Loose Hammer on Lifter

[Jack Cronkhite]

Having sorted out the innards on a VH, I'm now having a good external look over lifter 22761. Action is tight. Overall looks decent for an 1881 gun. Bores need some cleaning and may have some pitting, we'll see after the good cleaning. At least they aren't horrible. Some screws have damaged heads (not that bad but damaged), which suggests it has been opened up at some point in its history. All engraving is very crisp and stampings clear. I cocked and released both hammers. Springs are good. If I hold the barrel muzzle up, the extractor drops under gravity alone. The wood looks pretty good, with the exception of a hole for a sling swivel on the butt stock. There is a sling swivel mounted on the barrels and it is well done, not like the mess on "Second Chance" gun. This gun has been used but I think it was probably a closet queen for many decades. There is light rust on the underside of the barrels at the muzzle end. I see no dents or bulges. Barrels are listed in the book as 32" and they remain 32". So far, the only real issue I have encountered is some lateral play in the right hammer. Left hammer has no perceivable play. The right hammer screw is fully turned and not damaged. All I can do is back it off.

Sooo...... the question.

What will be worn or broken that allows the hammer to have lateral play???

I will take some pictures "eventually", as there are some stampings, the meaning of which, I have not determined.

The ones I think I know

The circle T I believe refers to Twist
The 1 on the barrel lug refers to it being a #1 Frame gun
The 3 14 refers to unstruck barrel weight of 3 pounds 14 ounces

The ones I don't know

+ mark on each flat
6 on forward barrel lug that has two small letters below (I'm guessing ST or SF)
524 in line and equally spaced suggesting five hundred twenty-four and the 5 hit the barrel not the flat and is only on one side.

My first job for this gun is to have the right hammer operate without lateral play.

My first concern is that I have not opened a hammer gun and want to ensure I do no harm in that process. The wood-to-metal fit is as perfect as I have seen, so that makes me hesitant to play but I don't want to shoot it with a loose hammer. Is there a take down schematic somewhere like the one for the hammerless gun in FAQ's?

I have yet to determine the various barrel dimensions Just from eyeballing, it appears to be a stout gun but the eyes are old, tri-focaled and getting dim - the roosters may not have to worry this season. (Working on my excuses) :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Jack

[Dave Suponski]

Jack, I have had a few lifters with a little lateral play in the right hammer. But once cocked that play seemed to go away.I think it's wear because the right barrel received more use.

As far as removing the locks I do it like this...Remove the lock screw almost all the way out then gently tap the screw head and the right lock should start to come loose. After you remove the right lock insert a soft drift and tap out the left lock. The lock fit in a shallow recess in the front part of the frame so they need to be inserted there before you reassemble them. Also push the triggers forward when inserting the locks so as to not have the trigger blades in the wrong position.

Hey... I just noticed your status is "Forum Member". When are ya gonna join this great bunch of gun nut's?....:rolleyes:

[Jack Cronkhite]

Thanks Dave: We've had a couple days of sunshine finally, so my outside work has taken my time. Forecast says this will be short-lived and back to more rain. I do note that when cocked, there is a lot less play, but still some. Is this something that might be well enough left alone? Your instructions seem easy enough to follow. My only concern remains that the fit is so perfect, I might splinter an edge or something like that, which would annoy me immensely.

Another question. The frame and side plates are quite silvery, yet I see some faint colors still. The barrels are fairly silvery as well. Is it typical that the metal will go silver with time? Was nickel used back then?? I'm more used to things going brown (rust).

I have noticed Forum Member status. Could it be a resurgence of a young fella's fear of commitment? A contemplation of Groucho Marx' observation? Don't think so. In fact, just never thought about it. Now John has made the process so easy, I should remedy the situation, right after finishing the deck and maybe shooting a couple roosters with that BNP 3.25T GHE. Maybe then I'll getaround2it.

Cheers,
Jack

[Mark Landskov]

Jack, my 1877 Lifter has play in the hammers. I cleaned the locks and used my digital caliper to discover that there was only .0005" to .001" difference between the hole in the lockplate and the round part of the tumbler. I expected the hole to be oval shaped and/or the tumbler to be galled on the bearing surface. They both looked fine. A true testament to hardened steel!

[Dave Suponski]

Jack..Just back from the Vintagers. In answer to your question we have noticed that guns below D grade with the three pin locks have more play in the hammers and guns D grade and up with four pin locks have less.