Trulock & Harris - FAQ's
tel: 01728 724776 - e-mail: info@trulockandharris.com
Here are Jason Harris's most often asked questions with his expert answers. This section is updated very regularly, so please come back soon.
I HAVE A TRULOCK AND HARRIS GUN, CAN YOU TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
CAN YOU VALUE MY GUN?
why are shotgun bores sometimes chrome lined?
Are there any disadvantages with chrome lining?
WHAT DOES CAST MEAN?
Why do I need a recoil pad?
Can my fixed choke gun be converted to multichoke?
So why do I need choke in my gun and what does it do?
What is choke?
How is choke designated?
WHAT DOES "BEND" MEAN?
How often should i service my gun?
Why are guns chequered?
Which is the type of wood used for stocks?
From where does the term 12 bore come?
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM: LENGTH OF PULL
How can I lengthen my stock?
What is the difference between a sidelock and a boxlock?
Is it correct to say blacking or bluing?
HOW ARE BARRELS BLACKED?
I HAVE A TRULOCK AND HARRIS GUN, CAN YOU TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
Unfortunately, we cannot tell you anything about your gun. We are not the original firm of Trulock and Harris.
Because it suited our need and purpose as gunsmiths, we registered the name of Trulock and Harris as a limited company in 1991.
the original company was based in Dublin, Ireland. There was also a London branch at one point. The company ceased trading sometime around the early mid 20th century.
it could be that there are some records of guns made by the original company; but we don't know of their existance. [ back to top ]
CAN YOU VALUE MY GUN?
it is impossible to value a gun without sight of it.
There are many factors that contribute towards the value of a gun.
to acheieve top value a gun must be in good condition. The gun must also be in Proof. in the UK it is illegal to sell a gun that is out of proof or hasn't been proofed.
The Proof condition of a gun can only be assertained by measurement of the bore. Visually a gun may appear to be in good order. But careful measurement may indicate otherwise.
In general terms the value of a shotgun is most often dependant on the condition of the barrels. the bores must be free from dents, bulges and pitting. Ideally it should be as close to its original Proof dimension as possible.
The next most immportant factor is that the stock and forend should be free from cracks or repairs. Repaired cracks are not neccessarily a problem, but they will adversly affect value to some degree.
Alterations to the gun that take it away from original specification may also have an adverse affect. These alterations may include an unusally short stock or chokes that have been bored out completely.
Other general factors, such as is the action loose? Are there severe marks and scratches to woodwork and metalwork? Is the gun rusty?
There are so many factors involved. In short, to maintain the value of your gun to its maximum, look after it as best you can.
Many Gunsmiths or Specialist gun auctioneers are able to value guns, but you will need to take the gun for inspection to get any accurate idea of value.
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why are shotgun bores sometimes chrome lined?
The chrome plating of shotgun bores is done purely to give the highest level of protection against corrossion within the bore. [ back to top ]
Are there any disadvantages with chrome lining?
Chrome lining or plating shotgun bores does help to make the gun more durable. however, one problem can arise if the barrels are damages in such a way that a dent is caused. dents are very difficult to raise in chrome lined bores, and can rarely be repaired such that no trace of the dent may be seen.
it obviously depends on the size of the dent, but very often dents in a non chromed bore may be raised, lapped or honed to restore the bore, and then struck off on the outside and the barrels re-blacked. [ back to top ]
WHAT DOES CAST MEAN?
Because your eye is not inline with your shoulder, gun stocks are often off-set to allow the gun to be shouldered comfortably and allow the eye to line up correctly with the rib.
Cast for a right handed shooter is termed cast off. For a left hander it is called cast on.
Shot guns are built with stock dimensions to suit the average shooter. Cast can be altered to suit an individual shooter. the amount of cast required is worked out by shooting at a pattern plate. From this the gun can be altered accordingly.
cast can be seen on a gun by taking a visual line down the barrel rib compared to line of the stock. This may be seen from either the muzzle or breech end of the gun. Make sure the gun is unloaded when checking!! [ back to top ]
Why do I need a recoil pad?
The clue is in the name. Recoil pads are fitted as a way of reducing the amount of felt recoil. Everyone feels recoil differently; some are more sensitive to it than others.
Recoil pads vary in their quality and effectiveness.
Often we will fit a recoil in conjunction with other fitting working. I.e we would use the length of the pad to inrease the length of pull. or we can shorten the stock and fit the pad to come to any length shorter than the original dimension. [ back to top ]
Can my fixed choke gun be converted to multichoke?
In most cases, yes it is possible to convert your gun to multichoke. there are a few people in this country who can do this work. Probably the best is an engineer and gunsmith called Nigel Teague. There is a criteria to which the gun most conform, if this work can be carried out successfully. Basically this is to do with the convergence of the barrels at the muzzle end. If the tubes are too close together. then there may not be enough room to machine out and accomodate the choke tubes, and still leave a wall of adequate barrel around them. [ back to top ]
So why do I need choke in my gun and what does it do?
 Put simply, choke will enhance the performance of a gun by giving it more range. It does this by squeezing the shot load at the point that it leaves the muzzle of the gun. This squeezing of the shot load also has an effect on range, so as well as tightening the pattern of the shot, a greater degree of choke will also make that pattern travel further. Choke comes in varying degrees depending on the gun and its intended use. For instance a skeet gun is used for shooting close fast targets so it has little or no choke to give the maximum spread. At the other end of the extreme, a trap gun is used for long-range targets and so will be choked very tightly. Sporting guns and game guns are somewhere between these two poles and so will have choke pretty much in the middle. [ back to top ]
What is choke?
Choke is a restriction in the muzzle end of the barrels. It is some where between 1 and 2 inches long. It will usually have a cone or taper that leads from the bore and then the restricted parallel area of the choke itself. Sometimes the choke may a continuous taper with no parallel section it depends on the view of the Gunmaker. [ back to top ]
How is choke designated?
There is no set measurement for choke. It is only relative to the bore size of the gun.
There is a fairly wide tolerance that the diameter of a bore can be, and still be known nominally as that bore size.
For example, 12 bore can be anywhere between 0.710 and 0.752. but the precise measurement that 12 bore should be is 0.729. In manufacture it is very often the case that guns will be turned out to finished size with slight variations either side of this standard, which is perfectly acceptable, and is why there are tolerances.
However, let us imagine that a gun in question is exactly 729 bore diameter. On this basis a straight parallel tube out to the muzzle would be known as true cylinder.
Improved cylinder would have a restriction over the bore size by 0.005
Ό choke would have a restriction over the bore of 0.010
½ choke would have a restriction over the bore of 0.020
Ύ choke would have a restriction over the bore of 0.030
And full choke will have a restriction over bore size of 0.040
These are the basic British gunmaking terms; to confuse things further the continentals and American gunmakers have a whole different set of terms for their choke designations, but that is a story for another day. [ back to top ]
WHAT DOES "BEND" MEAN?
Bend is another word for the drop of a stock. If we imagine a straight line coming back off the top rib of the gun and extending back over the stock. Then bend is the measurement or dimension taken from the line down to the heel and comb of the stock.
Typically a sporting or game gun would have bend dimensions of around 35mm at comb and 50mm at heel.
Trap guns would usually be higher or less bend so that the shooter see more rib; hence the gun shoots higher.
Skeet guns have slightly more bend, so the effect is that the gun shoots lower. This is becouse skeet targets are flatter or even dropping slightly.
Bend can be measured by laying the gun on a table with the rib down, and flat on the table. if the heel and comb are run to the edge of the table then bend can be measured with a ruler from the edge of the table up to the point where it touches the stock. Care should be taken that the foresight doesn't rest on the table and lift the barrels, thereby distorting the reading. [ back to top ]
How often should i service my gun?
 There is no definitive answer to this one; it is largely a matter of how much you use your gun and under what sort of conditions. If you shoot clay pigeons your gun will certainly fire many more cartridges than the average game or rough shooter. However, clay shooting is not such as harsh environment as the game, or certainly rough shooting field. With game or rough shooting you are more likely to have to withstand rainy days; the clay shooter may have the luxury of being able to stay under cover until the sun comes out!!! In fairness, every shooter, will, at some stage get caught in the rain. There is no reason why normal cleaning procedures, if carefully adhered to will ensure that this is not a problem. However if you are caught out in the rain on a regular basis - obviously this is pretty likely for a game shooter, then it is probably as well to have your gun stripped, cleaned and oiled to be sure that no water has caused any corrosion. As well as water there is plenty of other muck that can find its way into the mechanism of a gun. These include: powder residue, mud, twigs, grass, feathers, even dead insects. Left unchecked this combination can turn into an abrasive paste that will speed up wear and tear, and may stop the gun functioning altogether. In my opinion, depending on how and where you have used your gun, probably once every 1 to 2 years is fine. [ back to top ]
Why are guns chequered?
Chequering has two reasons for being cut on a gun. The first is decoration; in other words to make the gun prettier or more pleasing to the eye. Many British gunmakers will use a standard pattern that is particular to them. For instance Purdeys have a pattern at the hand, which comes to a point below the end of the trigger guard and crosses over at the top of the hand below the action strap. Holland and Holland on the other hand always have an area of wrap over below the point of the trigger guard. The second reason for chequer is to provide grip. To make the gun more secure in the hands. And as a consequence more comfortable to use. This becomes very important when the gun is used in wet weather. [ back to top ]
Which is the type of wood used for stocks?
Walnut is used almost exclusively for gunstocks. That is for shotgun stocks. For cheaper rifles beech, birch and a variety of laminates are used. There are many types of walnut though in England the most popularly used today is Turkish walnut. This is because it is readily available and a wide choice of qualities. American walnut grown in California is also popular as it looks and has very similar characteristics to French walnut, which is often said to be the best. French walnut is still available in limited quantities and is consequently very expensive. English walnut used to be used by the British gunmaking trade though this has now become quite scarce and is not generally as pretty as Turkish. [ back to top ]
From where does the term 12 bore come?
Obviously this refers to the size or diameter of the bore. Basically, the term came about from many years ago when there were very few ways of accurate measurement, as we know it today. Or perhaps more importantly, no standard that could be used by any Gunmaker, the length and breadth of the country, and each is the same measurement. So the way in which 12 bore was designated was by taking 1 lb of lead, dividing it into equal portions, dictated by the bore size required, eg. 12, 16, 20, 28 bore and many others that did not become standards such as 14 bore and 24 bore. That portion of lead would then be formed into a perfect ball or sphere, and the diameter of that ball is the size of the bore. For 12 bore this equates to 0.729". The obvious exception to this rule is 410, which does refer directly to the diameter in thousands of an inch. For those that are curious this is 36 bore. [ back to top ]
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM: LENGTH OF PULL
Length of pull is the dimension we use to make the finished length of a stock.
it is measured from the inside curve of the trigger- where the finger bears- to the mid point at the back end of the stock.
On a double trigger gun it is measured from the front trigger.
Average length of pull on a shotgun will be around 375mm or approximately 14 3/4". [ back to top ]
How can I lengthen my stock?
There are a number of ways in which a stock may be lengthened.
The most obvious way is to fit a recoil pad. Recoils pads are made in various thicknesses from around 1/2" to just over an inch. they come in various degrees of softness, shapes and colour to suit a variety of applications.
Other types of lengthener are Vulcanite; a type of hard black plastic, which is really an immitation of Horn.
Or Horn itself can be used. both these are hard extensions and give no recoil reduction.
For long extensions; say over about 1 1/2" i often use wood as this can often look better for a large extension. It may be a little more complicated for an gun with a stock bolt as we still need to gain access to the bolt, but this can usually be acheived with a hole through the extension and maybe a plug to hide its whereabouts. [ back to top ]
What is the difference between a sidelock and a boxlock?
With a sidelock gun, the main firing mechanism of the gun is held on a plate that may be removed from the gun as a complete unit. Known as a lock plate. Occasionally single barrel guns may be seen with sidelocks, but more commonly sidelock guns are double barrel guns with a lock plate on either side of the action frame.
With a boxlock the mechanism is more basic, Usually four main parts of hammer, sear, mainspring and cocking limb. These parts are held within the body of the action frame in a slot in line with the barrle. In other words, a box.
Generally sidelocks would be deemed the better quality gun, but there are exceptions to every rule with gunmaking. Best guns tend to be sidelock, but there have been some very poor quality sidelocks made in years gone by.
However, boxlocks can be of a very high quality and in some instances made with detachable lockwork which can be removed from the gun as a whole unit in the same way that a sidelock may be removed. [ back to top ]
Is it correct to say blacking or bluing?
In fact, it is actually most correct to say Browning, irrespective of the colour. Browning is the original term referring to the finish applied to barrels. Though these days the term blacking is the most common used. Browning refers to the finish applied to Damascas or twist steel barrels. it can vary enormously in shade, from deep plum brown to silver, depending on the exact make up of the material from which the barrel is made, and also the nature of the browning solution used. These days shotgun barrels are made from steel and are blacked. Although sometimes a deep blue can be detected in the colour; again dependant upon the steel and nature of the chemicals used. [ back to top ]
HOW ARE BARRELS BLACKED?
There are two ways in which barrels can be blacked.
one is called 'hot dip'. The other is the traditional hot water method.
Hot Dip is a process where the parts are dipped into a boiling caustic solution. they are left for about 15 minutes then flushed with clean water and oiled. it sounds simple, but there are a number of factor that are critical to a good job.
the parts must be prepared well; the finished surface will be a mirror of the prepared surface. A matt surface comes up matt black and a highly polished surface comes up gloss . between these two poles, any marks on the surface of the steel will show through the black. some marks can even seem enhanced by the blacking procees. in other words hot dip does not hide any marks.
the parts must be properly degreased. and the temperature of the solution is critical as well as its strength. When the solution is the right strength it will boil vigorosly at around 285deg F. below this temp, the parts won't black. Above it they will go green or red and need to be prepared again.
Generally hot dip is used for small parts or the furniture of guns. I.E. trigger guards, top levers etc.
Hot dip can be used for barrels but care must be taken. because of the temperatures and the caustic nature of the solution it will eat away soft solder. Some mass produced guns have soldered ribs that can stand this process. but many have not.
For barrels with soft soldered ribs the traditional hot water method must be used. Again, preparation is important. Polishing and degreasing. A chemical cocktail is them applied to the barrels. This is left to rust. Putting the barrels in a heated cabinet can accelerate this stage. once covered with a fine coat of rust the barrels are boiled in a tank of soft water. this turns the rust black. after about 10 minutes, the barrels are taken out and left to dry. the loose black rust is the then wire wooled off to leave the blackened surface underneath on the steel. The black is faint to start with and must be built up by repeating the process a number of times. Mostly, somewhere between 8 and 12 coats will give a good colour. it depends on the make up of the steel.
the barrels are then oiled when the desired colour is reached.
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FAQ's to come:
I HAVE HEARD SOME SIDELOCKS CALLED BACK LOCK. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Can my stock be shortened?
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