Loose hammer gun

[Seth Mackay-Smith]

Just got a hammer gun - low grade, well used and mechanically great except it does not lock up tightly.
I'm assuming (though I know the danger of that!) that it's the barrel hook and pin that need some extra material.
Reading through the forums I see that I could put in oversize roll pins, shims and do some laser welding.
Has anyone tried having the hook hard chromed? I know from my R&D days that it isn't expensive, and is very controllable as far as thickness goes. Seems to me that this would retain the hook shape pretty well.
I thought I could measure the gap at the breech face and then have the hook chromed 0.001" over or so and then fit the barrel face appropriately.
Is this just a stupid idea?

[Brian Dudley]

Not really a Stupid idea. It is just more of a "better mousetrap" sort of idea.

I had never thought of something like that being a viable option, until the last issue of The Parker Pages. In that issue a writer tells of a plating process that he uses to do exactly what you are speaking of. I guess it works for him, so it is Viable.

The only thing to consider is that the wear on the hook is not complete even, but is instead more concentrated in the middle, so an even amount of material distributed on the whole surface will actually leave the top and bottom tight and needing some relief in those areas.

[Seth Mackay-Smith]

Ah, right, that's probably why I thought of it. Thanks for the heads up about wear; should've thought of that! Could set it up in a mill and run through it with a ball mill to get it round again but at that point it probably makes more sense just to get an oversize pin.
Thanks again-Seth