Recent content by PhilFedUp

Latest update on the poor old sod. It was dismantled, cleaned to within an inch of its life, and re-jointed using some sort of magic goo from Loctite. It went together fine; tested by the gunsmith, then taken outside to get plenty of shells through it, and it seemed solid as a rock. However...

Thanks Bob. It's one of my possibilities, if I can't get an answer and fix the existing ones. At the moment, can't even find out how it failed proof!

As you say, there are parts that still have some value. It is looking like that's going to be the answer. At least my gunsmith is a time-served chap. I haven't been over to see him yet, but will get pics to post on here when I do, as I'm intrigued.

My Beretta Silver Pigeon sporter [recently failed proof and it's still in the gunsmith's hospital] has a tramline rib. Much good it is to me at present.

Thanks. That's precisely why I opted for the hopefully lower cost option. It's had many thousands of shells through it in around 20 years. Even so, you wouldn't think it would slide apart like a trombone, would you? Discussion with the gunsmith went something like this: How much is it worth in...

You're absolutely right; they're silver soldered when new, and that ought to last a lifetime. It'll never get to silver solder temperature through use. The adhesive trick was a suggestion by the gunsmith to avoid the lot falling apart due to excess heat, as it would have been 'ribs off' and...

My much used 12 bore Silver Pigeon tried to dismantle itself. See pic. Barrels sliding out of the monobloc. GMK told me they could fix it back in Italy, taking about 9 months and costing something like £700 or so. Despite pleading, and it's clearly a manufacturing fault, they offered no...

Many years ago I picked up a recipe for a barrel cleaner from a USA site. It's called 'Ed's Red' and I've made gallons of it over the years. It seems to work but I don't hear anyone mention it nowadays. I don't think it's the reason my Silver Pigeon has fallen to bits either! [My gunsmith has...

I suspect that the grease monkeys in Italy didn't do a very good soldering job at the outset. Quite why they're happy for us to know about this, recognising it's a manufacturing fault that should never, ever happen, defeats me. Then again, I had several FIATs before this, and should have learned...

As things are, I'm very much expecting that it won't be good news, but my local gunsmith has described how it's assembled, and what's needed to get it to bits and back together. Interestingly, he's got another, similar model, 'in the back'. another gunsmith told me he's seen three others in...

Hi. The monobloc doesn't look the least bit unusual. The barrels are not 'off the face' either. It's not been subjected to heavy use.

My Silver Pigeon barrels appear to be sliding out of the monobloc. Beretta's view is '20 year old gun. We can fix it in Italy but at your expense. Something like £700 and nine months.' Am I unreasonable in thinking that it shouldn't do that? The image shows the problem.

My first shotgun was as 12 bore Silver Pigeon, bought new about 20 years ago. It's seen plenty of clays, and even hit some of them. Imagine my horror when I looked at it last Sunday to see that where the barrel tubes meet the monoblock there was a gap appearing about the thickness of a credit...