Stan,
Let me remind you, that you said Dewey had worked on one of your Foxes. I will assume it gave you problems that you couldn't handle.
In addition to the Elsie.
None of my modern guns, which, are pretty much pumps and autoloaders built since 1930, has ever been to a gunsmith. I broke a tang screw on a Browning A5, fixed with a replacement from Brownell's, and have installed quite a few lefty safety buttons in the same guns, along with stripping and cleaning them. My Dad's Beretta O/U broke a firing pin, which was repaired at Ahlman's while my Dad watched, and he bought two pins, just in case. I still have it. I glassbedded the head of a Remington model 17 stock, but, it was precautionary, there was nothing wrong with it.
I've never needed the services of a gunsmith to repair a Darne I owned. I've owned examples from every era, but, all right now are post war, 2 3/4" guns. Modern. I've done some elective stuff, but, none of mine, probably 20-25 guns over thirty years, ever broke. I can service quite a bit an a Darne R model on my own. People have sent a few dozen to me over the years, every example suffered butchery at the hands of someone who got in over his head with wife tools. A few times I opened a box, shook my head, and forwarded a gun off to Kirk.
Small sample also.
Not too many things in my life approach the reliability of the modern guns in my world. The printing equipment I make my living with sure as hell doesn't.
John, you, Sir, have just posted what has to be one of the best quotes of all time on the board. "The shortcomings of Old Reliable", if, I may paraphrase just a bit, is, itself, a classic. If Orwell had written about shotguns, we'd have seen it there, I'm sure. Probably in a story about a "American Doublegun Ministry of Truth" where people were beaten until they recanted, after they pointed out the dearly held American shotgun classics WERE just hardware store guns. After that, they would be forced to hunt with Saigas, which, were very ugly, but, always worked, so the joke was on the leaders.
Thanks, by the way. I laughed, hard, when I read that. I hope you can see why I thought it was funny, and can laugh at it, too.
Stan, the CSMC RBL gun I saw with an issue had a trigger problem, but it was a double trigger, where one or the other broke at a crisp 3 1/2lbs, and the other broke at about 15lbs. They fixed it, quickly.
Small sample there, too.
I've seen a lot of broken Parkers and Elsies at gunshows. You guys have to at least admit there are much better guns to count on for actual use. If a guy knows what he has going into the salvage of an example of either of those two designs, that is one thing, but, a rookie (I think I saw two of them here this week, looking for advice) ought to hear the rest of the story.
Best,
Ted
