doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shims for loose action

Loctite 660 is the best solution. It is made for repairs of this nature. Clean parts with Acetone. slight roughening is good as well.

Find a cheap soft dowel like home stores sell slightly above hook diameter and crush fit it into the hook clamping the shim at all surface positions with a c clamp with a floating button. Let it cure 24 hours. Trim, final fit.

Shim will wear out before you break the bond if properly cleaned.

One could certainly simply leave the shim loose on the action, just being aware of it being there while cleaning the barrels.

The notion of soft brass or aluminum seems good.

An article in DGJ, describing an identicle brass shim repair, free of any solder or adhesive, by a gent who did just that with a Nitro Special, and used the well worn piece as his waterfowl gun, with a steady diet of big loads for many years leaves little doubt the repair is good enough for a working gun.

Best,
Ted

Now I don't like disagreeing with people but the use of Loctite 660 or the older version found over here Loctite 601 can only be classed as a temporary running repair, because its main function is a retainer/bonder for close fitting cylindrical parts. very useful for keeping keys in keyways permanent fit for bearings and bushes in holes or housing and requiring a great deal of heat to break its bond. If used as a just an adhesive on the barrel hook its bond starts to break down at the open edges and a shim fitted this way will eventually fail sometimes very quickly.

Ted,
Just leaving the shim float is a problem in that it moves out of the hook then starts to bind the action, at least that is my experience with 2 different guns.

Scotch tape does wonders as a temporary fix when you just want to take the old worn out gun to the range for an afternoon...Geo

Did you use a brass shim, or steel? Worse would be ground and hardened feeler gauge stock, it would resist conforming to surfaces it was placed between.

Ordinary typing paper is perhaps .004 in thickness. It retains oil beautifully, and will work for a day or two of shooting. Easy to cut, fit, and replace as needed.


Best,
Ted

Does any one remember the old trick of putting bananas in a standard shift transmision case to make noisey gears quiet when selling that car??

Nice analogy? Hope that's not what this thread's about...Geo

I heard sawdust. Never saw, or, did it, just heard of it.


Best,
Ted

Damascus,

Agree or not it's the best adhesive for the job currently available. I have never used it for a permanent repair or sold a gun with a shim. But there has been an ongoing discussion on expedient and low cost repairs. If the owner wishes to secure the shim with minimal tools or risk of heat it's the best solution. My sole point. Not advancing or promoting the method, simply an answer to the best way to bond a shim in place without silver or soft solder, a method that doesn't require the tools or skill.