I've begun the cleanup process on a Ugartechea side lock shotgun, and wanted to post some pictures for all interested. Surprisingly, there are very few pictures of sidelock internals around the net, so hopefully this will be helpful to many. Specs: 12 ga, built 1964, 27" barrels, choked Mod and Full (0.024" and 0.043"), 70mm chambers.
If you know this gun's history, it lead an abused life to some extent. I call it "Prince Phillip's Land Rover gun". With some trepidation upon initial inspection, my fears of real damage went unfounded. Everything appears to be cosmetic in nature only. The action is tight, barrels ring like bells and are straight & undented, and it mounts beautifully. No screw heads were buggered, and no cracks in the wood.
So after the locks were removed, I found no corrosion on the works, only a crust of very dried lube. The picture doesn't do it justice, it's polished like jewellry. It uses flat springs rather than coil, very British. Double intercepting sears for safety.
The lock plate has some beautiful engraving on it, and although the colours are fading, the metal is developing a beautiful patina.
Here's where the lock sits. You can see the two screw holes which anchor the lock plate, and the shiny cocking levers. I'm afraid to try to take the gun down further than this to refinish it, knowing what I know about how much torque can be on the pins holding the stock & action together. The trigger guard is also refusing to unscrew as it should.
The fore end came apart after several consultations about it's construction. It appears that there can be several very different methods of assembling an Anson-style latch fore end. Remove the single visible screw, unscrew the latch rod, which exposes a hidden screw threaded into the tip cover plate. Then just tap it out.
The selective ejectors also showed high polish, no corrosion, just gummed up old lube. Soaking in Ed's Red.
That's progress so far. The wood is being cleaned of the old finish and the barrels are having rust spots removed. I'm not attempting a full restoration, just a thorough cleanup, maybe some bluing touchups, and refinish the wood - I don't even plan on dealing with the little dents and gouges. But this should turn out lovely.
If you know this gun's history, it lead an abused life to some extent. I call it "Prince Phillip's Land Rover gun". With some trepidation upon initial inspection, my fears of real damage went unfounded. Everything appears to be cosmetic in nature only. The action is tight, barrels ring like bells and are straight & undented, and it mounts beautifully. No screw heads were buggered, and no cracks in the wood.
So after the locks were removed, I found no corrosion on the works, only a crust of very dried lube. The picture doesn't do it justice, it's polished like jewellry. It uses flat springs rather than coil, very British. Double intercepting sears for safety.
The lock plate has some beautiful engraving on it, and although the colours are fading, the metal is developing a beautiful patina.
Here's where the lock sits. You can see the two screw holes which anchor the lock plate, and the shiny cocking levers. I'm afraid to try to take the gun down further than this to refinish it, knowing what I know about how much torque can be on the pins holding the stock & action together. The trigger guard is also refusing to unscrew as it should.
The fore end came apart after several consultations about it's construction. It appears that there can be several very different methods of assembling an Anson-style latch fore end. Remove the single visible screw, unscrew the latch rod, which exposes a hidden screw threaded into the tip cover plate. Then just tap it out.
The selective ejectors also showed high polish, no corrosion, just gummed up old lube. Soaking in Ed's Red.
That's progress so far. The wood is being cleaned of the old finish and the barrels are having rust spots removed. I'm not attempting a full restoration, just a thorough cleanup, maybe some bluing touchups, and refinish the wood - I don't even plan on dealing with the little dents and gouges. But this should turn out lovely.
