doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Single trigger Nitro cocks one barrel doesnt fire

I've got my tail between my legs on this one. I sent Les Hovencamp the barrels of my 20g Nitro Special for work The lower rib delaminated and I couldn't cock the gun. He slow rust blued the barrels and resoldered the rib and the lug. He did a beautiful job on both accounts. He asked me to send the action to him to see if there was any other issue, but I, in my infinite wisdom, decided to save as few $$ to avoid a FFL transfer. Results: dumb decision.
Both barrels cock, but the right doesn't fire. When cocked, the right barrel firing pin does not meet up with the standing breach. I can hear it move back and forth when I move the gun.

What happened? Is the pin broken? I know that in the past Roy Eckrose (is he still hanging in from his stroke?) provided many suggestions to this effect, but I haven't saved his posts. I know it is easy to disassemble the Nitro but a bear to reassemble it. I have his pdf's on the jig and tools he used to compress the spring and reset the pins. I neither have the qualifications nor the desire to do so. I can certainly sent the action back to Les, but before I do so, are there any Nitro cognoscenti that have any thought on this matter as well as are there any competent gunsmiths in western NJ - eastern PA that can handle this?

most likely a broken firing pin, as nitro specials are prone to that problem, when sears are tripped without benefit of snap caps.

The firing pin(s) should be free to protrude from the breech face and able to move back and forth when the gun is cocked.
If by 'the right doesn't fire',,do you mean it won't drop the hammer when you pull the trigger (dry fire),,,or the right bbl won't fire a live round and give no primer indentation on that shell.

The former could be a problem w/the single (non-selective?) trigger which isn't all that complicated. It works off of the right hammer and sets when the gun is cocked. Then moves into position to lift the left sear when the right hammer is fired and falls.

The latter more likely a broken firing pin tip.
Not a hard job to replace. Most times the set screw that hold the firing pin are staked heavily into place and resist removal. Drilling them out and retapping takes care of that. But it's all extra work that can bring on other problems like a broken off drill or tap down in the hole.
Reassembly isn't hard with the right tool(s).

FWIW,,unless there is a NJ state law that requires you to ship a repair thru an FFL at your end to another FFL/Gunsmith,,there is no Fed regulation requiring you to do so.
There is no transfer of ownership on a repair. The FFL/Gunsmith is allowed to ship the repaired firearm back to the original customer at their home address.
Those companys providing shipping services can sometimes be the problem though as they tend to make their own rules when it comes to firearms and shipments.

I just completed putting one of these back together, not a single trigger version, however. Ithaca didn't spare any effort making sure EVERYTHING was staked in, and I can't say it was a terribly friendly gun to work on.
But, I bet most of them still work. There is a lot to like about this simple design.
Wonder what it would cost to produce this same gun today?

Good luck with the repair. Please, let us know what it was when you get it sorted. Mine had a balky safety, it was actually riding on the top strap instead of being centered in the safety slide. A little tweak was all it took.

Best,
Ted