Despite the near complete absence of any birds, a buddy and I went out for a quick hunt Friday morning. As expected, it was slow, but a solo goose made an appearance fairly early. It was flying all around us looking for friends, and so desperate it actually responded to my pathetic calling and headed straight in.
I missed with the first shot, lined up the second, pulled the trigger, and sparks and smoke shot sideways out of my receiver. Needless to say, the goose got away.
I checked to make sure the barrel was clear, tried again with another shell, and the same thing happened. The shells I was using had been in my coat pocket for a while, so I switched to some fresh shells, and one fired just fine. I chalked it up to damp shells, and hunkered down to wait to redeem myself.
A half hour later, a solo mallard dropped in. This time the gun seemed to fire just fine, and I put a few pellets in the bird with my first shot. It dropped, clearly hit, and I tried a kill shot on the water only to have the gun fail to cycle properly. The duck flew away.
Several subsequent test shots seemed to fire normally, I but I couldn't get it to reliably cycle a second round.
At this point my buddy said, "That sounds funny." I didn't notice anything odd in the sound, but it was clear something was wrong, and we both had to get work, so we packed up and headed in.
That evening, cleaning the gun, I noticed the barrel was slightly bulged just ahead of the gas port. I'm not sure what caused the bulge, as I know the barrel was clear for the shots I took, but there it is--the gun is now unsafe and unshootable.
I guess I should have checked things out more closely after the first malfunction, though as noted I did check to make sure the barrel was clear. I'm just glad nothing dangerous happened on those test shots.
The bun is my beloved Beretta 390--best inexpensive beater semi-auto duck gun ever made, in my opinion. Replacement barrels are pricey and generally not available. I got a quote of $375 and "we might be able to get one sometime if you are willing to wait" from a Maine shop (Cole's) who are generally considered to be the best source of Beretta parts around.
My wife wanted to go to Kittery for Christmas shopping, so I (reluctantly) agreed. Lo and behold, Kittery Trading Post had a 3901, lightly used. This is nearly the equivalent of my gun, except this was the version not sold through Walmart. Some slight cosmetic differences, a wider rib, and a rounded rather than angled receiver, but functionally equivalent. They sold for a few hundred dollars more than Walmart my model for.
Since it was only about $200 more than a new barrel would be with shipping, I am the proud owner of a new duck gun. I'm not sure what to do with a gun that does not have 6 years of scratches and dings and salt water dull spots on the blueing.
I missed with the first shot, lined up the second, pulled the trigger, and sparks and smoke shot sideways out of my receiver. Needless to say, the goose got away.
I checked to make sure the barrel was clear, tried again with another shell, and the same thing happened. The shells I was using had been in my coat pocket for a while, so I switched to some fresh shells, and one fired just fine. I chalked it up to damp shells, and hunkered down to wait to redeem myself.
A half hour later, a solo mallard dropped in. This time the gun seemed to fire just fine, and I put a few pellets in the bird with my first shot. It dropped, clearly hit, and I tried a kill shot on the water only to have the gun fail to cycle properly. The duck flew away.
Several subsequent test shots seemed to fire normally, I but I couldn't get it to reliably cycle a second round.
At this point my buddy said, "That sounds funny." I didn't notice anything odd in the sound, but it was clear something was wrong, and we both had to get work, so we packed up and headed in.
That evening, cleaning the gun, I noticed the barrel was slightly bulged just ahead of the gas port. I'm not sure what caused the bulge, as I know the barrel was clear for the shots I took, but there it is--the gun is now unsafe and unshootable.
I guess I should have checked things out more closely after the first malfunction, though as noted I did check to make sure the barrel was clear. I'm just glad nothing dangerous happened on those test shots.
The bun is my beloved Beretta 390--best inexpensive beater semi-auto duck gun ever made, in my opinion. Replacement barrels are pricey and generally not available. I got a quote of $375 and "we might be able to get one sometime if you are willing to wait" from a Maine shop (Cole's) who are generally considered to be the best source of Beretta parts around.
My wife wanted to go to Kittery for Christmas shopping, so I (reluctantly) agreed. Lo and behold, Kittery Trading Post had a 3901, lightly used. This is nearly the equivalent of my gun, except this was the version not sold through Walmart. Some slight cosmetic differences, a wider rib, and a rounded rather than angled receiver, but functionally equivalent. They sold for a few hundred dollars more than Walmart my model for.
Since it was only about $200 more than a new barrel would be with shipping, I am the proud owner of a new duck gun. I'm not sure what to do with a gun that does not have 6 years of scratches and dings and salt water dull spots on the blueing.
