TIPS ON BENDING A HAMMER

[lonewolf5347]

How to remove the hammer off the lockplate and bend the hammer, lock is a lyman GPR any tips will be helpfull.

 

[TwoShadows]

First I would ask why are you bending the hammer? Second I would ask which way you are bending it?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Aside from the proper size screwdriver(s) always required for a gunsmithing project you'll need a vice. Remove the lock from the gun. Loosen the screw holding the hammer to the lock about one turm. Hold the hammer, with the lock above the worksurface and rap the screw with a wood or plactic faced mallet. If the fit to the square stud on the tumbler is not too snug that will be enough to loosen it. If the fit is very tight the best way is to disassemble the components, finally tapping the tumbler out of the hammer, rather than trying to rock or pry the hammer up off the lockplate. L&R Lock Co. has pretty good instructions on this operation on their website.

If the hammer is for a percussion lock, use the end of a box wrench slipped over the nose to bend the hammer after heating the neck cherry red with a propane torch with the hammer held solidly in a vice with leather padded jaws. A flint cock can be bent using a long bolt that fits in the jaw screw hole and is long enough to give leverage (or use a box end wrench slipped over the bolt - AND NOT A BOLT FROM THE GUN. Use one that won't matter if it gets scratched up). The trick, unfortunately, is to get the heat right so that the hammer bends without losing the proper temper. If it doesn't bend pretty easily, don't try to force it. Don't overheat it and don't quench it (let it cool on its own).

I am surprised the GPH would need the hammer bent.

 

To add to stumpkillers post, after disassembling the lock, close the vice so the tumbler hangs freely when the plate is lying across the vice and tap the tumbler out of the hammer as stumpkiller suggests however, don't use the hammer screw if the fit is tight. Rather, take the screw out and use a drift punch that fits into the screw hole in the tumbler so it is putting the force in the bottom of the hole and drift it out.

Cody

 

[lonewolf5347]

Reason for bending the hammer a little in the up position is to center the hammer seat over the nipple.
My next question is there a aftermarket company that make an upgrade nipple for the GPR?
Lyman states to use there stock nipple ,whick is 6.75mm ,has anyone replaced the stock nipple on there GPR?
I did purchase a knight red hot nipple nipple fits the gun but the nipple is to long ,hammer seat is too high on the nipplw(hammer need to be bent up to clear the edge off the nipple)

 

[TwoShadows]

Could it be that Knight makes nipples for an inline and the nipple is too long? I don't believe I would bend my hammer until I had tried a couple other nipples. Uncle Mike's Hot Shot nipple might be what you are looking for.

Betcha a change of nipples is cheaper in the long run than a new hammer!

Enlarging the nipple flash hole can also cause the hammer to rebound from the pressure of firing too. I've seen that happen, and it broke the sear inside the lock. Firing a couple caps to clear the nipple of oil etc. is a good way to insure ignition before the first shot, or a nipple pick can be used if you think there is an obstruction.

 

[musketman]

I would take a file to the top of the nipple brfore I'd mess with the temper of the hammer, like TwoShadows stated, nipples are cheaper than hammers...

Dixie Gun Works sells the nipple for $3.75
The hammers range from $19.95 to $35.00...

 

[lonewolf5347]

Thanks guy I will check out a couple of more nipples to see how they fit.
When I first got the gun the factory nipple did work the gun always fired,but the hammer was not centered over the nipple.
I called dixion in PA who repairs for lyman he said,as long as it fires doesn't have to be centered.
What I found with the factory nipple the taper was to long,@ the caps won't stay on ,so I took a file to it and removed some of the taper,now the caps stay put.

 

[TwoShadows]

Wolf, In a perfect world, the cap fragments and usually flips clear of the nipple/hammer when brought to half cock after a shot. I hate it when it pops and stays on the nipple and has to be pried off. My old Track Kit hawken is off center on the hammer just right to assist dragging the nipple free after being fired. I haven't fired it in years....it is my loaner to folks new to the sport or for first time hunters. After a couple lessons in the care and feeding of a rag-nosed rifle last deer season, I loaned it to a first time Black powder hunting friend of my son....put him in a good stand and left him to his own devices. About 20 minutes after first light he proceeded to decapitate a nice doe with it....said he had heard Jake and I talking about how much nicer it was to clean and quarter when there was no holes in the hide and ruptured organs to deal with. He was slack jawed with the power and quickness of that old riflegun. He is collecting his pesos to get a similar shooter for next season. Urk(Eric) is our newest addition to the fold of rag-nosed rifle shooters because of that I think. Younger shooters can be cultivated by such activities easily in this manner. We talked long on the idea of "traditional" hunting, and I dont believe he will care to purchase an inline even though they may be had for less $$.

 

[roundball]

Lonewolf, for what it's worth, every TC Hawken percussion I have shows the hammer impact marks slightly off center on all of them but they work perfectly...unless your particular hammer literally has a problem with it, I wouldn't think the solution would be to bend the hammer on a mass produced rifle...they should all come off the line well within design tolerances...I've found Hot Shot nipples to be the top of the line and use them in all my TC's

 

[Zonie]

Fur what it's worth, my .54 T/C Hawken, .45 Pedersoli Tryon and my restocked (#1 maple) .50 T/C Hawken all have tha hammer a comin down on the pipe (nipple) offset frum center.
All o um fire the cap with no problems at all.

Ahm a usin Hot Shot nipples on all of um an they all fragment the cap so ah don't have ta pri um off the nipple after the shot. Might be the lil hole they gots drilled inter the side o them that does it, or might be the offset hammer, ah don't know for certain. In any case, ahm a happy child.

 

[lonewolf5347]

Here is a picture on the problem ,let me know if the link works
I had some old caps I fried to day about 20 rounds each one fired o.k. but can I trust it

http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=viewall&albumID=110663229

 

[TwoShadows]

Can't open the pics....but if you ignited 20 out of 20, well, that's dang near 100%. Sounds like you have a fine functioning rig to me.
Shadows

 

[Stumpkiller]

Lonewolf,

I can't open the pictures either, but as TwoShadows says, 20 out of 20 is pretty trustworthy. And as Musketman said, nipples are a lot cheaper than hammers. The important thing is not that the hammer is perfectly centered over the nippple, but that the flat of the hammer nose is matched so that it strikes as much of the top of the nipple tube as possible. Tou can fix this quickly with a file. After 20 shots you should be showing one side of the tube as being flettened if it is badly out of square. Hit the high spoth with the file. You shoule also make sure the top of the nipple is about 0.170" with a micrometer. If the nipple isn't dropping down fully it can cause misfires. I have a couple small single cut Grobet safe-edge files (for sharpening broadheads) that work very well for dressing up nipples.

 

[BrownBear]

The hammer on my recently acquired GPR 54 is so far off that it barely clears the factory-installed nipple. Guaranteed to misfire if I don't seat the caps really firmly. That becomes a real problem after half or dozen shots or so. No alternative but to take a brush to the nipple and clear off ALL the fouling. I'm learning to live with it, and can almost call the misfires by how the cap feels when I seat it. I am developing the habit of cleaning the nipple after each shot, then seating the cap really firmly, so the problem is disappearing. Won't be an issue by the time deer season rolls around again, but the loud click has startled several snowshoe hares into hasty departure.

 

[lonewolf5347]

http://community.webshots.com/album/110663229ImZfCs
LET SEE IF IT OPENS NOW

 

[BrownBear]

You gotta watch yourself, sneaking into my house like that! This could be a photo of my own GPR. If you take the nipple out, the hammer drops all the way down, so it makes me wonder about shortening the nipple just a little. Opinions?

 

[Zonie]

Brownbear: edited: OK the pictures worked! and I gather from what you said, your problem is the same as the picture shows.
First I'll say bending the hammer in the fore/aft direction is not easy to do without screwing up the side to side position and removing the temper from the steel.
If it were my gun and I had a Dremal or similar hand grinder I would seriously think about grinding the foward part of the hammer cavity out to provide the clearance the cap needs.
Even if you break thru the wall and have an open faced hammer there will be no functional harm done as long as the sides and rear of the pocket are still in place. They need to be in place only to prevent the cap fragments from blowing back at your face.
If you don't have a high speed hand grinder use a narrow file and file the forward part of the hammer cup away (where it needs the clearance for the cap) down to the flat bottom that hits the primer. Dress off the sharp corners and touch up with one of the Cold Blueing products.
Not only will this fix your problem but it will keep your gun from doing what my T/C does. My T/C blows the caps into this hollow area of the hammer so every so often I have to pry them out to prevent misfires. Your gun will just blow the cap fragments out the front!

 

[BrownBear]

My problem is definitely fore and aft, just like in lonewolf's photo- Mine is dead center side-to-side, but it's as though the lock is set too far back, relative to the nipple. I can live with it, but if it becomes too much of a nuisance I think I'll mess with the nipple before I bend the hammer. With that powerful spring, the potential for losing the temper makes a bend pretty low on my list of options.

 

[lonewolf5347]

BrownBear I think the problem is in the factory inletting and like you said the lock is set to far back.
Remember if you try to bend the hammer you must remove it from the lock plate.
THAT IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT STEP