Hammer And Nipple Not Lined Up

[hylander]

CVA Mountain Rifle:
I am thinking I will have to heat and bend the hammer out a touch.
But, do you think the hammer can take the heat and bend, or break?
I can not remove the hammer from the lock, it is on there to stay.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49527584243_849ef80691_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49528102891_b8eeeef2b6_c.jpg

[LawrenceA]

If you get it hot enough it will get soft enough.
More importantly if you do not remove the hammer how will you shield the rest of the lock?
I have a CVA Mtn Flinter that has had the hammer heated and reshaped so it is possible. No I did not do it.

[Duckdog]

I bought a barrel off of EBAY and t looked just about identical to that situation, so I just took a Dremmel and "modified" the inner opening of the hammer enough to just miss the cap when closing and it worked out great It was only a small amount and would not hurt it if I went back to the origin barrel.

[LawrenceA]

I bought a barrel off of EBAY and t looked just about identical to that situation, so I just took a Dremmel and "modified" the inner opening of the hammer enough to just miss the cap when closing and it worked out great It was only a small amount and would not hurt it if I went back to the origin barrel.

Good idea

[Battis]

Have you tried firing a cap to see if it works as is?

[Edward]

It should work as shown ,one of mine does. But you should get the hammer off just for 100%cleaning purposes

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello hylander,

The drum doesn't seem to be setting correctly into lock either. Is this a Kit Gun?
If you have a different hammer, compare how it's shaped.
The Hammer must be removed. Remove lock, loosen the screw maybe a turn or two and tap it with a hard rubber mallet while holding the hammer. Also try prying between the lock plate & hammer.
Don't try bending hammer without heat, I would guess glowing red heat.
Worst case you might have to profile hammer face to the nipple to get it squared up.

AntiqueSledMan.

[indian joe]

CVA Mountain Rifle:
I am thinking I will have to heat and bend the hammer out a touch.
But, do you think the hammer can take the heat and bend, or break?
I can not remove the hammer from the lock, it is on there to stay.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49527584243_849ef80691_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49528102891_b8eeeef2b6_c.jpg

Look at that again! the nipple is right on centre line of the hammer strike side to side - I bet someone has had the drum out of that rifle and turned it in a touch too far so the nipple drum needs turned a little to the rear so they meet more square - the nipple also looks too tall to me
I advise strongly against applying an oxy torch to the hammer - they are a cast steel - no telling if it will stand red heat or not .

[Texas by God]

I agree with Indian Joe- the drum is a hair too tight. Loosen it a red hair and all should be well.

[Eddie2002]

I had that problem with a CVA Hawken. The previous owner had tightened the drum too far and turning it back to it's proper position caused the drum to be loose. Ended up heating the hammer to cherry red with a oxy acetylene torch and moved it just enough to get it right. Kind of tricky to do but it worked. Finding the right place on the "S" curve to heat the hammer was the hard part. I used a socket that fit over the round head of the hammer with an extension to get leverage for the bending, whacking it with a hammer when hot gave some unexpected results that made the job a lot longer than expected. Only had to move it a fraction of an inch like your's.
If I had that rifle I would shorten the nipple and grind out the face of the hammer for a proper hit, it doesn't need much, heating and bending the hammer would be my last resort but would give a better looking end result if it doesn't break. Luck with it

[KCSO]

Yes you can get it off you just need to know how. You will need a punch small enough to fit in the #6 hole for the hamer screw and a punch block and a couple spacers. Disassemble the lock and don't lose the fly. Take out the hammer screw and support the lock plate on the spacers and tap out the tumbler.

Then you can heat the hammer enough to bend it. Heat with a Mapp gass torch and use a rod in a vise and put the bend of the hammer over the rod and tap it to spread it after it is red hot. Hold it with vise grips. Put it in wood ask to cool and do not quench it.

Do NOT try and turn the drum as it has an integral flash hole and it wont line up right if you turn it and you will have to turn it looser, not good.

[mooman76]

Looks to me like it would fire as is. I'd leave it the way it is as long as it fires reliably.

[country gent]

I would pull the drum and make a .002-.003 washer from steel shim stock and re install. this should move the nipple about 1 hour back and keep everything tight. Blue or brown the washer to match install with light coat of grease on threads and washer. Hard to tell for sure in pic but it looks like the cap isnt flat or parallel to hammer face either indicting its clocking to far forward in its timing.


The hammer can be bent but with the heat needed several things are needed. 1) the hammer has to come off. Otherwise the lock plate will be discolored and possibly warped, the springs will be annealed to a softer state. 2) a small holding fixture needs to be made to locate hammer and hold it flat and in line with a mark to where the nose needs to be. DOnt be surprised if this takes a couple trys as the hammer may "walk" back as it cools.

[waksupi]

Turning the drum would be the best solution, but as KCSO says, they have weird breeching. Heat and bend will probably be the best solution. It would take a lot of trial and error to get it hitting flat.
Another thing, you should put a V cut in the front of the hammer. Directs gases and fragments away from the shooter, and helps split the cap to make removal easier.

[n.h.schmidt]

I'm with country gent. If you can, move the drum. They are usually rusted tight. Even so I have moved three of them. All were rusted and eventually gave it up with Kroil . If you go this route and mess up the drum ,Track of the Wolf has replacements. Good price too.
n.h.schmidt

[725]

Heating & bending cast is a tricky thing. Many things can go wrong in a hurry. Back out the drum and shim it to the correct indexing. You've got a simple problem and bending the hammer is a complicated solution.

[LAGS]

I have bent a few TC hammers in the past.
I made a miniature Hickey bar like we use to bend rebar to bend them and put the pressure just where you need it.
But on a TC you don't have the option of rotating or shimming the drum.
So your options are limited.
Work with your drum first if you can.
Then last option would be to bend the hammer.

[bob208]

drum is too tight as stated above. back it off till it lines up. if too lose take it out put some lock tight on threads screw back in till it is lined up. this is not rocket science.

[OverMax]

It appears to me its previous owner filed the hammers cup flat so to gain some hammer reliability. Usually hammers are heat bent to accommodate scope usage. In this situation a ever-so-slight twist of the Drum may prove to be a easier solution. (per waksupi)

A friend of mine removed the hammer on a Cabela's sidelock haven been scoped by its previous owner. It was a saturday afternoon challenge to get it centered and flat hitting {as I was told.}

[Gtek]

Maybe just me, nipple looks replaced, what about a shorter nipple?

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello hylander,

After looking again I agree with Indian Joe.
Try putting a 6mm bolt into the nipple hole & see if you can turn the drum back a little.
It looks like it should line up. Then you can decide if you need a shim under it.

AntiqueSledMan.

[indian joe]

Turning the drum would be the best solution, but as KCSO says, they have weird breeching. Heat and bend will probably be the best solution. It would take a lot of trial and error to get it hitting flat.
Another thing, you should put a V cut in the front of the hammer. Directs gases and fragments away from the shooter, and helps split the cap to make removal easier.

I have had a few of these apart - plenty of lattitude inside to turn the drum a few degrees and not interfere with anything - the (internal) hole in the front of the threaded section of the drum is way smaller than bore diameter. like bob208 says this really aint rocket science - if the drum is not firm (unlikely) when its turned back to correct position - then take it out and use some loctite - while you have it out enlarge and polish that hole into the drum body to let the powder enter better
CVA's can be a headache with FFg powder - it bridges across that hole and you get a fail to fire - hangfire - unreliable ignition - easy fix is when loading give old betsy a few smart smacks in the chops with open hand to settle the powder charge into the nipple drum channel - its a good habit to get into with any muzzle loader really .

[pietro]

.

I wouldn't touch that hammer, since ( as noted above) it's centrally inline with the nipple.

Hammers can be bent to correct a side-to-side alignment, but it's quite another thing to extend the hammer's reach.

Turn the drum slightly counter-clockwise a tad - if it results in a loose nipple, R&R it after adding a very thin washer shim betwixt the drum & the barrel.


.

[hylander]

All Done, lines up great now.
Will take it out Tuesday to see how it shoots.
Cleaned up the original drum, cleaned up nicely.
Had to take a few thousandths off of the shoulder of the drum.
I marked the center of the hole and it is still lined up well.
It was way over tightened the first time, gorilla bob must have installed it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49541067156_bbbc5ffae7_c.jpg

[country gent]

Notice now how the side of the nipple base is parallel to the cut out on the stock, a much more professional look than before. Plus it looks like the cap will get a much more direct flatter hit from hammer. Better ignition and the solid even hit will help the nipple to last longer.