break down of hammer gun

[charlie cleveland]

i m fixing to attemt the break down of the parker top lever 8 ga..the right hammer will not hold back in fireing position..need help on teardown...i ve asked before but have forgot what was told me..anyway thanks....charlie

[Mike Franzen]

Hey charlie check Brian dudleys albums. There is one on hammer gun disassembly. It's easy to follow and has good pics and descriptions.

[Brian Dudley]

Could be damaged sear/tumbler or a broken sear spring.

[charlie cleveland]

i used brians instructions on break down..it was very easy instructions even for me..the gun probably has never been taken apart...more dirt and rust and grime than i ve seen in a while..i cleaned with hot water and tooth pick...i found the trouble but do not know what you would call the parts...nothing looks wore or broke or outa place ...when i back the hammer with lock plate off the gunthe trigger sear or the tumbler has a groove in it that holds the hammer back except it dont hold...does not look wore but it must be...what do you think brian... anyway tonight my thumb is sore from messing with this thing gona give it a rest... i m open for suggestions....charlie

[Brian Dudley]

Can't say much more than what I mentioed in my previous post.

Another thing that can sometimes cause poor sear engagement is severe gumming up of the lock parts. If the sear cannot move freely and smoothly, it may not catch the tumbler well. Also, a problem can be encountered when re-assembling a lock plate. Most times the bride screws are not screwed down tight from the factory. So they should not be when re-assembling. On some plates of the bride screws are fully tightened, the bride can pinch the sear making it sticky.

[Rick Losey]

other than dirt - which sounds likely

compare the nose of the sear to the other side that does cock.

is the non working one just a hair shorter- is a little of the front edge chipped off and not deep enough in the tumbler

[charlie cleveland]

every things looks ok but then again my old eyes aint what they use to be..will the parts from a 10 or 12 ga hammer gun fit the 8 ga ..charlie

[Brian Dudley]

I cannot comment on that for sure. But, I would think that the actual lock parts to be the same.

[charlie cleveland]

i believe the problem is the tumbler and sear are wore enought that this is causing the hammer not to ketch...if i take these two parts off....could i file the notch in the tumbler a small amount and take the sear and maybe peen it a little bit reckon this would fix my problem...brian what would you do to this piece.. do you have some used pieces....charlie

[charlie cleveland]

it was raining tonite so after supper i decided to tackle the old 8 ga...i already had the side plate off so i took off 3 screws and the trigger sear came off pretty easy ..i then took the sear out to my shop and got me a small hammer and pair of pliars..i held the sear with the pliars and laid it up on my anvil and went to peening the part..the sear is a heat treated piece thus caution must be used when hammering on it...after peening it to desired lengthwhich was not much iu then cleaned it up with a file...i then put the side plate back together the trigger cocked and held. i then put it back together so the gun is ready to go turkey hunting now..thanks to brian and his really good info on the break down of these old hammer guns the old parker is back in service... charlie

[charlie cleveland]

shot the old 8 ga this evening the trigger pull is just rite...holds fine now got to load up some turkey loads for the old gal..this gun is lite enough to tote a short weighs....charlie

[Rick Losey]

watch out Dr Pepper