doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Spanish gun hard to load

Before you get too carried away, remove the forearm and remove the barrels. On the rear of the lug, you'll find a hook just kinda hanging there. Look closely at the hook and inside the frame to see where the thing goes. It'll be obvious but when assembling the gun it's easy to overlook and will create the problem you're having. Took me four years and three gunsmiths to figure that one out!

Be very careful. It is MUCH more annoying to have a gun that can be reloaded without getting cocked. Also, if the cocking starts too late, it can leave the strikers resting on the (fired) primers making the gun difficult to open.
I did have your problem corrected by a gunsmith on a (German) gun by having the cocking levers bent slightly. Removing metal is to be avoided wherever possible.

All of the doubles I currently own can be loaded without having to "Hold the Gun Open". The few I have had in the past which required this didn't stay around long, I can well live without that inconvenience. Any break open gun should of course have an efficient & effective barrel check/stop. I have seen a few which didn't but they were mostly older hammer guns. In opening the gum simply always push the barrels open to the stop, it will be cocked (If not, send it to the Smith).
I "Never Ever" carry a gun afield with the barrels open. Should one inadvertently slip & fall an open gun is much more liable to damage than one securely bolted shut.
I recall just such an event occurring to me once. I was navigating a wooded hillside when I stepped on a small rock covered by leaves. The rock rolled underfoot throwing me off balance & both me & my gum took a nasty tumble. The gun was "loaded & locked". We both survived the ordeal with only minor scrapes & scratches. The gun Did Not Jar Off, perhaps due to those top hung Large Hook Lefever sears. I would have been much more concerned of damage to the gun had it been open, perhaps even the fore-end lug may have been bent from the barrel leverage had it landed "Just Wrong".
Perhaps I look at things a bit different than many here, but keep in mind that about 98% of my shotgun use has come in the woods & fields with no more than that remaining 2% being fired at an inanimate object while on totally smooth footing. Should you encounter me afield with a gun in my hand, "EXPECT" it to be Loaded, Bolted Shut & the Safety On.
















5

I recommend that you send the gun to Cole Haugh, fsicole@yahoo.com. He is Jack Haugh's son, famed custom rifle builder.

He used to do Ugartechea warranty work for Aspen Outfitting, is very knowledgeable about Spanish guns and has fixed the problem you describe on a Zabala boxlock for me. He's quick and reasonably priced.

Bruce