Old Stevens Single Shot 12 Ga Hammer/Firing Pin Issue

flintlock

Old Stevens Single Shot 12 Ga Hammer/Firing Pin Issue

1 by flintlock

Greetings,

I have a very old Stevens single shot 12ga that when fired (or attempted to) the hammer stops short of hitting the firing pin and so the pin does not strike the primer. It cocks seemingly as it should, the trigger releases the hammer, but the hammer falls about 3/16 or so shy of following all the way through. It's almost as if there's a safety that holds the hammer back from full motion, but this gun has no safety. Years ago I attempted to disassemble the action to see if I could figure out what was wrong, but it was more complex just to get it apart than I realized and I didn't even get in there far enough and I decided not to proceed at that time. I'm no gunsmith but I'm plenty handy. I could just take it to gunsmith, but I'm curious if I can sort it out.

Thanks.

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rolandson

Re: Old Stevens Single Shot 12 Ga Hammer/Firing Pin Issue

2 by rolandson

If it's valuable to you, listen to your inner voice, take it to a tech. If you don't care one way or the other, go for it.

My approach is to make certain everything is well oiled so that pins slide with relative ease. I use a magnetic tray because pins that slide with relative ease might easily slide away. And I record notes (voice) as I'm doing it (lately with a video camera running) so that I can get things back from whence they came.

And of course... proper tools. No improv.

“People want leadership, and in the absence of genuine leadership they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone.”Aaron Sorkin/Michael J Fox The American President
Subliterate Buffooery of the right...
Literate Ignorance of the left...

Bisbee

Re: Old Stevens Single Shot 12 Ga Hammer/Firing Pin Issue

3 by Bisbee

Taken from a Stevens collector’s online forum:

(The 94H) has a rebounding hammer. Pull trigger, hammer flys forward hits firing pin and rebounds back away from the firing pin. When trigger is released after the shot the hammer should be held off the firing pin in the "rebound" position.

The mainspring strut has an end shaped like a horseshoe....one leg pushes hammer forward....other leg applies pressure against the hammer to ease the hammer back away from the firing pin after the strike and keeps the hammer from touching the firing pin again until its recocked and released by the trigger.

So......to test.

Empty gun,

Install all the factory parts you removed, in their proper orientation.

Empty gun, close the action.

fullcock the hammer. (Empty gun)

Point in safe direction, EMPTY GUN

Grasp hammer spur with thumb, pull trigger and hold trigger back full.

Ease hammer down, it won't touch firing pin. (i.e. it'll come to rest without reaching the firing pin)

Still holding trigger back full, push hammer forward with thumb, it should move forward under some spring resistance and contact firing pin.

If the hammer works as described above, normal function. Go test fire.

"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

flintlock

Re: Old Stevens Single Shot 12 Ga Hammer/Firing Pin Issue

4 by flintlock

Bisbee wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2024 6:13 am Taken from a Stevens collector’s online forum:

(The 94H) has a rebounding hammer. Pull trigger, hammer flys forward hits firing pin and rebounds back away from the firing pin. When trigger is released after the shot the hammer should be held off the firing pin in the "rebound" position.

The mainspring strut has an end shaped like a horseshoe....one leg pushes hammer forward....other leg applies pressure against the hammer to ease the hammer back away from the firing pin after the strike and keeps the hammer from touching the firing pin again until its recocked and released by the trigger.

So......to test.

Empty gun,

Install all the factory parts you removed, in their proper orientation.

Empty gun, close the action.

fullcock the hammer. (Empty gun)

Point in safe direction, EMPTY GUN

Grasp hammer spur with thumb, pull trigger and hold trigger back full.

Ease hammer down, it won't touch firing pin. (i.e. it'll come to rest without reaching the firing pin)

Still holding trigger back full, push hammer forward with thumb, it should move forward under some spring resistance and contact firing pin.

If the hammer works as described above, normal function. Go test fire.

Wow. Thank you. I wondered if there was something along these lines, but I couldn't understand what. I'll try this, then I'll try it with an empty shell with primer intact.