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Stoeger Misfiring


40Chev

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Have a Stoeger (not coach gun - longer barrels), hammerless, double trigger. I've done the Long Hunter firing pin switch already. Last match the left barrel would not fire repeatedly on the first trigger pull, if I broke it open and recocked it (same shell left in barrel) it would fire.

It happened before, but that time opening and closing would not make the shell go off. The Long Hunter pins cured that - now this happens.

Any ideas -

TIA

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Did ya change the fp springs when you changed the pins. Did ya hose out the channels?

 

Lotsa folks like to run 'em dry with no lube. I've had good luck hosing the pins and channels down with Gun Scrubber or kroil and thin filling it up with Break Free until the next hose down. If you run it dry gunk will cake up in there and lock the pins down eventually. I like to clean things out in there occasionally and run it wet in there. Good luck.

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Did ya change the fp springs when you changed the pins. Did ya hose out the channels?

 

Lotsa folks like to run 'em dry with no lube. I've had good luck hosing the pins and channels down with Gun Scrubber or kroil and thin filling it up with Break Free until the next hose down. If you run it dry gunk will cake up in there and lock the pins down eventually. I like to clean things out in there occasionally and run it wet in there. Good luck.

+1 I had the same trouble, when I changed pins I really cleaned up the pin holes and made sure everything worked freely. It's also a good idea to buy or make the tool to remove them and take 'em out and clean real good once in a while...

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Could be opening slightly on the first shot, this keeps the second firing pin from making contact with the primer. You may need to stiffen the opening lever spring. Some lighten that spring to make the lever easier to open, then the problem you describe pops up.

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Thanks for the tips.

 

Crud buildup makes sense - I was shooting in the cold which would probably aggravate any stickiness in there. Prior to that always shot in warm weather.

 

I did change out both firing pins and springs and also got the tool for removal. I didn't monkey with the lever spring - left it stock because I had read about too light a spring causing problems.

 

When I got home I swapped the firing pins and springs around to see if that helped. Haven't had a chance to try it yet. If that doesn't work - will try adding the washer to the lever spring and see if that is getting weak.

 

What is it with the left barrel acting up on these guns and not the right?

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I have a Stoeger coach gun that I swapped out the pins with ones from Long Hunter and one thing that I noticed during this process (I had a make shift wrench to start) that if you don't get the bushings firmly in place, your headed for some trouble. It is certainly worth the 5 bucks that Long Hunter charges for the wrench to go ahead and buy one. That way you have it for clean outs or repairs. Smithy.

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Have a Stoeger (not coach gun - longer barrels), hammerless, double trigger. I've done the Long Hunter firing pin switch already. Last match the left barrel would not fire repeatedly on the first trigger pull, if I broke it open and recocked it (same shell left in barrel) it would fire.

 

I had to look to see if a fellow posse member was playing a joke on me w/ your question b/c this happened to me twice on Sat. For some reason the left barrel on these Stoegers causes trouble. Like you, I did the longhunter firing pin switch but my stock pins hadn't mushroomed out yet. I took a drill bit and by hand took the burs off of where the FP slides. I added back a washer for a spacer on the lever spring to stop it from cracking open after the first shot. I even added a little bitty washer into the end of the main hammer spring to give more power onto the hammer strike b/c of the light firing pin impact. (It was tough to get the gun back together again w/ the increased main spring compression.) I switched the triggers around so my first shot is the left barrel and I still get the light primer strike "click" but then I just fire the right side, crack it open/shut and try the left again sucessfully then. I guess what I'm taking a long time saying is I suspect the hammer is bottoming out on the left side and not driving the pin into the primer so sometimes two impacts are required to ignite. My rugers have a inertia firing pin but maybe small pistol primers are softer than SG primers and inertia force isn't enough?

 

Just trying to expand the thinking on how to solve this common problem. I'll get back w/ you when I look at my hammers more closley again.

jb

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Dakota Doc Martin explains one reason that the left barrel of the Stoeger can be a problem.

 

The first barrel to fire on a standard SxS is the right barrel. If the lock up is not solid, the recoil can slightly open the action, thus not allowing the second (left) barrel to function properly.

 

Quite often, Stoegers do not lock up as solidly as they should. That is, the locking lug does not go fully forward, but only part way.

 

As the gun becomes worn, the lock up depends more and more on the lever spring tension. So you may have to stone/file, etc so the locking lug moves fully forward (and lever moves a little more to the left). That is why some older shotguns have the lever slightly further to the left from center when the action is closed.

 

Dakota Doc Martin's Info

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Howdy Chev, I wrestled with this problem off and on for a year. All of the solutions offered here have merit. I've tried them all and was able to reduce the frequency of the problem, but none really solved it. Here's what finally worked for me:

 

Like you, it was the left barrel that misfired on the first shot but the second (right) barrel fired, so I was sure it wasn't the latch opening under recoil. It should be noted that I switched my triggers some time ago, so the left side is the first barrel to fire. I also found the original firing pins to be in good shape, but replaced them anyway.

 

During the year, I had taken the gun completely apart several times, smoothed any obvious burrs and cleaned every spec of crud out of every crevice and hole in the receiver. That helped only briefly. I accidentally discovered during a shoot that if I reopened the gun with a bit of force and closed it up after a misfire, it would work fine. When I got home, I slowly opened the gun to listen when the hammers cocked and noted the position of the barrel. I found that the left hammer would click as if cocking, but not with the same solid click of the other barrel. If I used more force in opening the barrel, the left hammer would click the same as the right hammer. This would happen only at the very limit of the barrels' opening, long after the other hammer cocked.

 

So I took the butt stock off to watch and listen to the internals when opening the gun. I saw that when I heard the light click on the left, the hammer was cocked, but not as fully as the right. This seemed to explain the light primer strikes and misfires. When opening the gun with a bit of force, the left hammer cocked fully and matched the position of the right hammer.

 

I took it completely apart again, got it surgically clean, oiled and started reassembly. This time I noticed the cocking pin (activated by the cocking levers in the forearm) didn't drop into its channel as easily as the other. I had noticed this on other reassemblies, but didn't think it significant. This time I pursued it and found the channel on that side hadn't been machined as cleanly as the other, as it had a small bump partway down channel (as viewed from the forearm side). Looked like someone had started to drill the channel, pulled the bit out and started over. I used a small round file to remove the bump until the cocking pin slid in and out as easily as the other.

 

The gun has worked perfectly since, so it appears the problem was that bit of binding on the cocking pin. Unlike before, both hammers fully cock almost simultaneously, and well before the opening limit of the barrel has been reached.

 

NOTE: If you do dissemble the internals, be sure to keep parts from the left and right sides segregated and reassemble on the same side they came from. On my gun, the cocking levers in the forearm are different lengths, as are the cocking pins when measured with calipers. There is no unusual wear that I can see. But If you mix the parts and say, put the right cocking pin on the left side, you may find that one side doesn't cock at all. Took some head scratching and a big dope slap before I realized what had happened.

 

As you can see, I'm no gunsmith, but this worked for me. Hope you find a solution.

 

Good luck!

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Thanks to all of you.

 

I think the problem of what to do while waiting for spring and warm weather has been resolved.

 

All the hints should keep me going for quite awhile.

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I have one that was doing the same thing... my problem was I was shooting to hot of load for the lighter spring and when I fired the first one it would open just enough to not fire but seemed closed. If I mistook your poit then forget what i said, but if not its an idea. BTW... I was shooting WInchester AA lights but not the feather lites

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Had this very thing happen to me yesterday. Let me tell you how simply my problem was. Take off the stock, make sure the gun is empty of course, pull the trigger once and hold it, now clean under the trigger where the shear and spring sit atop of. Mine had a small and I mean very small piece of trash about the size of a .05 lead under it and that is what kept my left barrel from shooting. I cleaned this area and stoeger is running great once again. Hope this helps.

 

Sgt Shooter

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