I've modified the hammer nose on my ArmiSport musket to resemble an actual 1842 musket. I bought my 1842 in 1999 and have re-shaped the stock, re-shaped the nose cap & added a brass sight, heated & bent the trigger guard bow to be more round and thinned the butt plate by about a 1/2 pound. I had taken some of the hump off the hammer nose but not enough to look authentic.
Here's a typical Armisport lock with the large hump nose on the hammer -
Here's what a real 1842 hammer looks like -
The shape of the hammer varies slightly between the National Armories but this is representative of the normal hammer shape. You can clearly see the hump nose on the Armisport vs the antique lock.
I had to make a spring clamp because I couldn't find my adjustable clamp (this what happens when you put things away for safe keeping!) and I made a post with a square to match the hammer tumbler square so I could file & sand the hammer using a vice to hold it.
So here is my re-shaped hammer, I basically wound up filing the entire hammer -
Change your nose and you change your face!
There's a large divot just above the hammer screw that Pauli the polisher put in the hammer back in Italy that I couldn't remove. Also, you can see a flat spot on the wrist that Sal the sander put in the stock and I see these flaws on almost every reproduction, even on my old Parker Hale Enfield (c.1976) there's a flat on the wrist & usually just in front of the lock panel, too. It's amazing the equipment that was developed 150 years ago that made these weapons and they can't duplicate the same quality today.
If you want to use an original 1842 lock on an Armisport then you'll have to ruin the lock plate by cutting an enlargement for the bolster to make it fit. You'll also have to re-cut the mortise for the mainspring because the real one is much longer.
well that's all for tonight boys, Mike
Here's a typical Armisport lock with the large hump nose on the hammer -
Here's what a real 1842 hammer looks like -
The shape of the hammer varies slightly between the National Armories but this is representative of the normal hammer shape. You can clearly see the hump nose on the Armisport vs the antique lock.
I had to make a spring clamp because I couldn't find my adjustable clamp (this what happens when you put things away for safe keeping!) and I made a post with a square to match the hammer tumbler square so I could file & sand the hammer using a vice to hold it.
So here is my re-shaped hammer, I basically wound up filing the entire hammer -
Change your nose and you change your face!
There's a large divot just above the hammer screw that Pauli the polisher put in the hammer back in Italy that I couldn't remove. Also, you can see a flat spot on the wrist that Sal the sander put in the stock and I see these flaws on almost every reproduction, even on my old Parker Hale Enfield (c.1976) there's a flat on the wrist & usually just in front of the lock panel, too. It's amazing the equipment that was developed 150 years ago that made these weapons and they can't duplicate the same quality today.
If you want to use an original 1842 lock on an Armisport then you'll have to ruin the lock plate by cutting an enlargement for the bolster to make it fit. You'll also have to re-cut the mortise for the mainspring because the real one is much longer.
well that's all for tonight boys, Mike
