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I have a late 1940's box lock Boswell 12g double gun that has become very slightly loose in the action. Holding the gun by the stock with or without the forend in position and shaking it from side to side creates a little movement between the chamber face and breech face. I've held the gun up to a fluorescent light and cannot see any light coming through the join between the breech face and barrels.

My gun has a fixed hinge pin that can't be replaced. Another alternative that I've read about is laser welding of the hook that fits around the hinge pin to build this area up. I've also been told by a reputable source that if laser welding is done, within about 3 months of use the gun will work loose again at this point and isn't recommended.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

As noted previously we do have a tendency to judge the way repairs where done in the past from our modern standpoint of todays technology, this being rather unfair and rather condescending. In the photograph is the barrel lump section of a 12 bore double barrel shotgun at the time it was off the face when the repair showing was undertaken. This curved punch repair was done by a high standing gunmaker and gunsmith Samuel Ebrall. At the time this form of repair to put the gun back on face was completely acceptable because over the years I have seen many guns with these curved punch marks on the barrel hook.

the thing that is most striking for me when i watch one of jack's midway tutorials....is the simple confidence and economy of motions....born of 50 years on the bench.

best regards,

tom

Not sure if it was the case in England, but, a gun that was broken or unusable, circa 1930-1938 might have put a rural family that much closer to starvation here in the states. “Farmstead Repairs” were a thing, and the owner probably didn’t care if the screw slot was perfect when he got the gun back together, as long as it worked, and might provide a bunny or two to supplement his larder.

My Dad had chores that involved pan fishing and squirrel hunting several times a week. They were not negotiable. It was expected. Squirrels could be sold at the farmers market, a dressed pair brought two bits. Fur had to be on the tree rats, as unscrupulous folk would slip a house cat in to the mix.

Things were much closer to the bone, in that era.

Best,
Ted

I have shimmed a few guns with metal strips to put them back on face "temporarily". Nothing too loose, but once slightly loose taking up the slack, prevents more looseness. Well as those repairs go, they last a decent amount of time and if the gun is nothing special they might get done again. Why invest time and money in a gun which is likely to be shot just a box or two of shells over a period of years. I have one gun which had that repair which I doubt I have shot once in 20 years. But it is ready if needed. Shim stock and one of the Locktite compounds works well and is completely reversible for a more proper repair if desired. Much nicer than a punch mark or hammering on the joint.

Here we go!

Laser welding was coming into common use around the time I retired so have had very little experience of it .
The success of any welding will depend on the welder and the material use as a filler ,for this a low carbon such as En8 .
With solid pin guns its always worth checking the hinge/joint pin has not worn oval and may need to be dresses back to concentricity first .

In defense of old Jack, when he was trained there was no TIG or laser welding so he had to be a bit of a blacksmith. His techniques seem crude and certainly aren't best practice now but they do work. I've used them. Some people have little money and some guns aren't worth spending much money to fix. I'm glad Larry Potterfield documented the old way. Didn't we go through all this about six weeks ago?

Jack has been dead since 2015:

https://shootingsportsman.com/john-frederick-jack-rowe-1936-2015/


He apprenticed at Wright’s, and, I’m guessing he wouldn’t do the punch methods of repair to English best guns, in England. He fixed guns here in the states, and dealt with more run of the mill stuff.

TIG welding, as applied to soldered and brazed gun barrels is a more recent phenomenon.

Best,
Ted

I had a CSMC M21 that went off face after several years @ sporting clays shooting (bolt adjustment would not compensate) so I attached a .002" mild steel shim to the hook w/ Permatex Sleeve retainer (available @ NAPPA & is used for securing valve guides in aluminum cylinder heads).

I shot it for several more years @ sporting clays w/ the shim in place before I sent it to Dennis Potter to do a proper repair by replacing the joint pin but I could have kept shooting it w/the shim.

I don't see any downside to the shim repair & it is relatively easy to do, reverseable & cost effective on a low end shotgun that doesn't warrant rejointing.

The statement above bothers me because I believe it is inaccurate. In all the years I have read books, magazines, and internet posts on the subject of cheap hardware store guns or old Belgian clunkers, I never once heard they were "off face from the factory...."

Way back before I was really into double guns, I can remember seeing old guys evaluating used models in gunshops. They would check to see if they were loose by shaking or flexing them with the forend on and then off. Then they would often try to close the gun with a dollar bill between the barrels and standing breech. If it would close on the dollar, which they were using as a crude feeler gauge, then it was judged to be loose and in need of repairs.

If guys back then knew enough to avoid a used gun that was off the face, then certainly they would never consider buying one that was loose when factory new. It is more likely that these cheap guns were simply fitted with less care and precision, so there was less contact area on the critical surfaces. Because of that, they would then wear at a faster rate than a gun which was better built.

15 years ago, it might have been 8,500. Today, with running changes in components and powder, they will only state that any load is under SAAMI max.

They aren’t wrong.

Best,
Ted