doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Day 1 Hour 1... Need Help

Father in law gave me a Perkins SxS percussion yesterday.
Rib says "Perkins London Laminated Steel". Both side plates have "Perkins" engraved on them. Loading rod is with gun.

I have read DGJ for years, but have always admired from a distance. Seyfried was author who drew me to follow initially. Seyfried and Bell have bent my mind towards these things. Never dipped my toe into the waters of antique arms. Have loved learning about the stories and function of various arms from across history. The passion of the authors have pulled me into the rabbit hole. Even if it's as a bench warmer only.

I do have experience with modern arms and ammo. Reloaded for shotguns, rifles, and handgun cartridges for 40 years. So concept wise, I have a reasonable foundation. But never a muzzle loading shotgun. Only played with a blackpowder revolver once- with Grandpa back in the 70s.

Here's the short version:
1-Right hammer does not fall when trigger is pulled. Left hammer works.
2-Pin missing from right side plate (may be related to trigger issue?).

Need gunsmith who can take a look at it, and discuss if it is safe to fire. If it is safe to fire, the trigger issue will be fixed. She will go pheasant hunting. I think my father in law would like this.

Worst case scenario, it will get 90 years of gunk cleaned off it (Not interested in refinishing or restoration), and it becomes a wall hanger in the office. Father in law will like this too.

I'm in NW Oregon. Hoping someone here can recommend a local smith who can look at it, and start from there.

Thanks for the time

Mark

Welcome to the forum, and to an amazing (expensive) hobby! I'm sorry but I don't know of any gunsmiths up that way

It doesn't necessarily have to become a terribly expensive hobby. Certainly not as bad as buying a boat or doing a car restoration.

The first thing to resolve is whether the barrels are sound and safe to shoot. This includes an evaluation of internal and external pitting, dents, loose ribs, etc., along with barrel wall thickness measurements. That is the one determining factor as to whether this gun should be repaired and fired, or simply cleaned up and hung on the wall.

Someone here should be able to steer you towards an Oregon area muzzleloader gunsmith who can pull the locks without doing damage, and tell you at a reasonable cost what the problem is, and how much it should cost to repair it. Handing someone you don't know a gun and a blank check can get you in trouble. Once the gun is functional, the cost of black powder, wads, shot, and percussion caps isn't much more than modern ammunition, and certainly less than most of the non-lead stuff.

Bruce Farman is not "local" to you, but in the area at large. He has done a fair bit of work for me, and is fair and fast. He is a member of the ACGG. Here is his info:
www.acgg.org/index.php/my-profile/userprofile/Bfarman.html

Mike

good post keith...looking forward to hearing more from you...and certainly no more from that other creature that also resides in your skull...

Hello Flatfish
Welcome to the site and good luck with your new treasure
Mike

p.s. is flatfish from the lure or the fish?
I love the x4ss flatfish and still wish they were made!!!

Ahhh, you must be talking about the creature who despises anti-gun trolls... like you. The new member might as well learn about your kind sooner rather than later:

Anti-Gun Posts By Ed Good

re keet: wada chump...