Hi boys,,
roundball, This is what my hammer looks like,, It works just fine but it dose look like a problem in the makin,It came from the factory this way,, Should I pull it off and take a hammer to it and move it over a bit (bend it)??? Do I just unscrew it and will it come off easy with no parts left over on the floor??
First, check three things:
Is the tang and tang mortise dead center in the top of the stock...not positioned slightly (1/16"-1/8") offset towards the right side of the stock to throw off the alignment of the barrel/nipple?
Next, make sure that the hammer is actually fully seated and squared up on the hammer shaft, not canted.
Next make sure the lock is fully seated and square in the mortise...not canted...ie: if the top edge or the front edge of the lock is in deeper than the bottom or the back end of the lock, it'll be 'canted in' an eyelash, throwing off the hammer alignment to the nipple.
If those are perfectly aligned and you suspect the hammer itself is actually bent out of specs, if it was me, I'd mail the lock assembly back to TC, explain the problem and get a replacement (no charge - warranty).
(If you try to bend the hammer it'll probably snap and you'll void the warranty).
If you want to remove the hammer and only send it back, you can but there's a caution.
Sometimes you can remove the hammer screw and gradually wiggle the hammer off the end of the tumbler shaft with fingers...BUT...very often they are so tight you can't do that and here comes the caution:
Do not slide the end of a screwdriver blade under the edge of the hammer and try to pry it off...at a minimum you'll mar the finish on the sideplate, and very probably snap the shaft off the tumbler.
The way to do it is:
With the lock off the rifle, relax the hammer all the way forward and disassemble all the internals:
Mainspring, bridle plate screws & plate, AND DON'T LOSE THE FLY OUT OF THE TUMBLER, remove the sear, sear return spring & plunger.
Flip the lock back over with the hammer facing up, laying the lock across a couple of pieces of wood so the tumbler is suspended up off the bench surface.
Then using a flat faced punch as big as the end of the tumble shaft, gently tap the tumbler down and away from the hammer.
Takes more time to explain it than it does to do it.
But first things first:
-ensure the tang is dead centered in the stock;
-ensure the hammer is setting down and square on the tumbler shaft/parallel to the side plate;
-then ensure the lock alignment in the mortise is sitting properly so it's square with the axis of the bore...(you can remove the lock bolt and slightly wiggle the lock in and out a few thousands to see what that does to the alighment of the hammer to the nipple).
