Cracked Hammer?

[Theodore LeDurt]

The left hammer on the 10ga Watson Brother had been braised or welded at some time in the past. I shot my first 150 target loads through it at the Great Northern Side by Side Shoot this weekend and while applying the evening cleaning, I noticed it had again separated but is still attached.

Does anyone have experience with broken exposed hammers? Am I better of to re-weld, or replace, and if I do replace is getting a matching hammer made cost prohibitive? I should mention the hammers are engraved.

This only my second hammer gun and I have no experience with what will be entailed with this project. Thank you in advance for any help or info.

[John Campbell]

Theodore:
In a situation like this, it is always better to repair the existing hammer. As long as the previous work was not totally incompetent, chances are very good that the hammer can be put back together. Re-engraving will be necessary over the repair, but can be done at little cost. Of course, both hammers will then have to be matched for finish and patina.

If you PM me I can lead you to resources to get all of this done professionally. If you have some skills, it may be something you can contribute to.

Replacing hammers is something to be avoided at all costs.