1851 Traditions Navy Half Cock Problem

[RDavis]

I cannot get the hammer o stop at half cock. I have taken the revolver apart and cleaned it. At half cock the cylinder bolt should be recessed in the frame. No matter how slowly I cock the hammer, when it gets to the half cock position the bolt is fully projected from the frame. Nothing appears to be broken and it works fine until I install the sear and bolt spring. Does anyone have any ideas how to solve this problem?

 

[mykeal]

The trigger leg of the trigger/bolt spring is not resting on the proper spot on the trigger when you install it. This prevents the sear from dropping into the half cock notch on the hammer and the bolt leg of the trigger/bolt spring is displaced and not operating the bolt correctly.

Make sure the trigger is forward when you install the spring so that the trigger leg of the spring can properly operate the trigger. The hammer should be forward also.

 

[mazo kid]

I believe Mykeal has diagnosed your problem. I knew it had to do with the some part not installed properly if the sear won't drop into its notch. You also said the revolver worked properly until you put the spring in.

 

[Zonie]

As I recall, that trigger/bolt spring can be installed upside down and still "look ok".
I believe when it is installed correctly the spring will have a little curved finger that should be sitting on the little flat on the forward side of the trigger. Only the tip of that finger will be contacting the trigger when it is properly installed.

 

[mykeal]

You are correct, Zonie, and in fact I've done that very thing myself :redface: . That could very well be the problem also. My more common mistake, however, is failing to properly position the trigger - something I do when in a bit of a hurry.

Not as bad as when I forgot to put the nipples in the cylinder one time. Leading to powder running out onto my foot when attempting to charge the cylinder at the range. Leading to much amusement, finger pointing and guffawing amongst my colleagues.

 

[RDavis]

I have taken it back apart and put it back together again being careful to install the spring correctly. I can get the hammer to half cock but the cylinder bolt is projecting up throught the frame when it should not be. Therefore the cylinder wll not turn when the hammer is at half cock. There is a small disc on the side of the hammer that interacts with the bolt. Should it be beveled on one side? I believe this cam is supposed to hold the bolt arm down when the hammer is at hslf cock. Could this be the problem?

 

[mykeal]

The leg of the bolt that contacts the hammer is formed in a semicircle; that semicircle goes around the cam on the hammer. The cam should be tapered. With the hammer down and the bolt leg around the cam the trigger/bolt spring should hold the bolt in the up position, through the frame and into the cylinder stop notch. Drawing back the hammer, the cam pushes up on the bolt leg, resulting in the bolt being retracted inside the frame. This is places the trigger/bolt spring into tension, attempting to push the bolt back up into the frame cutout. When the sear drops into the hammer half cock notch the bolt leg should still be around the cam, which is now holding the bolt down inside the frame, against the trigger/bolt spring tension. If you pull the hammer back towards full cock, at some point the bolt leg will fall off the cam because the cam taper comes into play and there is no longer enough area to hold it up. When that happens the trigger/bolt spring will cause the bolt to snap back into the frame opening and against the cylinder. In a properly time gun this occurs just before the hammer reaches full cock and the sear enters the full cock notch.

One more point: the two legs of the bolt should be just slightly apart from parallel (that is, spread away from each other, in a very slight 'v' shape); they are actually a spring that holds the side of the bolt leg against the side of the hammer to keep it around the cam as long as possible. If the legs are parallel or even bent towards each other this spring is too weak and the bolt leg may fall off the hammer cam prematurely, allowing the bolt to engage the cylinder too soon. This may be the problem in your case.

 

[RDavis]

In reassembling the revolver last night I found that if I did not tighten down the screw that holds the trigger/bolt spring, the bolt worked like it should when the hammer reached the half cock position. I will take it apart again to check the spacing between the two arms of the bolt. If I remember correctly they appeared to be parallel. If so, I assume they can be spread apart slightly. This may be the souce of the problem.

Thank you all for your help.:bow:

 

[Zonie]

If you attempt to spread the two arms on the bolt, be prepared to buy a new one.

Whether it bends slightly or simply breaks will depend on how well they heat treated the bolt.
In any case, if you decide to modify the bolt, work in small steps. Overbending will almost always cause a failure.

 

[mykeal]

It would be a good idea to buy a spare bolt, trigger/bolt spring and hand/hand spring assembly anyway. Those are the parts that most often need replacement, and having a couple on hand is worthwhile. They are not expensive.