I'm an old guy who knows little about trapdoors but I want a couple of the replicas to go shooting with and don't want to invest in a piece of genuine history and then inadvertently damage it while having fun. I have purchased a Pedersoli carbine, have examined it closely and it has the square shaft for the breech block cam so my only concern with it is to keep the set screw tight so the shaft won't be free to work it's way out. I've also purchased an H&R Officer's Model and have yet to shoot it because I want to be certain I won't have any unwanted surprises with it.

I have read about filing a flat on the H&R cam shaft, drilling a seating hole, using Loc-Tite, and a few other methods that don't seem to me a good solution. I know that an original latch mechanism cannot be installed in the H&R block because it won't go in and would require extensive machining (or at least more than I want to do) to make it fit. I have read that an original complete M1884 breech block will fit the H&R receiver. Is this correct? Does it require fitting or would it be a drop in fit? I've also read about the possibility/didn't happen of Pedersoli purchasing the H&R tooling, but irrespective of that, I've read that Pedersoli parts will interchange in the H&R. I'm thinking that perhaps acquiring a Pedersoli latch mechanism and cam would be a good option, but I don't know if the parts would actually fit? Another option would be to install a complete Pedersoli breech block, but again, would it fit?

I want a permanent and reliable fix and I like the idea of installing a Pedersoli latch mechanism, or a complete Pedersoli breech block, if necessary. I would very much appreciate any insight into this that anyone may have. I've read all the posts in this section regarding the H&R trapdoors and while there is much written I did not find a post that addressed the possibility of utilizing the Pedersoli parts. If I missed it, my apology. All help appreciated. Thanks!

And one last question about the H&R ... I read somewhere that the bores were undersized and then saw other posts stating this was incorrect. Does anyone know the truth of this? I plan to shoot factory jacketed soft points because I don't get any pleasure from reloading. Thanks again.