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Chuck Bishop
10-06-2011, 08:18 AM
Should the straight style firing pins have springs or should they float?

Angel Cruz
10-06-2011, 08:31 AM
Great question Chuck. Tom and I were wondering the same thing. One of my hammer gun does not have any springs and I'm wondering if they are missing.

Chuck Bishop
10-06-2011, 10:07 AM
Angel, my top lever (pictured on the discussion of hammers) doesn't have springs. The gun always opens just fine but every once and a while when you close the gun on shells, a firing pin will protrude and needs to be pushed back in before closing. It seems like there should be springs on the firing pins but I'm not sure.

The offset firing pins did have springs although not mounted on the pins but on the offset.

Angel Cruz
10-06-2011, 10:15 AM
My concern would be the pin getting stuck to the shell and not being able to open the gun. I have two identical 0 grades, one has springs one does not. I say they should have springs.

David Holes
10-06-2011, 10:39 AM
I have one with springs originally and one that came without springs. I decided the one without springs needed them and made a pair. I later took them out and the gun works perfect without them. Dave

Angel Cruz
10-06-2011, 10:42 AM
We're gonna have to take a survey off all hammer guns with straigh firing pins and see what it shows. So far all the one's without the spring work just fine. These Parker guns are amazing.

Dave Suponski
10-06-2011, 10:50 AM
I have had original guns with/without springs. Both functioned perfectly but I kinda like the idea of a spring to insure the firing pin retracts.

John Truitt
10-06-2011, 11:48 AM
The earlier top levers did not have springs.
I believe Parker made the change to springs in about 1888-90.
Somewhere around the 45,000 to 50,000 serial number range.

The ones made for srings are drilled differently than those not made for springs. It is very hard to get springs to work/ seat correctly in one not made for them. Everyone I know who has tried this ends up taking them out and the guns works much better.

Sorry for such crude numbers/ dates but I am going off memory while are work and dont have any of my reference material handy.

Dave Suponski
10-06-2011, 12:14 PM
John, Thank You for clarifying that. Now that you got me thinking I had a late top action 12 gauge in the 52,000 serial range that had springs. Also an earlier gun somewhere's around 37/38,000 that did not.

Chuck Bishop
10-06-2011, 12:24 PM
Mine's in the 27k range so John's explaination makes sense. I'm going to experiment!

Angel Cruz
10-06-2011, 12:26 PM
Thanks John, now I feel better about mine not having the springs. Ser # 46149 fits right in there.

Bruce Day
10-06-2011, 12:50 PM
Mine didn't have the plunger springs, Charlie and I installed them and it stopped the gun from rattling when it was moved up and down. I think just a light pressure return spring is all that is needed to move the plunger back.

Richard Flanders
10-06-2011, 02:08 PM
I think they're correct in that early top lever guns don't have springs and there's not much room to add one either. One could very deftly drill the pin well out to accommodate a spring but it would be a risky thing to do. I get by fine with my 1883 hammer gun with no springs. The hammers rebound and it seems not an issue.

Chuck Bishop
10-06-2011, 03:01 PM
Richard, for me it's not a question of the hammers rebounding but the firing pins float so freely that if the receiver is pointing down, such as carrying muzzle down in a cart, when you open the gun to load a shell, then try to close the gun, the firing pin/pins may protrude and not allow the gun to be closed until the pin/pins are pushed back by hand. The tip of the firing pin catches the base of the shell.

John Mazza
10-06-2011, 03:15 PM
I have a top lever hammer gun in the 47K range - no springs.

Richard Flanders
10-06-2011, 03:28 PM
Chuck: at least they move. I've seen some that were so corroded that they'd hardly move at all. It can get pretty messy in there.

John Truitt
10-06-2011, 03:32 PM
Mr. Bishop,

You raise a very good point regarding a potential saftey issue.
Your concern is slightly lessened with rebounding hammers, which removes the risk of the hammer placing pressure against the firing pin and causing a slam firing issue or closing issue.

I have watched some "old timers" and others who are very hammergun knowledgeable shoot guns without springs.
They all tend to do the same thing:
1. Shells fired,
2. Gun opened,
3. Shells removed,
4. Blow down both barrels ( or just one fired barrel),
5. Load new shells,
6. Use their index finger to (Ill use the word clear) clear or push the firing pins backwards,
7. Then they close the gun. (hammer cocking sequence is different for each one some are cocked before they close the gun some after)

In my experience the "clearing" of the pins or pushing them back only works if the gun is held so they dont fall forward. I asked one of these old timers and they said they do it to make sure the pins are freely floating and not gummed up or stuck.

To date I have not had an issue following these steps. I feel like as long as the pins are moving freely they will contact the cartridge and ride up it as the gun is closed and not place any pressure enough to cause a slam fire.

Dean Romig
10-06-2011, 09:28 PM
All of my T/A sixteens starting at 64XXX through 79355 have springs.

Kurt Densmore
10-13-2011, 10:52 AM
I have had original guns with/without springs. Both functioned perfectly but I kinda like the idea of a spring to insure the firing pin retracts.

Exactly what I have noticed...

I have made springs from ball point pen springs. Just cut them to length. Seems like I had difficulties getting the springs to fit in the 0 frame 16 and just left them out.

Kurt