Title maybe a bit deceptive - its an early spagetti gun belongs to my son.
Was getting light primer strikes
Interference between top of hammer block where it runs under the main breech block
Always been a bit sticky toload
Had not shot it much
I took the rifle and all his grungy old loads (dirty chinese cracker powder and some had been loaded with lube discs under the boolit that had bled in the heat)
So -- pulled it down and cleaned a little burr/swelling off the front edge of the hammer block - over the years all those odd strikes from inproperly seated rounds had swelled a little ridge there at the front - so took that off and polished the top of the rear (hammer ) block where it slides under the front block to lock (just a very light polish) shes still not working right - still feel the drag as the hammer block goes forward under the main block .
Ah ha . !!! There is daylight on closing the block - ejector is interfering with it - dont know originals - only know this gun - the ejector is a projection up off what is a large flat washer that fits a recess in the block around the pivot pin - anyway its not fitting properly into the recess in the block - when its closed that ill fitting is holding the block just a tiny bit open and so the rear (hammer block) drags as it slides under on firing --- these things are simple - but deceptively so its a very clever design - anyway I filed the ejector carefully using prussian blue and a little tap with a small piece of softwood to mark it till I got the block closing properly - then the hammer block had enough clearance to work slick and we still had good lockup on firing. Pulled the lead from all his grungy old loads and spent an hour firing the blanks in the backyard - deprimed - ultrasound cleaned - tumble cleaned - a casting session - reloaded carefully with 63 grains of my Fg powder - Federal LR primers - one LDPE wad over powder - CBE 460 x 535 grain boolit (much like a lyman postell)
Took five shots out - the high one is first shot clean - the other four I like!!!! (100 yards with a tang sight)
He paid 150 bucks for this rifle years ago, hasnt shot it much, looks to me he was sittin on a sleeper, ....30 inch heavy octagon barrel, nice dense wood with decent grain, comfortable to shoot (it weighs a bit under 11pound), sweet action (now), and a good shooter. Those five shots is good payback for the weekend I spent working on it.