Double barrel tough to open

Ammo first... neither of my english 12 sxs like american ammo, even "light" target loads... it's loaded to too high of pressure. When I started shooting Eley or Kent out of them it was like night and day.

You should also check your chamber length... a lot of older 10's were 2 7/8" IIRC, and shooting 3 1/2" out of them will cause extreme pressures which will also make the gun hard to open.
 
By looking at who made the gun!--just kidding. I still have a 20 gauge Spanish double that was the first gun I bought many many moons ago. After I shot it, I would have to break it open over my knee and even then it was difficult to open. Being young and stupid (at the time, now I'm old and stupid) I put up with it. One day someone who was with me took a look at it. The firing pins were really dragging on the head of the case after firing. making it hard to open. In this case, a couple of minutes with a file to shorten the firing pins and the problem was solved. Of course your problem could be different but if the pins are too long it should show drag marks on the shells.
 
9.3mauser said:
Ammo first... neither of my english 12 sxs like american ammo, even "light" target loads... it's loaded to too high of pressure. When I started shooting Eley or Kent out of them it was like night and day.

You should also check your chamber length... a lot of older 10's were 2 7/8" IIRC, and shooting 3 1/2" out of them will cause extreme pressures which will also make the gun hard to open.
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Shooting Black Cloud, it was the only 10 gauge available locally. Gun is chambered for 3.5 inch shells, according to the flats.
 
gunsaholic said:
By looking at who made the gun!--just kidding. I still have a 20 gauge Spanish double that was the first gun I bought many many moons ago. After I shot it, I would have to break it open over my knee and even then it was difficult to open. Being young and stupid (at the time, now I'm old and stupid) I put up with it. One day someone who was with me took a look at it. The firing pins were really dragging on the head of the case after firing. making it hard to open. In this case, a couple of minutes with a file to shorten the firing pins and the problem was solved. Of course your problem could be different but if the pins are too long it should show drag marks on the shells.
Click to expand...

I did try dry firing on empty shells and had no problems, which would lead me to suspect something recoil based. The gun functions fine with unfired shells as well. However, I bet it has not been cleaned inside for decades.
 
I will bet you a Timmies coffee that your firing pin(s) are punching the primers and sticking... Check your primers for punctures or overly deep strikes... A thousandth off the firing pin and you should be good to go.
 
TheCoachZed said:
I did try dry firing on empty shells and had no problems, which would lead me to suspect something recoil based. The gun functions fine with unfired shells as well. However, I bet it has not been cleaned inside for decades.
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Pressure based... what happens with higher pressure shells is that the primer basically fire-forms itself around the tip of the firing pin. I've had to break open my guns over my knee too. Now where you would get low-pressure 10 gauge I have no idea.

Is the gun a side-lock or box-lock? Firing pins differ depending on action type and design and it might be possible to modify it so it functions a little more smoothly. On a lot of box-locks ( English especially) the firing pins are integral with the striker or tumbler, on a side-lock they're usually floating.
 
I have a Browning bss 20 gauge sporter...As new, maybe 150 rounds through it since it left the factory. Needless to say, it is not broke in, and is quite hard to open, even empty. When I shoot through it, look out..very very stiff to open! There is no dragging, no issue with firing pins etc....it's just plain not broke in, and the action is stiff. Is your 10 gauge new, close to it or seen little use? That could be a possible cause.
 


Now look what you guys made me do! :O

Figured the gun likely hadn't been cleaned since the 1980s so I might as well go ahead. Now I have got to figure out how to put it all back together, but thankfully, it seems pretty simple. I managed to put a Savage 170 and 77 rifle and shotgun back together with no parts diagram as well as a H&R Model 48, so I reckon I've got this. Now is as good a time as any to refinish the stock, too ... Figure I will clean everything properly and polish whatever is polishable (without polishing anything that will send me to the Danger Zone), put it back together, and take it from there. If I have problems, I'll work on the pins then (they are floating pins, apparently).
 
You're right about the floating firing pins. It might be feasible to fit a couple of light springs in front of the pins so they rebound after firing. It would depend on the design and how competant your gunsmith is.
 
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