Double discharge.

RED-DOT

Well-Known Member
Had a Beretta sideplate on the clay ground on Saturday and the gun has a under 500 round count. After 75 or so shots it started to occasionally double discharge and it slowly got worse. I parked the gun up and finished the day with a shared gun.
There is zero wear in the gun but it has been in the cabinet for five years and i clean it with Youngs 303 liberally.
Any ideas?
 
First fire it with snap caps repeatedly, to see if it doubles, and what sort of triggering that requires.
If it doesn't double, try it with a snap cap in the second barrel, to see if the recoil is doing it, or if you are moving your finger on the trigger, which is perhaps set improperly, so that you are pulling it twice.
 
found you this feller:

  1. ► 4:58► 4:58

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtkNJnlJSxY‎




    28 Jan 2012 - Uploaded by Beretta
    Head gunsmith Ed Anderson brings us behind the sideplate of a $100000 Beretta premium shotgun.

    help you strip it and inspect and clean locks and sears​




Had a Beretta sideplate on the clay ground on Saturday and the gun has a under 500 round count. After 75 or so shots it started to occasionally double discharge and it slowly got worse. I parked the gun up and finished the day with a shared gun.
There is zero wear in the gun but it has been in the cabinet for five years and i clean it with Youngs 303 liberally.
Any ideas?
 
Done a full clean and tried the snapcaps and it seems to be still doubling. I am reasonably competant but i don't have the gunsmiths tools to remove the stock so i guess it's a trip to Andy Coull at Osbourne Guns.
 
Is it doubling with two snap caps in it, no live round fired, no recoil?

That will help the gunsmith narrow down to what part of the trigger mechanism, whether the trigger is not resetting all the way and locking the hammer fully, or something else.
 
If it's been oiled, stood barrels upwards and left a fair while then oil could have gathered in the locks and be causing problems with the mechanism.
I only ever use wd or similar on parts that can't be reached easily as anything else tends to thicken up over time.
I knew someone who used Rangoon oil on his shotgun and didn't use it for quite a while. He also stored it barrels up so by the time he got it out to clean and use the locks were totally gunked up.
There was no rust at all though :)
 
Hi RD
a mate had the same prob with a beretta took it to a smith and he was over oiling it and lots of oil was in the action
maybe the same prob ?
 
I suspect it is an over oiling issue. I don't know if you do already but it's a good idea to always store guns muzzle down so that any excess oil doesn't gunk up the action or soak into the woodwork. Otherwise I suspect it is possible to adjust the sear engagement on the gun relatively easily or adjust the amount of weight on the trigger selection system. It is an inertia system on Beretta single trigger guns so if you fire the gun with snap caps in place it shouldn't fire the second barrel at all until you tap the butt sharply to cycle the inertia system onto the second barrel. I hope this helps. Incidentally if the gun was second hand it is most likely to be a badly adjusted inertia system as many people have it adjusted so it can fire 24gm clay loads when new and then when the action loosens up during use, normal loads can result in double discharge. Simple job to sort, but best done by a gunsmith in my opinion.
Alistair
 
Thanks all. Yep, barrels up for years and Youngs 303 (now in the bin). It DD with snapcaps and no recoil.
 
I wouldn't necessarily put the 303 in the bin, it's excellent stuff for shifting stuff from the bores, but for external use probably not ideal. Beretta do a proprietary gun oil which would be fine or otherwise I use bisley gun oil. 3 in 1 would probably suffice, but when you've spent £1000s on a shiny new gun, cheap cleaning stuff is a bit of a false economy in my opinion. I would also suggest the use of 'white grease' on all load bearing parts such as the knuckles on the action as well as the hinge pins etc as this is more likely to stay put to reduce wear on these areas. A small amount rubbed into the choke threads (if applicable) will allow you to remove them if required and prevent them 'rusting into place' as I understand is an issue, without them coming undone during firing. I hesitate to tell you your business, but a few suggestions can't do any harm and I hope that they are useful to you.
Alistair
 
Thanks Al. I use white grease but it gets everywhere!! I also use Tetra and Napier oils but i think the Youngs done the damage?
 
Most likely mate. The Youngs 303 is a fairly powerful solvent, not a lubricant at all. As I said earlier, perfect for shifting carbon deposits etc from the barrels, but not ideal to leave on delicate moving parts for long time periods! The tetra stuff is excellent, I have used their grease ever since I got my gun, and it certainly seems to do the trick. I have no experience with the napier oil, but their bore cleaner stuff seems to work quite well on my shotgun, and on the rimmy for that matter!
Alistair

Edit: i just found this on the distributor website with reference to the Youngs 303: "Cleaner & Rust Preventer - The best known and most widely used emulsifying cleaner and rust preventer for barrels and external protection of metal parts. 303 emulsified with water and can also be used diluted. This is not a lubricant and should not be used in the lock mechanism"
 
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An old boy who used to teach engineering at a local technical college once told me that he had done a little bit of an investigation and found that Young's .303 was exactly the same formula that they used for emulsifying oil used with the lathes. I'm not saying that this is true, just repeating what he told me.

I'm not suggesting that this might be the case here but in general many shooters have a tendency to over lubricate guns causing all sorts of problems. The old adage of "A gun should be like a good soldier, spotlessly clean and lightly oiled." has some merit.
 
The new beretta sst will fire all loads 21g and up if mounted correctly. It's a nice system but can be prone to gunking up with oil all shotguns should be store barrels down to prevent oil soaking into the stock older os particularly tend to gum up the VPO 90 etc seem to be better for this but it best to avoid the issue.

1 store the gun barrels down so excess oil drains out the barrels.

2 don't over oil the gun it not a lawn mower.
 
try switching the selector and firing the other barrel first. I had a gun that worked one way around and not the other. Doesn't fix it for you, but it will soon tell you if it is a [problem with one pin and not the other.
 
I suspect it is an over oiling issue. I don't know if you do already but it's a good idea to always store guns muzzle down so that any excess oil doesn't gunk up the action or soak into the woodwork. Otherwise I suspect it is possible to adjust the sear engagement on the gun relatively easily or adjust the amount of weight on the trigger selection system. It is an inertia system on Beretta single trigger guns so if you fire the gun with snap caps in place it shouldn't fire the second barrel at all until you tap the butt sharply to cycle the inertia system onto the second barrel. I hope this helps. Incidentally if the gun was second hand it is most likely to be a badly adjusted inertia system as many people have it adjusted so it can fire 24gm clay loads when new and then when the action loosens up during use, normal loads can result in double discharge. Simple job to sort, but best done by a gunsmith in my opinion.
Alistair
+1
over oiling was my first thought
 
I have too many guns and sored them one up one down... will refit all down and see. Had a similar fault with a B25 and they are a doddle to strip, not so the Beretta.
 
Berettas are easy guns to strip you just need the right turn screws.

Sounds like time time for a bigger cabinet or 2
 
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