I was given by a friend to clean and to see if it works (thinking of making an offer to buy if price is right) an original 1850s British Pepperbox .40 cal round ball revolver. It was pretty dirty spent time disassembling and cleaning. The action does works well, no issues at all. Only problem is the hammer strikes all the nipples equally on the end of the hammer not the center. So I squeezed on #10 caps (no powder or rounds) and worked the action striking all the cap. The hammer did strike all of the 6 cap and none ignited. Tried attaching a thin brass shim under the hammer where it strikes the caps, and still no ignition.
I did notice, and have not attempted to remove yet a screw under the rear arm of the hammer and I did not attempt to play with the screws for any adjustments inside the pistol spring mechanism. Just wondering if there is some adjustment so the hammer can reach out just a hair so the center of the hammer will cleanly strike the caps, with more force or maybe an adjustment of the spring to increace the striking force. I did measure the height of the nipples and the caps making sure they do fit and seal properly.
The hammer face is flat (on the bottom side but looking at a side view when it hits all the caps on the nipple its striking at the end part of the hammer. I did check closely and did properly reassemble it, the chamber does not move further into the frame, so I'm left with seeing if the hammer can be moved forward (if that's the issue.)
I did notice, and have not attempted to remove yet a screw under the rear arm of the hammer and I did not attempt to play with the screws for any adjustments inside the pistol spring mechanism. Just wondering if there is some adjustment so the hammer can reach out just a hair so the center of the hammer will cleanly strike the caps, with more force or maybe an adjustment of the spring to increace the striking force. I did measure the height of the nipples and the caps making sure they do fit and seal properly.
The hammer face is flat (on the bottom side but looking at a side view when it hits all the caps on the nipple its striking at the end part of the hammer. I did check closely and did properly reassemble it, the chamber does not move further into the frame, so I'm left with seeing if the hammer can be moved forward (if that's the issue.)