Knowing that your earlier photos did not show the actual amount of the lack of sear engagement helps a great deal. We did not know that with the barrels fully open, the action was just short of correctly cocking.

I still have not yet had a chance to check any other Lefevers for orientation of the cocking axle. I do not doubt what gunny said about reversing his to get the hammers to cock, because I have heard of this problem several times in the past. I am confused about this statement where you now say that none of the cocking axles in your possession have a mark on one end:

Originally Posted By: LetFly


I have in my possession 3 hammer pins, my original, plus two others from GPC (original broken, GPC 1 too short, 2 too rough to use). None have any mark depicting a right or left end as shown in your video AND all are perfectly symmetrical in all dimensions.


But you told us that the cocking axle you received from Numrich did have the line on one end:

Originally Posted By: LetFly
I have the hammer pin and it does have a single line on one end. Check my question posted on the general form. I need advice on fitting the new pin to my hammers and cocking hook.


Noticing small details like this is a part of logical troubleshooting and repair. I am hopeful that we can solve this mystery, and figure out why many of these cocking axles have that hash mark on the right end. I agree completely with what Dewey Vicknair said about the notion that a real "gunsmith" would alter your cocking hook to the point that the gun will no longer cock. Unfortunately, there are many old shotguns that have had poor attempts at repair by people who call themselves gunsmiths. I also doubt if it was fitted that poorly when it was built. I'd lean more toward incorrect heat treatment, and years of slamming the gun open with way too much force. And we still have the mystery of why your gun did indeed cock with at least the right hammer, with the original cocking axle installed. The only thing that changed was the installation of the new cocking axle. Many times, when troubleshooting either electrical or mechanical problems, I can find the answer by asking, "What is the last thing that happened just prior to the malfunction?"

A true sign of mental illness is any gun owner who would vote for an Anti-Gunner like Joe Biden.