What to look for when buying a used double gun

J

JamesM

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Bloomfield, New Brunswick
Ok experts, I want to be educated about what some warning signs are that should scream avoid when looking at used doubles.
I'm not looking for some 5000 round plus a year gun I want a double for maybe 300 rounds a year shooting informal clay sports and the occasional grouse, pheasent and if I can get apropriate loads; ducks.
 
I always look at the action closely for looseness, when closed there should be NO movement at the action if you grasp the butt and the forend and twist the back and forth with your hands. If there is they are called "off the face" and can be very expensive to tighten up in the proper fashion. The lever that opens the action should be at center or slightly to the right of center(even better). Some guys will mention "ringing" the barrels to make sure the solder joints between them are still sound but I have never seen barrels come loose in a quality gun. Even though there are some nice long discontinued doubles out there it is nice to be able to get parts in case a repair comes up down the road. My 2 cents.
 
#1 is gun fit, just like for any shotgun. If it does not fit you, you will not shoot it well.
#2 is metal to wood fit. Look for gaps and cracks in the wood.
#3 make sure that the locking lever is right of center.
#4 pattern the gun (both barrels) to see where it shoots and make sure that both barrels shoot to same POI (at least reasonably so) at normal ranges.
#5 look at the condition of the firing pins.
#6 Make sure the gun closes tight as a vault.
#7 Check for pitting and rust in the barrel. Bore should be bright (within reason, depending on age and price of course).
 
A bit more to add if looking at older guns. Look for any dents in the barrels. Minor dents you can get away with but dents that protrude too far internally can cause a barrel to burst. Check for pitting in the bores. Minor to moderate pitting you can get away with. None is even better. It would also be nice to know if the chambers have been reamed out on an older gun as you don't know how much metal was removed. And cracks in the stock can be a big issue, especially if the stock is cracked internally in the wrist area. They can be fixed if not too severe. Restocking can be very expensive. If it has ejectors, do they function. Also, if it looks like the barrels were reblued, walk away if it was done using the hot tank method. This is not good for the soldered ribs on doubles.
 
do you have price range your looking in, or just cheaper is better. check tradeex, they have a huge selection of old doubles, i bought my first double from them, never had an issue. when i decided i liked doubles i found a nicer one and sold mine for what i bought it for.
 
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