l trapdoor loose on hinge

[rice 123]

Hello I have a trapdoor carbine when you flip the door up and open. The door is loose on hinge you can wiggle it back and forth. Is this Normal? would it be safe to shoot?

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[TerryS]

Some play is normal. The hinge pin hole in the breechblock is even slightly elongated. This is part of the geometry that forces the breechblock down when the weapon is fired. I checked a rifle that I fire all the time with maximum blackpowder loads. Not having a feeler gauge I had to go with a field expedient. When the breechblock is open and held to one side, the curved gap below the "ears" that have the hinge pin in them, and the breechblock, will pass a single thickness of 20# bond, but two thicknesses have to be forced in.