'51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

[PMFerringer]

Good afternoon,

The hammer on my '51 Navy is slightly cock-eyed to the left. It is very minor and the revolver shoots fine but the side of the hammer body slightly strikes the frame. There is small mark on the frame from impact and when lowering the hammer slowly it is obvious. Is there a way to adjust it or is something out of place or need tightened? I am sending it in for defarb soon and they can do it but thought I'd check.

Thanks!

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

Hallo!

Hard to see the (possible or likely) problem without the gun in hand, but...

Is the hammer off its "center line" in the frame and grip frame? Or, possibly does it lean to one side??

Curt

[Craig L Barry]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

Who is doing the defarb job? If the hammer is slightly misaligned the gunsmith should be able to correct the problem. If the hammer is bent somehow, it may require a replacement part. Like Curt said, hard to tell without the revolver in hand.

[PMFerringer]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

It just leans slightly. Very likely an easy fix. I've reached out to Lodgewood and a few other guys for the defarb. Any defarb recommendations for a revolver are also appreciated.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

Hallo!

There is no great values in guessing possibilities, gun unseen, when as Herr Craig said likely the "de-farber" would/could fix the hammer issue.
It could be a number of things fairly commonly found on Italian reproductions, and especially so on lower priced ones where Quality Control is more "random" or absent such as the hammer did not come out of the mold properly and is twisted slightly to the side, it was not finished properly, or the hammer screw hole is crooked, etc., etc.

Revolvers are NUG the least "defarbed" weapons in the CW Community, so demand for the finished product or the service has been, is, traditionally very low.

John Zimmerman, of Harpers Ferry, once offered a line, but I do not know if he still does orders or commissions on revolvers. Mr Zimmerman is a character but does fantastic and great work at times, and sadly questionable work at times. You can SEARCH feature past discussions on him. (Opinions vary based on which a lad received.)

Anyone who "defarbs muskets'' can basic defarb a revolver as it involves the removal of the modern Italian stampings and then rebluing the barrel. That is, IF they want to.

:)

More "gunsmithy" guys like "Lodgewood" can do smithing/repairs, and carry replacement parts should you need another hammer, etc.

More "advanced" work involves removing the modern bogus wood and metal finishes and replacing them with those that look like those used on the revolvers in the CW.

Revolver "defarb" is like being a little bit pregnant as no one (other than Zimmerman limited work) wants/wanted to invest hundreds of dollars in stamps or thousands of dollars in stamping presses to be able to replicate the actual factory markings in the first place and the depth of them in modern hard steels in the second.

As a result, our "defarbed' revolvers lack the Period correct, historical say Colt or Remington, etc., stampings (with a nod toward some Confederate examples that were minimally or next to none being marked.)

Anyway, ask any the "musket defarbers" and see if they would be willing to take you on.
Personally, IMHO, and in my experience I would not ask Mr. Zimmerman as you would love his work or hate it. For his work I always advise buy the gun off his table or shop that you can hold and see.

Curt

[Craig L Barry]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

Great advice, especially given the uneven quality of what Zimmerman puts out. Another reason for the lack of period revolver stamps is that the two major manufacturers of Civil War revolvers were Colt and Remington and since both of them are still in business, the names are trademarked. Legally, a reproduction revolver can't be stamped with either maker. So what you are really talking about here is mostly removing the modern markings, re-bluing, etc.

Since your revolver already needs a "hammer job" I would recommend Lodgewood because of their inventory of quality original and reproduction parts. If your revolver needs a hammer, they would be the most likely to have one.

[PMFerringer]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

Thanks, gents. I am avoiding Zimmerman. I haven't been happy with his work as of late.

- - - Updated - - -

A little digging has revealed this to be a common issue resulting from the tolerances in manufacturing. Competitive shooters simply smooth the surfaces that occasionally contact just enough so they slide easily. No further work is recommended in most cases since it generally doesn't result in a noticeable improvement.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

That does not surprise me one bit, in fact it is exactly what you would expect. The tolerances are famously lax on reproduction revolvers which is why you always should pick yours out in person when that is a possibility.

[PMFerringer]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

For the $50 I paid for it I can deal with a slightly off center hammer!

[Craig L Barry]

Re: '51 Navy cock-eyed hammer

Goodness. You would put a lot more in correcting the problem than you have in the initial purchase. Yeah, I'd live with it, too.