A little play in a Sterlingworth

[whisperbow]

I just bought a Sterlingworth on line with the tang lever well to the right but there is a little side -to-side play(wiggle) between barrel and receiver. I assume this is just something you have to live with.You can insert a regular piece of computer paper in the gap between the barrels and the water table but a business card will not go in. Gun was made 1919-1920 (35xxx serial no.) and I plan to shoot 2 3/4 " shells in it. My Fox A 12ga made in 1912 has no play at all. Any advice?
Si

[bbman3]

Play will get worse the more you shoot it and needs to be corrected. Bobby

[vaturkey]

Bobby is right. That gun is off face and needs to be fixed as it will only get worse.

[whisperbow]

Thanks for the reply. It is good it can be fixed but how do you fix "off face" and is that expensive? Thanks again for the reply.
Si

[Stan Hillis]

Just for a test, try cutting a piece of HVAC aluminum air duct tape and putting it into the "hook" on the barrels. It has adhesive on one side, when you pull off the backing, and will measure about .003" thickness. Trim it closely after applying to the hook, reassemble the gun and see how much it tightens the action. Works pretty good for me for a test, or a temporary fix. Lasts surprisingly long, if greased properly.

SRH

[jolly bill]

Gun was made 1919-1920 (35xxx serial no.) and I plan to shoot 2 3/4 " shells in it. My Fox A 12ga made in 1912 has no play at all. Any advice?
Si

Your serial number "35XXX" (5 digits) is not a serial number for a Sterlingworth. It is for a graded 12 gauge Fox.

If it's "35XXXX" (6 digits) as in 351234, that would be a 16 gauge Sterlingworth and if the chambers are original, as in 2 9/16", it might not be a good idea to shoot 2 3/4" shells out of it. And if so, that might be why the gun is loose.

So please check the SN.

Jolly

[whisperbow]

Sorry, the serial # is 355xxx.

[whisperbow]

Like I said, the gun's serial # is 6 digits not 5 (355xxx). I need to figure out my future if any with this gun. Some people say to reem it out to 2 3/4 and others say to not worry about it. Also, I need to understand this "off face".
Can it fix my problem?
If so what does it entail?
How can I shoot 2 3/4 ammo?
Thanks again to all

[setterspell]

The gap between the barrel flats and frame is not a bad thing.
Read more here,
http://www.foxcollectors.com/ah_fox/content/mech_3.html

[whisperbow]

Like I said, the gun's serial # is 6 digits not 5 (355xxx). I need to figure out my future if any with this gun. Some people say to reem it out to 2 3/4 and others say to not worry about it. Also, I need to understand this "off face".
Can it fix my problem?
If so what does it entail?
How can I shoot 2 3/4 ammo?
Thanks again to all

[vaturkey]

In response to your questions, your gun should be a Sterlingworth 16 gauge based on the serial number range you provided and made in Philly. It should be chambered for 2 9/16" and you shouldn't shoot 2 3/4" shells out of it. The chambers could be extended to shoot 2 3/4" ammo out of it, but its already off face and that probably happened because someone shot a heavy diet of 2 3/4" loads out of it already. The following explains "Off Face" and how its fixed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IypBM9xHSFc

Cost to Fix depends on who does it, but most fixes done are pretty much the same as is shown in the video. My pure guess is about $400 to fix. While they fix the off face problem, they could also extend the chambers out to 2 3/4", but the barrels need to be measured first to make sure there is plenty of metal there to ream out the barrels that little extra bit. Not enough metal and you could have an unsafe situation with the barrels being too thin in an area where the pressure is the greatest.

My 2 cents would be to get it fixed (although the shim fix recommended earlier does work in the short term) and to just shoot 2 1/2" shells in the gun. RST, Gamebore and Polywad are three that jump in my mind off the top of my head. All those folks will ship that ammo via the big brown truck directly to your house. Hope the above helps.

[whisperbow]

Hey guys,
I just visited the gun again and discovered the wiggle only occurs when I snap the action shut. If I hold on to the lever, close the action gently then bring the lever left it stops but a little extra tug causes it to move left a little more and the barrels are tight. In other words if you snap it shut it doesn't seat all the way. I am checking the tightness with the forearm off and if I pull the barrels away from the receiver there is no movement so the hinge pin area is good. I guess it just needs to be broke down and cleaned to get it to seat all the way? Comments?

[vaturkey]

I'd have a Smith who is familiar with classic doubles take a look at it. IMO if you have the forearm off, but still have the barrels on the receiver and the action closed, and then shake the gun side to side and there is any movement at the hingepin area its off face and needs to be fixed.

[kgb]

The B grade I recently bought has slop when opened that nearly disappears when closed and is eliminated completely when the bolt grabs hold. I took it to a local gunsmith who works on a lot of shotguns and shoots thousands of rounds each year at clays. He tested for play with forend on and off, twisting and pulling in various ways then told me it will be fine to shoot as-is. Part of that is based on the fact I won't be putting thousands or even hundreds of shells through this gun each year.