Lever Position

[Doggind]

This may be a newb question. How important is the action lever position. I am wanting to purchase a "classic" sxs for upland hunting. In the sxs post "which I love and frequent often" there are many where the action lever is to the right of the safety and some where the lever is to the left of the safety. Of coarse this is the veiw from the smart end of the shotgun. So if the action is tight should this be a important aspect one should be concerned for. As well would this be an extremely difficult repair. Please keep in mind that this would be a hunting gun not for sporting clays.

Thanks Doggind

 

[Beretta687EELL]

Usually, once the lever is to the left, the gun may pop open upon firing. Probable cost to repair $400 plus. Also take the forend off the gun and hold it by the buttstock. Wiggle it back and forth, if you can feel the barrels wiggle, then you have some potential head space issues. But, if it is a hunting gun and you never fire it, it doesn't matter ...

A lot depends on the brand of gun and the age, YMMV.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[gunsaholic]

Generally, if a SxS is off face and wiggles side to side, it is the hinge pin and hook area on the barrel lump that is worn. If the play is up and down, that often signifies wear on the locking bolt. If the opening lever is left of center, it is often due to one or both of these issues. There are a few different ways to fix the problems from cheap to expensive. Putting a piece of masking tape on the barrel hooks will remove the play and last for a while for a gun that is only going to see the odd shell for hunting. When it gets loose again just replace the tape. JB Weld could also be used. Some will make a shim from a beer can and solder it to the lump (remember to drink the beer first). You could also spend a bit and have the lumps tig welded and then filed down so the barrels close. The proper and most expensive way is to have the hinge pin replaced which differs in cost from the type of gun and who does it. If it is the locking bolt that has play, another accepted method of repair among gunsmiths is to peen the rear lump to stretch the metal. As far as having the hooks or lumps welded, I have had a couple of guns done this way and the cost was under $200.00.

 

[cjdawe]

Gunsaholic made a couple very good points ,with the exception of peening anything which i'm not fussy on(but to each his own ),and sometimes tig is the only way ....with that being said ,just because the lever is left of center don't mean the gun is going to pop open on firing ,it could in fact still be quite tight and on face ,the lever is just going through its natural course and compensating for inevitable wear...but as posted before and quick shake by the barrels can tell you how bad things are...the type of bolting and action(and funds ) will dictate what needs to be done to rectify the issue .

hope this helps