• Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.

    We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.

    Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103

Spiller & Burr cleaning and reassemble

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Jul 21, 2020
Messages
278
Reaction score
297
Location
Ormond Beach, Florida
I am cleaning a Spiller & Burr revolver. Took it apart down to frame and cleaned everything. Now I need to put it together.
Oops. Hammer does not hold at half cock and cylinder turns too far so nipple is not aligned with hammer.
Can someone direct me to a video on putting back together a Spiller & Burr? I used a youtube video to take it apart but I can't find one to put it back together.
Thanks in advance.
 
Schematic
 

Attachments

  • spiller.jpg
    spiller.jpg
    41.3 KB
Did you bend the hand when reassembling? Mine is pretty tricky, you have to use a thin bladed knife to push the hand back into the slot to get the cylinder back in.
 
I took it apart using a Blackie Thomas youtube video, but he doesn't do it in reverse. It may be the spring on the hand that's not right??? or trigger interaction with other parts???? Or it could be that I am discombobulated cause the cruise line just said I was too old to go on an ATV adventure. 74.
Here's a pix of the revolver broken down.
spiller & burr parts.jpg
 
There's nothing wrong with the hand spring and it goes in the same channel in the frame as the hand itself. Screw the hand to the hammer and place that assembly in the frame with it's screw. The hand and its spring go in the channel in the frame with the spring toward the back of the gun. The bolt goes next and then the trigger. The trigger/bolt spring is last and you are finished with the insides of the frame. Install the cylinder and do a function test. If all works OK install the mainspring, trigger guard and grips. Refer to the illustration above.
 
Today, I took the revolver and disassembled it for the 3rd time thinking 3rd times a charm. Laid everything out, slowly, methodically. Then I tripled check the fit of the hand/spring, put the hammer in place for the hand, screwed the hand into hammer with spring facing hammer. Slowly placed hand into slot and hammer in place. Then I screwed the hammer in place but did not tighten. Placed main spring in the hammer slot and handle slot and fit good. Then I tightened hammer. Next came the bolt, screwed in. Then the trigger, screwed in. Trigger bolt/spring screwed in next. Then trigger guard. Now comes the cylinder. I lined up the nipple with the hammer 'slot' and put in the cylinder pin.

Ran through series of 'cocking/uncocking'. Finally timing looks good. Put some caps on, fired them without problem. WOW. Now if only I knew what I did that apparently worked. Maybe put the main spring in after hammer screwed in??? Keeps hammer in place as other parts put in??
 
There's nothing wrong with the hand spring and it goes in the same channel in the frame as the hand itself. Screw the hand to the hammer and place that assembly in the frame with it's screw. The hand and its spring go in the channel in the frame with the spring toward the back of the gun. The bolt goes next and then the trigger. The trigger/bolt spring is last and you are finished with the insides of the frame. Install the cylinder and do a function test. If all works OK install the mainspring, trigger guard and grips. Refer to the illustration above.
Thanks for your assistance.
 
Back
Top