T/C Hawkin Hammer

[Christophero]

Couple years ago sent my older, inherited Hawkins to T/C:S&W, as they requested the whole rifle to "fix" the nipple threads. Appears S&W knows ziltch about the old sidelocks because they threw away the original barrel to replace it with a new one.
Yes, I was very disappointed.
The Barrel and tang don't quite match up and the hammer doesn't hit the nipple square, only the rim of the hammer edge contacts the nipple. Unfireable, to say the least.

Did I mention how disappointed I am?

I've been instructed to remove and heat the hammer cherry red to bend it to fit. I'm willing to do this but is there a supplier of TC hammers if I screw this up and has anyone here done this successfully?
Thanks

 

[mooman76]

See Elbow's thread below.

 

[necchi]

The hammer is easy enough to bend. But I'd go after that breech/hook fit first.
Could be wood behind the hook that has to come out,, or some file work that needs to be done on the hook itself. Can't tell ya really without seeing it.

 

[Danny Ross]

NOW unless they have changed the metal used to make the hammer. Some years ago before the fire, I had a issue with the the nipple VERY close to the edge of the hammer cup on what they called their new style hammer. The thumb spur on the old style went straight up, the new style tilted rearward. They told me to just padded the vice to protect the hammer metal (my vice has teeth), then take a rubber mallet hit it a few good wacks the direction I needed it to go, take it out and check it, if it didn't move enough, do it again, and keep checking it till I got it where I wanted it. It worked, I have actually done three that way. Did the last one just the other day on a new Renegade I got. I never had to heat anything up, to get it to bend over to the point I wanted it to be. I used a 2.75 inch rubber mallet. DANNY

 

[Rat Trapper]

I've heated and bent couple and it worked.

 

[Tracy]

After you heated it did the color of the case hardening look the same?

 

[Christophero]

Thanks for the advice, gentlemen. I have not worked on it, yet, but will keep what I am learning from you in mind when I do.

 

[coloradoclyde]

the last hammer I ordered a couple of years ago came from the log cabin shop. give em a call.

 

[Rifleman1776]

NOW unless they have changed the metal used to make the hammer.

I have tried to bend the hammer on an early TC. I heated it nearly white hot and it resisted all attempts to bend with big pliers, hammering and cussing. If they have changed the metal, heat and hammer might be OK.
A hammer, not TC, can be ordered from most suppliers and put on in place of the original. I did that many times to repair customers guns. They thought I was a genius. And I can't even spell 'gunsmith'. :grin:

 

[Billnpatti]

Well, Rifleman1776 says that T/C hammers are next to impossible to bend. I don't know, I've never tried but I have enough respect for what Rifleman says that I will accept that your hammer will be difficult to nearly impossible to bend. Okay, there is another way to get the nipple to line up with the hammer and that is to determine how far you need to move the nipple back or forward to get it to fit. Then, simply remove the barrel and tang and carefully remove enough wood from the tang mortise to allow the barrel to be moved back enough to let the hammer line up with the nipple properly. If the nipple needs to be moved back, just glue a sliver of wood into the tang mortise to move the barrel forward just enough to align the hammer and nipple. Then fill the gap on the stock behind the tang with a sliver of wood that you steal from the barrel channel. If this stock repair is done carefully, it will not be noticible. After the barrel has been moved the 1/16 inch or so to align the hammer and nipple, you may have to adjust the barrel wedge pins to make them fit properly.

Unfortunately, moving the barrel is more work than bending the hammer but since, according to Rifleman1776, the hammer cannot be readily bent, and if you cannot find a proper replacement hammer that does fit, moving the barrel seems to be your only choice.

 

[tomme boy]

I heated up 4 of them and bent them to hit more square. Never had a problem. Just have to have a torch that will heat it hot enough.

 

[Sure Shot 2]

The only hammers I have seen bent on purpose were those requiring clearance for scope usage. Never seen one needing to be bent for a hammers square on nipple tap. Have bought and installed a couple of T/C drop in barrels years ago. They matched up pretty well to their tangs & stock channels. Enough so in my not wanting to change things with a metal file or a channel rasp. I suppose if your concerned about your hammers square on contact with its nipple. By all means bend it. Finding a replacement hammer shouldn't be all that hard to do.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Thanks B&P. But, to clarify, that was a very early TC hammer. I acknowledge they, or successors, may be using different steels these days.

 

[Danny Ross]

Like I said, the Newer hammer where the thumb spur is pointing more rearward when setting on the nipple. I think they made them that way for scope usage and it gave more nipple clearance when at half cock. NOT the older ones with the thumb spur going straight up when setting on the nipple (I have not tried to do one of those, yet).

The ones I have done (as I have said was 3) I have only had to bend them by hitting them squarely from the side, which took some pretty solid hits with the hard rubber mallet, to move it maybe a 1/8 inch at the most, to get them to hit center in the cup. I would put the part of the hammer that attaches to the lock in the padded vice jaws and leave all the neck (or at least most of it) going to the hammer ABOVE the vice jaws, where the bending occurs to move the hammer over. You don't need to rotate the hammer, just bend that neck a little laterally the direction you need it to go. A little bend near the pivot point it greater the farther away from that bend. Think of it as a circles center point. A 1 degree angle at the center you don't notice, but do see it as you are going to the edge of the circle. As I have said I heated nothing when I did it.

NOW if they are hitting to close to the front edge or rear edge of the cup, and need to move it to hit in the center, that would be a WHOLE nuther story. That you more than likely would have to heat to try and get it to bend. I hope this explains it more. DANNY

 

[Tracy]

Just tried to bend one of the old ones with the strait up hammer spurs.Used a wood block against the side of the lock hammer and hit it with a claw hammer.Warning do not use this method.First two taps did not bend the hammer and the third hit broke it in two.I didn't like that hammer anyway.

 

[Danny Ross]

Sorry to hear that . Like I said, I have never done one of the straight up hammers. Also again the only thing I have used is a hard rubber mallet when hitting it directly. DANNY

 

[Tracy]

I didn't have a rubber mallet,but I did have beer and a 22 oz.framing hammer.I am not sure but sometimes think beer affects my judgement and fine motor skills.

 

[azmntman]

When enjoying beer while working on (not shooting...please) one must HOLD THE BEER WHILE HAMMERING, that way you wont swing or tap too hard for fear of waste of a natural resource.