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Problems With "New" Pedersoli Shotgun

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Curious, did you disassemble the locks and clean all the gunk out, or just spray them down with something?
I just sprayed them with Ballistol and poured hot water over them and let them soak about 30 minutes. Then I rinsed them and wiped them down and cleaned with a cleaning brush. Then sprayed with just Ballistol. I don't see "gunk" anywhere.
 
No it's not.
There's a gap in the wood here, so the tang (flash guard?) rests against the lock plate. Not sure what to do about that, if anything.
 

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I just sprayed them with Ballistol and poured hot water over them and let them soak about 30 minutes. Then I rinsed them and wiped them down and cleaned with a cleaning brush. Then sprayed with just Ballistol. I don't see "gunk" anywhere.
A lock that is nearly 45 years old and never used will have old caked grease and oil (aka, gunk) in places you can’t necessarily see. Hot water may remove some, but a solvent that dissolves old caked up grease and oil is better, while a complete disassembly and cleaning is best. Remove the hammer screw. Then four screws on the inside of the lock, as long as you have a well fitting screwdriver and a spring clamp (a $20 or so investment that you will need if you are serious about traditional side lock muzzleloaders), is not a difficult task. Basic maintenance.

Hope the hot water and Ballistol works for you. If not, you may want to find a gunsmith or install some hooks on the wall to hang the gun.
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A note of caution. The mainspring is quite strong on these so a spring vise is a must. I needed to have a hammer removed on mine to weld a crack. It was a bugger to get off. If you aren’t well versed in working on a lock I suggest you find someone who is. The suggestion to disassemble to clean is the best but another option is to just soak the lock with something like PB Blaster or even brake cleaner to get any old residual grease out. Even in a coffee can with some gasoline will dissolve the crud. Blow the lock dry with a compressor or air for cleaning computers. Oil the lock and put it back and put the gun together. Happy shooting.
 
I would bet that in this shotgun's early life it worked fine with maybe some very minor issues. As time went by and some not so careful cleaning and reassembling it has gone into some disrepair and function issues - or maybe factory QC issues. You need to be a detective and look closely at what can be causing your issues. It sounds to me your locks are your main problem and need to be disassembled, checked for wear and interference of moving parts. I suspect that time and wear has added to the problem. I also feel that care must be taken on reassemble of this gun as binding can be caused by screws being overly tightened. It sounds like it's a fine gun just needs some TLC :thumb: :ThankYou:

NOTE: A lot of people "bad mouth" Pedersoli products some out of distaste for the name, high prices, bad service or some other strange issue. If they are so bad they would not be in business as long as they have been. I have two SXS shotguns that I purchased used - one is great (10 gage) and the other has some minor issues (12 gage) which I accept because of its age and wear which I will be fixing when I have that elusive "extra time". :ghostly:

 
I would bet that in this shotgun's early life it worked fine with maybe some very minor issues. As time went by and some not so careful cleaning and reassembling it has gone into some disrepair and function issues - or maybe factory QC issues. You need to be a detective and look closely at what can be causing your issues. It sounds to me your locks are your main problem and need to be disassembled, checked for wear and interference of moving parts. I suspect that time and wear has added to the problem. I also feel that care must be taken on reassemble of this gun as binding can be caused by screws being overly tightened. It sounds like it's a fine gun just needs some TLC :thumb: :ThankYou:

NOTE: A lot of people "bad mouth" Pedersoli products some out of distaste for the name, high prices, bad service or some other strange issue. If they are so bad they would not be in business as long as they have been. I have two SXS shotguns that I purchased used - one is great (10 gage) and the other has some minor issues (12 gage) which I accept because of its age and wear which I will be fixing when I have that elusive "extra time". :ghostly:

People will have one bad experience and just hate on them forever. I am that way with Ford..
But, the thing about the internet is the loudest voices are not always right....just the hardest to tune out.
 
Ha, ha, ha -- Ford or Chevy -- my first car was a Studebaker 1957 Golden Hawk - great car. My second was a 1961 MGA also a great car. I then went for HP with a 1967 Chevelle SS 396 - FAST and a thrill a minute E.T. 12.56 in the quarter @ 108 MPH . Then 1971 Chevy Blazer 4X4 then some other cars, Firebird, Vega, Monte Carlo, then went to Ford pick-up trucks - great pick-up trucks. Now with "old man" Ford cars - had fun with all of them and found either one to be good cars IF you did not get a LEMON :ghostly: .
 
I just sprayed them with Ballistol and poured hot water over them and let them soak about 30 minutes. Then I rinsed them and wiped them down and cleaned with a cleaning brush. Then sprayed with just Ballistol. I don't see "gunk" anywhere.
Just an FYI... next time spray with ether(starting fluid). It will cut and clean every bit of gunk, oils, grease etc. in seconds. Then you will have to re-lube. Works great.
 
I sprayed the locks with Blaster, hopefully it helps. It's all I have on hand right now. Thanks
 

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