Safety problem?

[StewartLeach]

I have a left hand TC Renegade built from a kit some 20 years ago. Quite accurate and handles well. 54 cal Maxi does the job quite well on elk if placed just behind the front leg and a third of the way up from the belly line.

Problem: when in the half cock position, the hammer of this rifle is down just barely above the nipple. Been this way ever since finish and assembly. I got worried about this and did a test- a moderate blow from a dead blow hammer set off the cap! Thinking it was a lock parts problem, I bought & installed a replacement sear and tumbler. No improvement.

I want to fix this. Hunting in the Colorado mountains I've slipped and fallen quite a few times. I'm thinking about heating and bending the hammer back some, probably far enough to use the capper when in half cock status.

What do you think of this?

Stewart Leach, AKA Colorado Grey Fox

 

[BrownBear]

If it bothered me I'd be more inclined to add a cap cover such as one of these than to go messing with hammer alignment. Sure easier, and would do much the same thing. I'm not remembering clearly, but I think an empty 32 ACP case does much the same thing.

 

[RetiredMedic]

Only shows,
Never trust a mechanical safety !

 

[roundball]

Unfortunately that's TC's design...all mine are the same way.

I put Kap Kovers on mine which are a waterproofing item but have the side benefit of serving as a pretty good safety as well.

 

[Semisane]

One of those plastic automotive valve stem caps placed over your precussion cap with the hammer lowered on the plastic cover works just fine.

 

[jmolsen]

I've got to say that I've taught a number of hunter safety classes - my emphasis being on the black powder portion. One thing we drilled into all participants - "a Safety is a mechanical device that can fail". As stated above, My TC rifles all seem to have this problem. Try any of the cap covers mentioned. Just remember the old adage about going off half-cocked... it can happen! Protect yourself and the ones you're hunting with.

 

[paulvallandigham]

First rule of gun safety is to treat every gun as if its loaded. Never point a gun at anything you don't want to destroy. :thumbsup: And AD( Accidental discharge) can happen, but unless you also have an UH( Unintended hit) the only result is soiled pants. :rotf: :rotf: :hmm: :thumbsup:

As long as you are always conscious of where the muzzle of a gun is pointing, and point it in a safe direction, you won't have any unintended hits! :blah: :rotf: :hatsoff:

 

Stewart,
All the above have given good advise and I wouldn't disagree with any of them. I have a number of rifles that go into the woods "without mechanical problems" and I still use a cap cover. It provides an extra measure of safety and will assure you that the cap is protected from the weather. I use a small disk of greased leather tied to the trigger guard. It falls off the cap when you pull the hammer to full cock but remains with the rifle for your next load.
Mark

 

[crockett]

White Fox not only is the capper the answer, bending the hammer as you want would be difficult. Normally when a hammer is bent, it is sideways which is fairly easy. If you screw up bending the hammer, or snapping it- major repair AND you are still relying on the integrity of the half cock notch. The cap is far better.

 

[StewartLeach]

Thanks to all for information and advice. A cap cover is a great simple solution!

As a Master Hunter Ed Instructor of some 20 years experience, this problem has really been bugging me. This past weekend at the range I encountered two shooters with TC Hawken and Renegade rifles that did not have the hammer-at-half-cock-almost-touching-the-nipple problem. Their hammers were well off the nipple when at half cock. One fellow followed me home- I promised him an adult beverage- and we removed the hammer screws and compared angles and dimensions. The hole for the tumbler shaft was at a distinctly different orientation for his hammer.

So, its decision time. Go with the simple and effective cap cover solution? Or weld up the hole for the tumbler shaft, drill for the minor dimension, and square out to fit the shaft but with about 15-20 degrees less rotation? Sounds like a lot of time with needle files and Dykem. May do both- the cap for now, and fill, drill and file as a bad winter weather weekend project.

And I'll still religiously observe the Three Always Rules: always keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction, always keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target, and always keep your firearm unloaded until ready to use it.

Regards,

"White Fox"
[Stewart Leach]

 

[crockett]

There's another issue here, if a guy comes back to the vehicle or into camp with the cover tube/cap on the nipple, this ought to be apparant as there is the attachment thong (in fact the thong could be made in orange yarn, etc), everyone knows right away the gun is safe (or as safe as any muzzle loader can be), it is akin to a double shotgun having the action broekn. I think the cap is really a great idea on any percussion lock.
In fact, the thought just hit me, maybe a loop could be made on the thong that slips over the spur on the hammer, such that the cover/cap prevents the hammer from contacting the percussion cup while the loop on the thong prevents any stray blow from moving the hammer backwards.