10 Gauge Under Lifter Hammer Gun Internals

[CW Nickle]

Hello,

I recently purchased an 1876 10 Ga. Hammer Lifter Gun and its still in working order as the guy I purchased it from was using it in cowboy action shooting. However, it could use a little work to function a little safer. I noticed when I was operating the hammers that my left hammer was not engaging the half-cock notch and the sear engagement is very light. The hammer also has considerable wobble, not enough to be a wall hanger but concerning as I would like to prevent doubles from recoil. I suspect that my issues might lie with the hammer pin being worn down from years of use.

Is there a way I could restore the internals in the action without ruining the authenticity and keep it functional? The action is otherwise tight and the bolt is in good shape. I also wonder if anybody has hi-res images of the internals of a hammer gun as well as some tips on rebuilding the action?

Also my gun is stamped with a T 12 on the barrel flats, there is no grade called out on the reciever flat but the serial number is still there. I have been trying to understand the grade and T is the only letter in the vicinity, I am 99% sure its a grade 0 based on it being plain twist barrels and a hammer gun, but it would be nice to understand the markings better as my grade marking is absent based on the location provided the technical information from the collector's association.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

[Leon Nelson]

Some good clear photos wound be helpful.

[CW Nickle]

Here are some photos for you, my serial number is 7987 which should put it in late 1876, as you can see my left hammer doesnt engage the half-cock notch too and I was curious as how to approach fixing the action for proper function. For grade markings from what I understand is that a T would designate a grade 0 gun but its not where it is supposed to be. All the serial numbers do match and are in the proper locations.

[B. Dudley]

I would think your gun to have the stokes rebounding locks. So there is no half cock safe.

[Dean Romig]

The T indicates barrels are of Twist Steel and yes, it is the lowest grade Parker Bros. made in that period. Anything lower would have been the Trojan which came out in 1913.

But the Serialization book shows it as being a T1 which is a Grade 1 with Twist barrels, so it's one step up from the bottom.

The hammer looseness is likely the fit between the hammer axle and the hole is passes through in the lock plate. You should find that neither lock has a half-cock position.

Did the Cowboy Action shooter cut off the barrels? It was made with 30" barrels.





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[Leon Nelson]

I would think the lock plate could be bushed and the hammer axle trued up, or vice-versa, and no one could ever see it had been done.

[CW Nickle]

It doesn't appear to have cut barrels but i'd have to put a tape to it to be sure. The guy I bought it from tends to shoot them as they were built and babied it with cool custom 10 ga. shells with 12 ga bores so if anything happened it would have been before him.

As for the rebounding locks, I'm sorry I'm getting used to the terminology, and that's what I was thinking I could as I figured that the slop could be taken out either with a new axle or bushing. But would the loose hammer cause the poor sear engagement?

Thank you for your help,

[Leon Nelson]

I bet a good gunsmith/machinist could make a new hammer axle to both fit the lock plate bore and fix the loose fit of the hammer on the hammer axle.