doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Fox near mishap

The so-called firing pin is integral with the hammer on Fox guns, it's the tip of the hammer. If the right hammer tip was sticking out because it wasn't cocked that could cause a premature fire when the gun was closed. Check to be sure the hammer retracts fully when opening the gun. Decock the gun and then open very slowly while listening to the clicks when each hammer is cocked. If the right hammer cocks at the very end of the opening motion it's possible it was never cocked or just barely cocked when you opened the gun with a partial opening movement. The other possibility as others have noted is a worn sear tip/hammer knotch that jarred off when the gun was closed. Personally I would verify/deny the hammer cocking scenario before I suspected the worn knotches. I hope this helps. Silvers

But seriously folks... if you suspect or know a gun may double, take a shell and cut it off just above the brass and empty all the powder and toss away the wad and shot. Then use the lower portion of the shell with only the primer to test to see if it will double or fire upon closing. This will save you shoulder and gun from excess beating.

It is things like this that make me prefer to shoot my old hammer doubles.

Niklas

Det kan hända med dom också NiklasP
(It can happen with them too)
Hälsn.Lennart

Hej Lennart!!

Ja visst! Nästan vad som helst kan hända ibland. Men, i mera än 50 år har jag aldrig haft en hanbössa som avfyrade innan jag tryckte av.

Certainly! Most anything can happen sometimes. But, in more than 50 years I have never had hammergun that fired before I triggered it.

Mvh,
Niklas

Had this happen to me many many years ago on an old J Stevens doiuble. After I got back home I put a couple of emptied in & "Slammed" the gun shut & otherwise jarred it around & could never make it fire again without pulling the trigger. The safety was an auto & working properly & no finger was on the trigger. I eventually concluded the same several here have that I had simply not opened the gun far enough & sear was barely caught. Closing the gun then jarred it off. I had not closed the gun near as hard As I did in my "Tests". From that day forward somewhere around 50+ yrs ago I have always made sure when opening a hammerless I fully open it & that both sears click in. Have never had it happen again on either that gun or any other. I do not personally feel an external hammer gun is any safe than an internal hammer gun. Both have their pluses as well as their minuses.

I'm glad to see this subject come up, it should cause all of us to take an extra moment to THINK about what we are doing, whether it be afield or at the club.

Makes me wish to say thank you, Bagfinger, for bringing it up and thank you, Jerry, for your dedication to teaching your many students.

The 'vehicle' in old grease evaporates leaving hard crud, A M12 will slam fire by design if the trigger is held down, not opening many doubles fully might cause the aforementioned discharging on closing; worn parts, sticky firing pins and other potential problems might contribute to an unintended discahrge, HOWEVER if the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction none will be harmed!

No sermon here, I simply enjoy the dialogue on the BBS and wish it to continue. Age, health & happenstance rob us of enough friends & loved ones, thank you .. lets not have our passions contribute through a moment's inattention. We should all practice & share a bit o' the wisdom stated above by others w/our friends .. you'll never know if it has the desired effect, because none become a statistic .. its the best conundrum possible with teaching safety effectively.

TW,
I was thinking exactly what you said. I know I'm very cautious about people and my muzzle when closing. I'm just pondering the consequences if I wasn't as diligent when my dog is out in front. I will remember this thread and the potential disasterous consequences forever.

I think you know what I mean NiclasP,but maybee you are like me, careful with guns and don`t slam when closing.But first of all you fix the gun if the trigger is too light.


Mvh, Lennart

Chuck, totally agree with you, especially the
part.

More often than not one sees old hunters -who should know better- closing their doubles by lifting up the barrels instead of keeping them pointed down and lifting the stock. Also a lot of relevance is given to the safety in guns that do not have safety sears, which in my view is totally misleading as far as real safety goes.

JC