doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How Do You Close A SxS

Yeah, I used to have a hunting partner who did the "butt up and ease the lever" method on his Spanish sidelock. He put on cotton gloves to clean his guns - and took forever doing so. He also used a different load in each barrel, and missed many a flush while fumbling around reloading. He spent so much time and effort coddling his guns, he became a real drag to hunt with - I hunt with him no longer.

Close and handle your gun any way you wish, so long as it's safe. But please, don't go around giving lectures or dirty looks to anyone who doesn't subscribe to your method - unless you really believe God annointed you as the Great Arbiter of Gun Closing.

If you're really worried about the "correct" method, get a copy of the movie "The Shooting Party" and watch closely when the pro loaders open and close their masters' guns. See how many use the "butt up and ease the lever" method when the birds are flying.

Just close it. Don't slam it, don't snap it. Just close it. Keep your hands off the lever, clear of the triggers. Make sure the bbls are pointed in a safe direction - up in the air or at the ground, away from other shooters, dogs, and your own foot.

If you hold the lever and then slide it into place once the gun is closed, the bolt will not properly seat in the bites.

This will cause the gun to go off the face faster because the bbls can now have some play on the hook. Every time you fire the gun, this play turns into more wear - something you want to avoid.

OWD

According to W.W. Greener in "The Gun and Its Development" (Cassell & Co., London, 1910, page 436): "The barrels of a breach-loader should never be jerked down, nor should they be thrown back into position with a snap. The proper manner in which to load a gun is to drop the stock under the elbow, and press it firmly against the hip or the body, unfasten the lever with the right hand, and with the left grasping the barrels a few inches in front of the fore-end, lower them easily. Close the gun in a careful manner after putting in the cartridges, bringing the stock up to the barrels."

That said, I use my SXS's in Cowboy Action Shooting and they get opened with the right hand by snapping the barrels down very hard, while pulling two shells with the left, loading them and then slamming it shut as fast as possible. I also shoot black powder. Needless to say, I don't use mint collectables for this little exercise. An ideal gun is a Win. 24 or a Miroku-built one with double triggers.

OWD - Your point that 'eased' closing could prevent the bolt from seating properly is exactly right. The mechanism is designed to close firmly without a well-meaning 'assist' from the gunner or loader. I think 'snap' closing is just closing the gun as you advise, allowing the mechanism to 'snap' (not slam) shut.

If there was a value to easing the lever closed with your thumb, you'd think the gunmakers would have said so...far as I know, they didn't.

This will cause the gun to go off the face faster because the bbls can now have some play on the hook. Every time you fire the gun, this play turns into more wear - something you want to avoid.

OWD

WOW! My guns must have worn out years ago from the easy closing treatment some have received for up to 40 years. But wait! Here's my first decent double a Sterlingworth with untold thousands of rounds thru it that still on face and locks up like a bank vault door. What's wrong with this picture??
Jim

Hi all and thanks for the great responses. I think that OWD maybe the common sense way of closing. While I have always closed mine by riding the lever (I stll do and will when I'm done cleaning and storing the gun). But I think when out hunting with shells in the chamber closing the gun like OWD may be the ticket, after all I've always wondered about the gun being closed tight enough.

Anyone else care to comment?

Thanks again!!

Greg

At the end of the day, we really don't know which way is better. We can guess and pontificate about closing one slowly without holding the lever over vs. letting the lever go after closing it. I can see the logic to both methods. Perhaps it depends on the age and wear on the mechanism. A new gun or recently rejointed one sometimes won't close all the way unless you let the lever go home by itself. I really hate to see a guy slam one shut, which I see all the time at the skeet range. A lot of those guys shoot Kreighoffs and Kohlers and they seem to hold up for years. They would hold up for decades longer if they were closed differently, IMHO.

My Father, who shot Remington Model 1894s and a 1902-vintage Parker Bros. was stearn in his admonishing to hold the toplever to the right, gently close the gun and then gently let the toplever over!

In one of his books I seem to remember reading that Elmer Keith said one should do an underbolted gun that way, but a rotary bolted gun should be snapped shut so the bolt firmly seats. Tony G's minions have told me that about their Fox guns, to snap them shut.

My Superposed manuals state "let the toplever snap into position--do not retard its action with your thumb.

I'm greatly conflicted by Dad's teaching and the contrary points of view!! I think letting the toplever go home gently has some merit in guns with 100 year old V toplever springs. Guns with a coil toplever spring like a Fox or late Parker Bros., I'm not so sure it matters.

My youngest SxS is 1925.

If a guy handles one of my SxS's and starts riding the lever around...I correct him. If he chooses to continue his days of handing my guns are over.

Yes , I guess each to his own way ...
as long as there is no sapling assisted opening/closing(that was a good'un, who ever said it!:)especially if there are using my Gun.
My go to Gun is a steel bbl,1901 W W Greener w/Henry Jones U/L....:), so small trees wouldn't help a whole lot either way
But wait!........

I can see a new thread ,,,,,
clunkersnap!
Franc