline. the reason you have got powerfulsprings on the shotgun is because of using in bygone years PAPER CARTRIDGES which were known to swell slightly...so needed some umbff to shift em' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 14:40 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:40 Good point, these modern plastic woke cartridges cannot get away quickly enough from the nasty bang and you can actually hear them crying as they fly past you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted Sunday at 14:40 Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:40 Just now, Velocette said: Good point, these modern plastic woke cartridges cannot get away quickly enough from the nasty bang and you can actually hear them crying as they fly past you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted Sunday at 14:59 Report Share Posted Sunday at 14:59 Chambers will sell you a new ejector spring, ready made. May require a few strokes with a file to fit. Measure the existing one to order the right size.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted Sunday at 15:33 Report Share Posted Sunday at 15:33 Great stuff Richard. What a beauty there must be so much satisfaction gained from carrying out the restoration and then using it Looks like you will need a bigger cabinet after the next auction 👍 Looking forward to seeing more of this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted Sunday at 16:57 Report Share Posted Sunday at 16:57 2 hours ago, Velocette said: Good point, these modern plastic woke cartridges cannot get away quickly enough from the nasty bang and you can actually hear them crying as they fly past you! Thanks for that - more bloody coffee on my laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted Sunday at 16:59 Report Share Posted Sunday at 16:59 Very nice. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velocette Posted Sunday at 17:01 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 17:01 2 hours ago, London Best said: Chambers will sell you a new ejector spring, ready made. May require a few strokes with a file to fit. Measure the existing one to order the right size.. Thanks for that, If I thin a pair of them down a little then the ejection may not be quite as fierce. 1 hour ago, islandgun said: Great stuff Richard. What a beauty there must be so much satisfaction gained from carrying out the restoration and then using it Looks like you will need a bigger cabinet after the next auction 👍 Looking forward to seeing more of this thread Thanks for the kind comment, just get yourself another cabinet and you could be the custodian of a few of these ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted Sunday at 20:33 Report Share Posted Sunday at 20:33 3 hours ago, Velocette said: Thanks for that, If I thin a pair of them down a little then the ejection may not be quite as fierce. Personally, I would stick with the fierce ejection. The whole point of an ejector is to clear the chambers for a faster reload. There is little more annoying during a hot corner than to find that one or both empties have not cleared the chamber when you are trying to drop another cartridge in whilst watching approaching birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshootist Posted Monday at 08:43 Report Share Posted Monday at 08:43 This is a fantastic thread for a layman like me to follow, thank you. Only on Pigeonwatch! Well done for saving this gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted Monday at 09:52 Report Share Posted Monday at 09:52 Thank you for posting that. I'm no expert, but to me that looks like a really nicely made gun and shows what lovely workmanship and quality was built in to it when new. Not 'fancy' but very nicely made where it counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin55 Posted Monday at 10:25 Report Share Posted Monday at 10:25 20 hours ago, Velocette said: The barrels are fine, the bores are clean and shiny with no dents and a few rusty marks on the outside which are nearly all under the fore end. There is plenty of choke in it too, The only thing I'm not too keen on is the "swamped " rib which together with a higher comb than I'm used to makes the gun shoot a bit high for me. This will be addressed but in the meantime, a 3/16" high piece of ultra strong magnet placed just in front of the barrel bead seems to correct things enough to use. Very interesting to read all this and see what can be done with a very cheap auction find Was the rust easy to remove without damaging the metal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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