Closing my action too hard (Over/Under)???

Devlin

Devlin

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Evening gang:

Looking for some insight as I had another member of my club mention too me that I was closing my action on my over/under Caesar Guerini (12 Gauge Ellipse Limited model - colour case hardend finish) and that if I continued to snap it shut I would damage it or part of the mechanism over time. The gun is brand new and very tight to open and close as would be expected, it does need a little force to get it close and maybe I am doing it too quickly???

I've been around guns almost 40 years and have never heard this before but you learn something new every day potentially...also if you want to get free unsolicited advice just stand around any gun range for more than 37 seconds and someone will be along to "assist with their opinion" ;-):p

So what say you CGN brethren, can you close an over/under too firmly?
 
What do you mean by snapping it shut? Are you talking about closing it by hand or when you say "snap it shut "are you talking about hanging onto the wrist and snapping the barrels upward as with a one handed style?
 
Closing it by hand as you normally would...one hand on the foregrip and one hand on the pistol grip near the trigger and then just closing it together firmly.
 
It's possible to close a gun too hard, but it certainly doesn't sound like you're doing so. Caesar Guerinis are well made guns. They don't need to be pampered.

Closing a break action in the manner you describe - one hand on the forend, one on the wrist, and close the gun firmly - is exactly the instructions I would use to describe the process. The only thing I can think of is perhaps he felt your forend hand was too far down the barrels. If your hand drifts off the forend out onto the barrels, the increased leverage would be more stressful on the action. But, again, nothing you've said leaves one with the impression that you were doing anything beyond closing the gun normally.

There is no benefit to holding back the top lever. And, closing the action tentatively can cause issues just as well as being too aggressive.

Some people simply worship every piece of property they own that's worth more than a hundred bucks. I know, my mother is among them. While I take diligent care of my property, I'm not neurotic.

And you couldn't be more right about everybody being a coach at the range. Mea culpa. But, it always pays to be polite. You never know who might accidentally teach us something.
 
Devlin said:
So what say you CGN brethren, can you close an over/under too firmly?
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I've corrected new shooters a couple of times after they slammed shut one of my o/u's with full force. There is no more need to slam an o/u shut than there is to slam a car door shut with all your might. Close both with just enough force so they firmly latch.
 
Well - Using more force than necessary cant be beneficial in the long run. My personal concern relates more to opening the gun. Many folks pull on the fore-end. In time this can loosen the fore-end. I wrap my fingers around the barrel when opening to eliminate the stress on the fore-end.
 
cosmic said:
Well - Using more force than necessary cant be beneficial in the long run. My personal concern relates more to opening the gun. Many folks pull on the fore-end. In time this can loosen the fore-end. I wrap my fingers around the barrel when opening to eliminate the stress on the fore-end.
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That's good advice.
 
I wrap my fingers around the barrel when opening to eliminate the stress on the fore-end.
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Me too. I've had a couple used guns with loose forends. Usually its just a matter of tightening everything up again, but theres a limit to what screws in walnut will take.
 
Little variation on this topic.
A few years back there was a CAS member who was using some model of a coach gun i cant recall.
To open the action he would have to push the lever over then with one hand on pistol grip and the other on the barrel he would then require it
to be brought down hard to one of his raised thighs to get it to open.
I commented he may want to find out what the sticking issue was.
After several match's (it seemed he had bigger things in his life going on than get the gun fixed) the gun finally broke in half.
With a quick check, it looked like the lug that is brazed onto the barrel to lock the action came off.
I guess the moral is to use reasonable effort to open and close any break action shotgun, and if anymore is reqiured,
you may want to have it checked out before a poor fit prematurely wears something out.
Guns are made of steal and will take abuse for awhile.
Doesnt sound like you are doing anything wrong closing up your shotgun.
 
straightshooter said:
There is no benefit to holding back the top lever.
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I would disagree with this, to a point. On my 682 I can see the effect of not holding the lever; not that the action isn't closing any less tighty, but I can see the lugs starting to round the corners where they engage the barrel. Instead of having a sharp 90° angle, I've ended up with a slight rounding off. When I look at the lug on my Z-Sport (Perazzi style action), it appears that not holding the lever open has less of an effect. On my other Zoli with a Greener lock, it appears to have effect.

The car door was a great analogy; slamming it might not hurt it, but why use more force than absolutely necessary.

Besides, unlike the army, I don't get a new one if I break it.
 
Ha! The car door analogy is excellent as I am constantly after my kids for that very thing.

Thanks for the input thus far gents. Your insights are appreciated.
 
Why would u use any more force than needed to close the action . I have 4 0/u shotguns 2 newer Cesar's an old superpossed and an old mx 8 the last mentioned have more rounds through them than I could even guess still close tight and very smooth .
 
Sapper33 said:
The car door was a great analogy; slamming it might not hurt it, but why use more force than absolutely necessary.
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The car door IS a great analogy. Would you hold the handle of the door open while you close the door? No, you wouldn't, because it would cause more harm than good. Sticking with the car door analogy, most would agree that closing the door firmly with adequate force so it closes positively every time, is best. Excessive force will definitely cause damage. Timidly closing a car door or a gun will result in the door/gun occasionally not closing properly and requiring a second attempt. Sometimes the door/action goes into the lock position with the door/gun not fully closed, with the consequences ranging from minor to serious.

I've been shooting a wide variety of guns from makers all over the world for over 48 years. In all that time, I have never regretted closing a gun firmly (not hard). I have seen guns that were cocked but wouldn't close because the lockup was already partially or fully closed before the gun. Think of the lockup on a gun as similar to the ejectors. Timing of the movement of the parts is critical. Several parts move in unison or in order and the timing is important. When you ease the action closed slowly, you stretch the timing, sometimes allowing the sequence to get out of sync. (Just like when your car door mechanism thinks the door is closed, but it's not. Then the door can't be closed until the mechanism is returned to the open position.)

I'm not saying that pampering a gun will cause any harm. It won't. But, it's unnecessary. I totally agree about not using more force than necessary.
 
Thanks again for all the replies gang, some good advice here. I don't think I was being overly hard on the gun and suspect the free advice fairy to be more at fault than anything else here.
 
I hold the truck door handle open if'n I wish to close the door quietly.
Put a bit of weight into the door and release the handle.........click

Now the emergency brake pedal?
Do you slam it down and yank the T handle to release it?
I sure don't.
I pull the handle lightly and push the pedal down, then release the handle.
Opposide when I release it.
Push on the e brake pedal and pull the T handle.
Let the pedal come up easily.

Reeeeal quiet this way too.
 
kamlooky said:
Do you slam it down and yank the T handle to release it?
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No, that would be excessive. But, I do push it down firmly (without touching the release). And, I simply pull the release and let the return spring do it's job.

What you're describing is my definition of neurosis. Too bad you never met. You and my mother would have had years of fun not touching any of your possessions, except to polish them......quietly and softly.
 
Soooooooooooo, yer a tuff weenie tugger r u?

I was thinking of grouse hunting with the kid and letting her sneak out the passenger door
vewwy vewwy qweyetly.
 
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