Need Advice on Tightenin gup an old side by

[longbow]

As the title says, I recently acquired a 10 ga. side by W&C Scott and Son shotgun of 1880's vintage.

It must have been a beautiful shotgun at one time but has been abused and neglected.

The stock has been broken and badly repaired, the left hammer has been replaced... with a poorly fitting hammer.

And back to the subject, line the barrels are loose on the hinge pin.

I doubt this will ever be a collector's piece but I may return it to shootable condition for BP loads if I can tighten it up.

Can anyone tell me how difficult this is? Does the frame have to be reamed and new pin installed? can this be done without ruining the engraving?

If I can tighten it up and get the stock repaired it should be shootable and not bad looking. If I can find a better hammer and fix the left lock it will be even better.

Thanks for any advice.

Longbow

[John Taylor]

If the pin itself is not worn to bad, the block can be built up with weld and recut to fit the pin and set the barrel back. Also the lock can be peened or built up with weld. Don't use a stick welder, find someone with a TIG welder. I have done more than a few over the years.

[elk hunter]

Longbow,

As a long time collector, shooter and restorer of double guns, the best advice I can give, is find a gunsmith that has lots of experience with repair and restoration of doubles. They can give you the best evaluation of what could or should be done.

[longbow]

Thanks for the info. I am not sure how much I want to spend on this old gun.

It was at one time a beauty but no more. Basically I want to return it to being a safe shooter if reasonably economical. If not then I would rather sell it to someone who can or wants to restore it.

I should do a bit of disassembly to see if I can determine the extent of repairs required. If beyond my means then best to leave it alone or sell it to someone who can do it justice.

Longbow