doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com L.C. Smith "one-trigger"

Last spring a friend of a friend brought in a Elsie that was doubling. It didn't make any differance whether the selector was in the r/l or the l/r position. The first thing I noticed was that the side plate screws were all buggered up and the outline of the trigger plate was dinged up a bit, but other that that it was in nice condition. I looked it over and spent about 20 minutes just cleaning all of the gunk and old grease from all the small parts.The "bob-weight" pendulum spring was rather siezed. I did not disassemble it. After taking a long time to figure out how it actually worked I re-tentioned the "safety spur lever" spring and was able to get it to single fire in the r/l mode but never got it to single fire in the l/r mode. Does anyone have any thought about how to get both side working properly? The artical in in Mar/Apr Shooting Sportsman by Vic Vetters got my thoughts going.

Thanks, Joe

look and see if the action and hand screw look like they have been tightened. this can cause problems. mc

Since you have the stock off, assemble everything but leave the stock off. Put the long connecting screw to secure the side locks. Make sure this screw only comes flush with the outside of the opposite lock. Do the same with the top tang to trigger plate housing, this screw should be shaped like the surface of the top tang, so make sure you align it so. The rear trigger plate housing screw to end of top tang, make sure that this one also is flush.
Release trip spring for top lever, while holding top lever.
now you can see if things are working correctly. Try selector for each barrel and dry fire each. Notice how far spur lever rides up into recess of top tang.
If triggers work fine this way, then the problem is that the selector slide was binding on the wood. Wood is also removed in this location when installing a HOT in a stock that was a double trigger. So more precious wood has to be removed.

Assemble everything back and make sure those screws are the same way they were without the stock on. Most times if a HOT is working, when dis-assembling I also measure across both side locks with a vernier caliper, and look at the relationship of the rear trigger guard to top tang. The top tang to trigger plate housing could be tight also, but the orientation of the slot should be in line with the length.

Hope this helps, most of the time it is in over-tightening of the screws.

David

Thank You very much. I don't remember exactly everything about the project but I do remember that it looked like a 2-trigger gun that had been modified. If I ever see that guy again I'll tell him I need another look at his gun and I just might be able to get it back in proper order.

Joe

Joe, The wood alongside the selector has to be slightly hollowed out to let the selector slide move freely side to side.
I converted a two trigger stock to accept a HOT and used my mortising machine that I use for wood working, and used a Foredom like tool but faster, Cyclone, to make the hollows on each side of the selector, using a ball shaped burr.

Back when Hunter did this work, you would send them the gun and for $25.00 they would install a HOT, same price if you ordered it with the gun.
In a Sept. 15, 1948 Repair Price list from the now L.C. Smith Gun Co. (Marlin), this same job cost $45.00.