Servicing intervals

[ChrisPackham]

Just curious to see how often people send their guns in for service.  I have a Beretta 686 Evo which was brand new three years ago and in that time I have probably put 12 - 15 K carts through it.  The gun is cleaned after every use and regularly has chokes  and ejectors removed and cleaned.

As I am now well and truly into the game season this gun won’t see daylight again until March (Feb is way too cold to shoot clays) and so I am thinking about taking it in for a routine service.  

The gun functions perfectly but I like the idea of avoiding problems rather than fixing them.  Is it due a service?

Thanks

 

[schmokinn]

The only time i have had a gun serviced is when i have bought an unknown quantity as all owners don't treat their guns the same.

A proper cleaning and lubrication regime should be all you need,with some guns the odd firing pin occasionally.

Obviously if you have a krieghoff this doesn't apply as they seem to need servicing about every 3 months or at every big competition where their engineer is present 

 

[CharlesP]

The Greener in my avatar was made in 1892. I believe it was thoroughly "gone over" - fine bored, reproofed, rebrowned, action rejointed, by Powell's in 1979, after which I acquired it. A couple of years ago a cocking lever peg was replaced, at which time the gentleman who did it asked if I wanted the gun professionally serviced at the same time - I said "no".

I do clean it very carefully after use, and I oil the bores with Young's "303" oil. The stock gets wiped down with stock oil occasionally.

I constantly fret that perhaps it's had too much servicing...

 

[Westward]

Is it due a service?

Is the top lever still right of centre? If so then the answer is no because there aren't any consumable parts in an over under. Cars have oil, filters, brake pads etc. etc. but the only consideration with high mileage Berettas (50K rounds plus) is possible weakening of springs and slight wear on the locking lugs. All easily dealt with and ready for another 50K or more. A Beretta 686 such as yours at 12-15K rounds is barely run in.

 

[shootinguru]

My old gunsmith said gun servicing was the biggest con in the gun trade! He was a great believer of If it ain't broke don't fix it!

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Good to know that your guns are in a marketplace that I do not access.

 

[525kev]

Good to know that your guns are in a marketplace that I do not access.

Wonko my dear Boy, Does that imply you service more or less over the pond ?

 

[westley]

Wonko my dear Boy, Does that imply you service more or less over the pond ?

No, I would think just in his kitchen  !

 

[wylye]

We had a 686 at Wylye with a badly broken stock repaired by Wesley Hann. It was an old gun when I bought it.  It was a loan gun, pigeon gun, coaching gun, wet weather gun. It was used and abused all the time we were there - BUT - it was cleaned meticulously after use and never put away wet. My best guess for the number of cartridges it had consumed would be 250K+.  That gun is still in use and has never been 'serviced' and its probably 30 years old by now. Draw your own conclusions.

 

[shootinguru]

My old gunsmith said of "servicing". Can I.change the oils and filters and fit new sparking plugs to,a gun.     No ! You can take the stock off and check firing pins, blow any crap out with an airline and squirt a little like around! That will be £125.00 +vat?

 

[Hamster]

If a gun truly needs an annual service then it probably needs a re-design even more. The only gun I ever had serviced was my first 682 which then seized up mid round and refused to open  :yell:  back to the club house and WD40 which revealed it had thoughtfully been put back together dry. 

 

[jwpzx9r]

Shooting is an expensive activity/sport and my temptation is to try to keep my costs aimed towards the activity and not the gun. I do take reasonable care of my gun I oil and grease bits when I assemble it and after shooting I always give it thorough wipe down with and oily rag before putting it in its case. Of course I do recognise that parts will get worn through use over time and I really think my gun has reached the point where it is possibly time for Perazzi to do a bit of maintenance on it... that may well be expensive but I have had it for four years it is more than twenty five years old and I have no idea when it was last looked at ...if it ever has been.

 

[shootinguru]

If it's on the face and the ejectors are fine it's ok! If you want it rejointed it will! Cost you a small fortune!

The MXS is an "entry model Perazzi!  It should be retailed new at around £4000? Before all the experts piss up my back  they were  "available"on the continent 18 months ago for £2750  or the equivalent in Euros!,  It is not a MX8 action but a less expensive frame to produce! Yes they shoot well and are OK !

 

[jwpzx9r]

If it's on the face and the ejectors are fine it's ok! If you want it rejointed it will! Cost you a small fortune!

The gun closes as tight as a drum in fact it is so close that I had been scoffing a biscuit one day between rounds and when I went to shoot my next round the gun would not close??  I tried again and looked at the  ejectors and stuff but no the top lever would not go back as I opened it again I saw the tiniest crumb of digestive biscuit stuck against the breach face stopping the gun from closing.

 

[Clay day]

That’s how Perazzi smiths and engineers built your gun, over heard a few Perazzi smiths talking before. 

”hey Luigi take 1000 of a biscotti of that breach”

It’s well known around Brescia, in fact those in the know are well aware of the Perazzi employee nick name.

The biscuit boys 

 

[jwpzx9r]

That’s how Perazzi smiths and engineers built your gun, over heard a few Perazzi smiths talking before. 

”hey Luigi take 1000 of a biscotti of that breach”

It’s well known around Brescia, in fact those in the know are well aware of the Perazzi employee nick name.

The biscuit boys 

Well that takes ... the biscuit :lol:  I watched a program about making a Purdy where the smith took a tenner and put it in the breach and the gun would not close but for a humble Perazzi a tiny digestive crumb does the job... is that where the term its a crummy gun comes from ? :lol:  I love mine but be sure to check for crumbs in the action if you scoff biscuits between rounds !

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Wonko my dear Boy, Does that imply you service more or less over the pond ?

I can't tell you about general approaches but for me clean = service with the Perazzis.  The parts replacement aspect is so infrequent that there is no discernible schedule.   I have no inhibitions about disassembling Perazzis since they were designed as pure competition guns and the process is right at TabA/SlotB level.  The regular cleaning and proper lubing reduce the wear to what seems near zero and considering the price of Perazzi parts that can only be a good thing.  

I rarely eat biscuits so I've not had to accommodate that particular difficulty as luck would have it.  

the smith took a tenner and put it in the breach and the gun would not close

I've noticed that none of the guns here even so much as show light between the breech and barrel face.  They would not even close on a cigarette paper.  Not that I would have any cigarette papers around of course.

 

[balltrap]

Well that takes ... the biscuit :lol:  I watched a program about making a Purdy where the smith took a tenner and put it in the breach and the gun would not close but for a humble Perazzi a tiny digestive crumb does the job... is that where the term its a crummy gun comes from ? :lol:  I love mine but be sure to check for crumbs in the action if you scoff biscuits between rounds !

As I do not have a tenner I tried the jaffa cake test and none of my Miroku's would close but when I tried the custard creams they did ! I think its purely down to the moister content. 

 

[chippy]

We had a 686 at Wylye with a badly broken stock repaired by Wesley Hann. It was an old gun when I bought it.  It was a loan gun, pigeon gun, coaching gun, wet weather gun. It was used and abused all the time we were there - BUT - it was cleaned meticulously after use and never put away wet. My best guess for the number of cartridges it had consumed would be 250K+.  That gun is still in use and has never been 'serviced' and its probably 30 years old by now. Draw your own conclusions.

The 68 series Beretta's are the only guns that will take this much use. My old 682 had 120,000/130,000 through it with no repairs or breakdowns.