doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Revisiting the loose forend iron on Nitro Special

What? No suggestions on a remedy for the slightly loose forend iron on my 80 yr. old Nitro Special 20 Ga? How can I tighten it up? Shims, crazy glue (joking)? When I move top lever to right to open action I can feel a slight movement of the forend iron. Otherwise everything works fine. I shimmed the hook a while back and it tightened up that juncture. Just figured that nobody saw my earlier post on same subject. Chopperlump

Find an expert in the field and send it to him. It will be cheaper in the long run.
L.F.

When the bbls bolt up tight to the breech then looseness in the forend simply means there is clearence between the forend iron & frame knuckle. You simply have to take the slack out from between the forend iron & knuckle by moving the forend rearward. Would suggest you look at building up the rear of the slot in the forend iron.
Miller

Piper I think there is a much greater chance that the problem is simply that the screws that hold the forend wood to the iron are loose. I gave up trying to fix this problem with bigger screws, glueing in hardwood dowels, fillers, etc. I even went so far as to make an aluminum foreend, with machine screws to hold the iron on, but recoil soon pulled them loose also. Now I just leave the original wood at home and shoot my Nitro Specials with only the iron in place. Ugly, but effective.

2-piper, I think you are right but also wouldn't beefing up the spring that pushes against the forend lug on the barrels work as well? You know, more tension pushing the forend back towards the knuckle? Thanks, and Hal, it aint the screws. Checked that out first thing. Thanks for the input. Chopperlump

Chopper- 2-Piper has nailed the solution. Soft solder a small piece of steel into the slot on the forend lug. Dress it down until the forend fits tightly. Beefing up the spring wouldn't help and I wouldn't have any idea how to do it except to peen the tongue of the spring to lengthen it, an act for which your soul would be condemed to shoot gas guns for eternity.

Cary

Chopper; I don't have a Nitro at hand to look at, but was thinking the spring on it pushes against the front of the bbl lug. If so this pulls the forend forward away from the knuckle joint. It thus pulls the rear of slot into rear of bbl lug which clamps forend to lug. Personally I detest those "Compensating" forend springs which push the forend tightly back against the knuckle & bbl lug into the hinge pin, as they put a constant friction on the joints when bbls are opened or closed. The Ithaca Flues does have the spring in the back & pushes back against the knuckle, but was thinking the Nitro "did it right". Usually those pushing back don't develop looseness. If that should be the case though, you need to take a little metal out of the front of the slot to allow the iron to move back toward the knuckle, but I wouldn't take all the slack out due to the friction mentioned.
Miller

2 Piper. Coil spring loaded bolt pushes against rear of forend lug, which means stronger spring should do it. You got it right! annd now the old Nitro Special is tight! Chopperlump