It sat at my Dad's house in the Atlantic salt air. The bore shows a "little" rust. The barrel shows surface rust. I have used a solvent/lubricant to clean my gun. The breach seems to close very tightly. The trigger and pin are tight and in safe working order. The barrel is 18 1/4" and was this way when I got it in 1973.
2006-08-19 15:47:47 · 7 answers · asked by HENRY C 2 in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
from your description - the gun should be safe --but - i would wear some gloves and safety glasses--and also shoot it holding at my side waist level - the first time - get some 2 3\4 inch shells # 5 OR 6 shot that you could use later for hunting --OO buck shot is best for home defense--or a gun smith will check it for around $30--Good luck--take care
2006-08-19 16:25:34 · answer #1 · answered by Pac 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi there, by the sounds of it your gun is in working order, but before you shoot it , buy a brass barrel brush in 12 ga.get an old cleaning rod and put it in a drill , then squirt some wd-40 in the barrel turn on the drill and and pull the rod back and forth,working it like you would a hone, give it about 15 minites of this then wrap a piece of soft clean cloth around the brush and start over polishing the bore. a little pitting won't hurt anything when shooting new shells as they are in a plastic cup that keeps the shot from touching the barrel on the way out, pitting will make it kick harder though,now with the gun cleaned and ready for a trial close the empty gun and cock it,and have the safety off, holding it in one hand barrel striaght up drop it farrely hard into your other hand, it should not fire,and the fore stock should not fall off, if either of these things happen your gun is not safe,if not and she stays together, it should be fine to shoot
2006-08-20 16:34:54 · answer #2 · answered by burnie_1_2000 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please take it to a Qulified gun smith. Even though every thing looks ok. I was given 5 guns that were handed down thru the family. Two of the rifles were shot pretty regularly, the other three hadn't been shot in nobody actually knew. I took them in and found out that the 32-30 5 shot derringer would most likely take my hand off or worse kill me. It's actually worth the money to be sure.
2006-08-20 08:56:32 · answer #3 · answered by uncle doh 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ONLY reliable way to know if it is safe to shoot is to have a qualified gunsmith examine it. You didn't state it's age but if it is an antique that predates 1900, it could have been made for black powder shells or it could have been made for lighter loads of smokeless powder. In either case, shooting modern factory shells in it could cause it to blow up. Don't take a chance. Either take it to a qualified gunsmith for evaluation or use it only for a wall hanger. Don't even think of shooting it otherwise.
2006-08-21 11:39:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like it's in good condition to me. Why don't you offer to let a friend try it out for you. Also what's the harm in taking it apart and then putting it back together again? You might learn something. Besides you've had it for almost 35 year it's obviously not that important to you.
2006-08-23 21:28:52 · answer #5 · answered by benminer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best to get it to a gun expert and have him take a look at it. Don't try to dismantle the gun if you don't know how to do it.
2006-08-19 23:15:21 · answer #6 · answered by -WANTED- 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take it to a QUALIFIED gunsmith, they will check it for you.
2006-08-20 09:16:54 · answer #7 · answered by Maxwell Smart(ypants) 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋