"I just got my new K-20, and it won't go together"

"Get serious"

"No, really. I lubed and oiled and lubed some more. It's an interference fit and it just won't go together."

"Meet me at the club tomorrow."

So, I'm holding a first year K-20 that has never been shot and never put together. The gun is 17 years old. I don't understand the reason for the existence of such things, but here it is. It apparently came from the estate of a guy who bought and never used it. Go figure.

It won't go together. In Germany near two decades ago it must have gone together. Now it won't. Incredible.

So, enter the heat gun. We worked the frame over a little with a heat gun, the same one I used a long time ago to get the chokes out of an early Beretta 'Mobil Choke' gun that had been used with steel shot and defeated a Brownell's stuck choke tool.

Presto. It didn't take much heat to do the job, but no way was that gun going together otherwise.

It functioned perfectly once assembled, and wasn't particularly difficult to open and close. We put 150 or so shells through it today. It shoots beautifully and the triggers are as good as triggers get. !7 years in the Americase without seeing the light of day.

Anyone ever run into this? I've seen tight new guns, but this one takes the cake.

Tell him all it needs is a plane ticket to Córdoba, Argentina. One good days shooting and it will act better.

SRH

Yeah!

We tried to break it in right but it started to drizzle.

He's migrating south for the winter this week.

He'll look quite stylish at his Florida club with his hair dryer until the thing gets 'Rugered in'.

If he does not shoot it much, the third owner might have the same problem. Might be best for him to put a note in the case explaining that a hair dryer can be used to get it to work. Been thinking about buying a K-20 for the wife. She can't decide if she wants 30 or 32" barrels. Might have to ask her again. Christmas is coming and there might be a bargain out there on one of them. Is she does not like it I could always get a second stock and take it down to Argentina. Make a heck of a dove gun with a set or long 20 or 28 ga. barrels.

I wouldn't be taking it apart every time I shot it, if it was that tight to assemble and, if it were mine. The hair dryer could wait at home.

This is not typical. One of my best friends bought a new K80 and K20. Neither were that tight to assemble, new.

SRH

What does a K20 with 30" barrels weigh?

SRHl

It will be a well used gun next time I see it.

I didn't weigh that one, but mine weighs 7 lbs 12 oz with the adjustable comb. That's the 20 gauge barrel set and 30" barrels.

It's on the heavy side, but it's a target gun and it handles very well.

His K-80 Sport with 32" tubes weighs 9.5 pounds, so the K-20 is dainty when compared to it's big brother.

It could work well in Argentina, I guess, for someone who makes his mind up ahead that he is only going to go through a certain number of shells per shoot, and sticks with it. Until you mount a shotgun 1000 plus times in a day you can't understand how tiring it can be. It was not an issue for me the two times I've been, but some of my buds complained of it. The 687 SPII Sporting I carried weighs 6lbs. 4 oz. I think 7 lbs. 12 oz.might be enough heavier to make a difference in the lifting department.

My MX8 weighs 9 lbs. 3, and handles beautifully, but I wouldn't want to mount it 1000 times.

SRH

I have had a similar problem with K-80's. When my Gold Uplander was new I could not put it together unless I greased the mono block. 11 years later and xxxxxx shells later it goes right together. I have had to put friends new K-80's together primarly because they were not used to the motion and way to hold the barrels and action to get them lined up to go together. It is automatic for me.

bill

Agreed, Stan.

To me, the whole reason for Krieghoff is their triggers.

They are simply excellent.

Then, I get spoiled and when returning to other guns I have to relearn the part about 'crush' and don't finesse a shotgun trigger.

Every time.

My sentiments exactly concerning Perazzi triggers, Jon. I've got a trigger man now that can work on them all, tho'. I'm not going to put up with a poor trigger on a shotgun ever again. If he can't make it crisp and at least as low as 4#, it's going down the road.

I've got a SuperX2 Sporting that I won in a sporting clays shoot that I could shoot very well, except for the trigger. It's going to him next.

SRH

A Beretta auto trigger can be pretty decent.

I traded for one of the stupid Tekny's 391's last year, and I've shot it quite a bit. Mostly because of the 3.75 crisp trigger.

For an off the shelf auto, it's very good. Cole can tune those triggers if need be.

Of course the thing needed a new 'bent' style carrier and couple other minor mods so the economics are kind of upside down (again) but it's the nature of the hobby I guess. The trigger makes the gun.

IMO and experience, the FABARM semi auto triggers are all much better than the other brands that I have tried and of course that includes Beretta.

I haven't found any correlation between the name brand on an automatic and the quality of the trigger as delivered.

It's the luck of the draw. Fortunately, 'most' triggers can be improved but they can also be screwed up. I've never examined anything out of Turkey that had an acceptable trigger. Ever.

In break open volume produced guns it's much the same until you get to the higher grade target guns. You would expect and indeed demand that a new Perazzi or Krieghoff have a good trigger out of the box. A new Cynergy, for example, will need a trigger job as delivered. A K-80 will not.