doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Sticky top lever - Browning O/U

I think I may have asked this before, but I have the gun, now, from a friend that asked for some help.

This is a Browning O/U Citori based 525 3 bbl (20/28/.410) set.

The .410 barrels work fine. But the 28 and 20 ga barrels are hard to open after an affirmative closing of the barrels or firing. The toplever is sticky and requires a good amount of force to open. Sometimes two hands are required.

My thought is that the bolt is seating too deeply in the underbite of the barrels, and locking into the taper formed by the upper and lower surfaces.

Here's the barrel side view of the underbite (blue arrows).


I believe the bolt should make contact only with the lower surface of the bite, which would pull the barrels down into battery.

The picture of the lower surface of the bite on the .410 barrels shows contact marks of the bolt. (below)



This picture (below) of the upper surface of the .410 barrel bite shows no apparent contact of the bolt.




The picture (below) of the 28 ga barrel bite upper surface shows apparent contace from the bolt.




Before I relieve material off the top surface of the barrels, I'd like some input from any of you that are intimate with Browning locking systems to confirm.

Thanks

Chuck--You could paint the surfaces with Starrett layout dye and see exactly where the wear/contact points are. You could also use white lead mixed with oil to paint the surfaces.

"...white lead..." I hadn't heard anyone mention that stuff since I was setting rear axle gear mesh in the seventies.

That stuff has got to be illegal in 50 states and Canada by now.

Anyway, I got the idea. But the wear marks are so clear, I think it isn't needed. I do have some Prussian Blue somewhere, but I didn't want it to spread to everything. The only thing that prevents the spread of that stuff is a large body of water.

Chuck I have one precious can of white lead. I use the stuff for setting gear patterns too. I would share a dab with you if you can't find any. Just let me know.

Hi,
if this is an original 3 bbl set then I would go to Browning/Representative and let them deal with it!
In my experience Manufacturers/Representatives also fix anything else and service the gun at the same time - usually without a charge.

Season's Greetings from England

G�nter
NRA Life 1974

There should be no contact between the bolt and the upper side of the bite . Sounds like it just needs a little freeing off .Having said that there are several places of contact that need to be considered some of which need to contact and some that need to be relieved eg there needs to be clearence between the top of the action and the barrel wings. If you are not experienced you can take metal away from where it dose not need to be relieved and still have a problem .

Gunman
Thanks, I'll check the other possibilities for contact. But these later versions of Citori's with their investment cast frames are very loose in the area you mentioned. Not like the well machined and fitted Citori of yesteryear.