I have in almost mind condition, an O/U 12ga baikal shotgun which I had purchased from a CGNer for pissing around in the woods. A few inches has been cut off the shotgun but I find it's still great for what I have it for. However I think the reduction in weight doesn't 'haul down' the barrels when I open it. It's totally clean and looking fabulous but if I want to put a shell in the bottom chamber I have to haul down on the barrels about an extra 1/4 inch for it to 'fully open'. Didn't know if there was something that I could change to the internals to let it drop down that extra 1/4 inch so I wouldn't always to make the extra effort to keep the chambers open enough.
O/U Shotgun opening issue - Need help!
- Thread starter Jericho
- Start date
gunrunner100
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- NW Ontario
Does it make a difference when the gun is cocked (unfired) prior to opening? Generally the last amount of pressure is to #### the hammers back inside the action. I've had a couple of the Baikal shotguns and found them to be tight fitting regardless of the barrel length.
No difference. The action is tight, the shotgun is great. It's just that when I open 'er up, the barrels do not go down as far as they can, they go down all except about 3/8 - 1/2 an inch, which I pull the barrels down, then I can load and remove shell from the bottom chamber. It seems to me the shotgun was made to have the full 28 1/2 inch barrels and the end weight of the barrels is what kept the shotgun open. Seems spring loaded somehow and with some of the barrel removed, it seems like the weight loss makes a huge difference.
Does it only happen after you fired the barrel? Because it sounds like the tip of the firing pin is catching the primer of the fired round. If that is the problem, it will be from fired primers comming out of the shell case (try a different brand of ammo), or the timing in the gun needs adjusting, meaning the mech that pulls the firing pins back needs to do it a little sooner.
The length of your barrels should not matter.
The length of your barrels should not matter.
Whoops, scratch that, Fry. I read your post too fast, and thought you were having a problem openning the barrels from the start. As of the problem that you have opening the barrels far enough, I would say it's the springs of the auto-ejectors if you have them.
it cold be your technique. when shooting trap with an o/u with ejectors one has to catch the spent shell to prevent a big mess on the line.
here is what i do: after firing with your right hand crack open the action lever, then place place the butt under your right arm and with the left hand grab the top barrel , palm down and give a sharp jerk on the barrels. you can then catch the spent shell with your right hand as they eject.
if you dont mind pick the spent shells up off the ground you could always grab the barrel with your left hand as above and then hold top of the pistol grip with your right hand palm down. operate the locking lever and snap the action open like you were going to break a stick over you knee( i dont recommend actually using your knee though, ouch)
depending on how old your gun is it might have extractors not ejectors. on some models the ejectors can be selected on or off with by setting a device in the action
here is what i do: after firing with your right hand crack open the action lever, then place place the butt under your right arm and with the left hand grab the top barrel , palm down and give a sharp jerk on the barrels. you can then catch the spent shell with your right hand as they eject.
if you dont mind pick the spent shells up off the ground you could always grab the barrel with your left hand as above and then hold top of the pistol grip with your right hand palm down. operate the locking lever and snap the action open like you were going to break a stick over you knee( i dont recommend actually using your knee though, ouch)
depending on how old your gun is it might have extractors not ejectors. on some models the ejectors can be selected on or off with by setting a device in the action
The reason the barrels won't stay down all the way even when the gun is cocked is the cocking mechanism is pushing the hammers beyond where the sears engage in the hammer notches. This is fairly common in O/U guns;the "extra range" is to ensure the hammers are pushed back far enough even after some were and tear. Adjusting the mechanism to minimze this is a tricky business; I suggest you just get used to holding the barrels down that last bit.
Fry, sounds like the springs of the auto-ejectors were removed. Some people did this so the emptys did'nt fly out when shooting at the trap range. It's possible this has something to do with the barrels not opening far enough, or perhaps something was installed wrong when the springs were removed? Either way this is a tricky sort-of-thing and I would suggest a good gunsmith. First, contact the gent you bought the gun from and ask if he might have the springs. If not, maybe Western Gun Parts in Edmonton will have a set. Only other thing I can thing of is maybe some dirt or something got mixed in with the hammers. Try taking off your butt stock and haveing a look inside.
All the best
Baikals need a break in period, the O/Us are quite stiff to open. My wife has one and had an SXS both were hard to open, the O/U is fine now.
They are always going to have some resistance as they have mechanical triggers.
Some also need some polishing as the occasional one has a rough finish on some parts. I have seem a lot of new ones when my buddy used to have a shop in town here.
They are always going to have some resistance as they have mechanical triggers.
Some also need some polishing as the occasional one has a rough finish on some parts. I have seem a lot of new ones when my buddy used to have a shop in town here.
It opens fine, it's perfectly clean. It's just that in order to load/unload the bottom chamber, I need to just very slightly (little force required) haul down the barrels so the shell can physically line up to go into the bottom chamber. The shotgun has been 'broken in' already. Now that I read these responses, I'm thinking it could be a spring issue, because when I let go the barrels, it comes back into it's original position, about 1/4 inch more closed than when having it fully open.
Thanks so far with all the suggestions guys, I really appreciate it! MAN does that thing pattern nice at 15-20 meters... a real fun-gun
Thanks so far with all the suggestions guys, I really appreciate it! MAN does that thing pattern nice at 15-20 meters... a real fun-gun
