Hi,

I’ve got a 1950’s superposed lightning that I had rebuilt. Thing came back hard to open I’m a big guy w a lot of ha d strength and my hands don’t like it. I asked the smith and he said it just needs to be shot, and “hold the lever to the side when closing it then let it go” instead of snapping it closed. Now my daughters who’s 14 is shooting it and it’s brutal. Her coach said maybe the locking block needs to be filed down. The gunsmith is retired now. Can somebody tell me what I can do to fix it? She’s getting so frustrated she almost ready to go back to her 1100 trap which she doesn’t do as well with

Red

I worked on Browning warranty shotguns when I was active about 25 yrs ago. Being a warranty center gives you direct information from the factory gunsmiths.

If the lever is too hard to move to open the action it can be the locking lug plate in the receiver is being galled or the barrel locking area. The locking plate is harden so it should not be galled, but the barrel area is softer. If it is the area of the receiver face where the forend metal rotates check for galling. The barrel lug may be too tight which holds the forend metal against the receiver. You need someone which has experience working on the O/U's. If you take too much metal off the barrel lug you will have a loose lock up and this causes problems
These guns require a very good grease and not a light lub oil at these points mentioned. Inside action parts need a good light oil.

Anyone using this information will be taking a risk. Don't try to repair this problem, but take it to a warranty center on Brownings or return to Browning. These shotguns can take lots of shots, but like any thing metal it can wear out.

Art's gunsmithing, superposed specialists.

Yeah this gun had a lot of rounds through it, was loose that’s why I had it rebuilt, but he made it too tight. I contacted him twice after and he just said it was fine and would get easier and close it with the lever to the side so it doesn’t snap shit tight. My daughter shot 300rds yesterday and today her thin is killing her.

I’ll find this arts Gunsmithing. Maybe they can add an adjustable comb too. The gun is plain as a matchstick and not worth a lot of money so I don’t want to spend a lot on it. But it’s cheaper than buying a new one.

Thanks guys. Even though I’ll have it done professional I like understanding it. I’ve been using the grease I got from Brian Enos for my USPSA shooting. But I do have tetra grease would that be better?

Red

Thanks! I emailed them. Her coach is going to let her finish the season with one of his guns.

Red

When you say hard to open do you mean hard to operate the top lever or the gun is stiff to swing the barrels open. If the latter I imagine it will be almost equally stiff to close?

To tighten a loose O/U the hinge pin would be replaced and or hook built up and and machined to bring the barrel face to a firm fit to the standing breach face.

Was looking at an Akkar O/U (good priced and well made Turkish gun) recently in the shop but hell it was tight to open and close. My son was interested in one but the tightness of the action was just too much to put up with as it was.

Careful use of a smear of very fine valve grinding paste on the hinge pin/hook face and open and close the barrels a few times would smooth out these metal services if they are the cause of the problem. Go slow and thoroughly clean the surfaces between takes to try the fit.

I have a Miroku O/U that I have had new since 1984 and have shot countless rounds through this gun (lot of trap and skeet as well as bird shooting) but have always lubed the pin/hook interface and all other bearing surfaces with a high class expensive grease, the gun is still as tight and as smooth as it was when new. It was never over tight just firm and smooth opening and closing.

Midwest gunworks in kansas city also does warranty work on browning's. They put a rebuild kit in my superposed, returned the old parts and everything has worked as it should since it's return.

Whats the best grease to use. Ive seen jars of Vaseline used on double rifles, that stuff cakes if I recall?? Idon't suppose you would use a graphphite grease? I have a Browning Superposed I probably should be taking better care of it..

I use Lubrication Engineers grease. Manufacturing plant in Kansas and products sold world wide. Can't recall the exact product but was a dark blue sparkly type EP grease. At the time when the company I worked for was using it the grease cost NZ$34 a standard cartridge compared with other well known greases, SKF, Shell, etc., which were selling for about NZ$10 a cartridge. This was 35 years ago when I acquired a cartridge of LE grease. Use it religiously on all the hinge and bearing points on my O/U shotgun and as I mentioned in my earlier post the Miroku is still like new. Mind you, it is hard to beat Japanese steel and manufacturing tolerances.

Vaseline is not a grease, trying putting it in your vehicle wheel bearings, half shaft CV joints and any U joints and see how far you get. The small area of shotgun or double rifle hinge pins and hook endure quite a high pressure so a small smear of EP grease is proper to use.

You're always money ahead by having such guns worked on ONLY by factory or factory recommended facilities.

Even well known and experienced gunsmiths cannot possibility know the nuances of every single model out there

Well apparently the gunsmith that rebuild it did a good job. The coach checked it out last night and said it’s fine, it’s tight but not anything wrong. I could actually tell it’s gotten better. He said he wouldn’t do anything to it she just needs to keep shooting it thinks the problem is her hand strength. She is right handed but shoots left so it’s her weaker hand opening it.

To answer the question about where is it tight, it’s the lever that bothers her, initially getting it to move is hard, but that’s gotten better from when it was first done. Then it opens fine, takes a bit of a snap to get it to really swing. When I first got it back I had to use both hands to break it.

Is there anything wrong with the tetra grease or Brian enos gun grease?

I will still contact one Smith that was recommended her in California that I was told does stock bending. I’d like to take her to his place if possible and see about adding some cast to it.

Thanks everyone, I always get good answers here

Red

Good to hear it is starting to free up and work for your daughter. I'm assuming her left eye is the master eye, hence her shooting left handed despite being right handed. I'm a lefty shooter with left master eye.
I have seen in print that to be a successful shotgun shooter you should shoot on the side of your master eye and of course all good shooters have both eyes open with your master eye lining up the target correctly.

Certainly pursue stock bending. Born right handed, due to eye dominance have always shot left handed, and found a bit of cast-on makes an enormous difference for me. Briley MFG, in Houston does a nice job of stock bending if you’re willing to ship the gun.