TTN Missfires

[Mossyrock]

Gents,

I recently purchased a Cimarron/TTN 1878 double 12ga.  Overall, I am very pleased with it.  Neat piece of hardware!  My only issue is a 20-30% miss-fire rate on the left barrel.  To me, this sounds like a light hammer spring, or not enough firing pin protrusion.  I would check the hammer spring and see if the are any burrs mucking up the works, but I can't get the locks out!  I removed the lock screws, but the locks will not budge.  After 30 years of messing with caplock and flintlock muzzleloaders, I like to think I have some idea how a side lock should work, but this thing has me stumped.  Suggestions?

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Mossyrock

      You can call Walt Johnson, at ( 949 ) 7071718, if you can't fix it yourself, to get the lock off all you need to do is loosen both the side screw, and remove them, then take an ice pick or long nail and put in the hole and tap the other side out, the screws are attached to a removable post, the post needs to fall a little so you can make contact with the side plate from the inside, the side plate should fall out, then you can tap out the other side, once inside you can clean everything out and check if there might be something stuck in the firing pin, or see if the pin has any bures, I did this with mine before I even shot it for the first time, it's good to degrease it and debure what ever needs it , and then reoil, with good gun oil, I use Gun Butter, which you can buy right here at Cas City, if your interested just give Marshal Hollaway a call. I hope this will be of some help to you, let me know how it all comes out. One thing when putting your locks back on, fasten one side of the removed post to one of the side plates, it makes putting everything back together a piece of cake.


                                                tEN wOLVES 

[Mossyrock]

OK, I got the locks off and scrubbed a bunch of grunge from the inside of the locks.  I took the miss-firing lock apart and don't see anything real obvious wrong.  I polished a few spots that had bearing marks, lubed it and put it back together.  When manipulating the lock without the main spring, it is obvious that the left lock isn't as slick as the right lock, but I don't see anything obvious that would cause the difference.  After reassembly, I am finding no change; I still have an unacceptable  miss-fire rate.  I ran ten rounds through, and NONE of them fired on the first whack from the left barrel, some of them taking three hammer falls to set them off.

I guess I will call Mr. Johnson tomorrow and see if he will take just the lock in for repair, or if I need to send the whole gun.  Needless to say, I'd rather just send him the lock......

[Pettifogger]

Is the nut on the left side firing pin screwed all the way down?

[Mossyrock]

Is the nut on the left side firing pin screwed all the way down?

Yes it is.  I am pretty sure it is the left-hand action itself.  It just doesn't FEEL the same as the right lock.

[John Taylor]

Mossyrock, I should have your 94 done today. Bring the shotgun with you when you pick it up and I will look at it.

[Mossyrock]

Mossyrock, I should have your 94 done today. Bring the shotgun with you when you pick it up and I will look at it.

John,

I won't be able to make it today...got that pesky work thing goin' on.....When I make it over, I will bring the TTN and another goody I picked up that you will WANT to look at...trust me.....

[Montana Slim]

Pard,

Have you checked for any spots that the lock-works, or hammer may be rubbing on the stock?

Regards,
Slim

[Mossyrock]

Pard,

Have you checked for any spots that the lock-works, or hammer may be rubbing on the stock?

Regards,
Slim

Yup.  No rubbing.  I tried some factory ammo this weekend, and guess what?  No missfires.  With Magtech brass shells and WW LP primers I still had a 100% first-time missfire rate on the left barrel.  It will fire on the second or third drop of the hammer, but never the first.  Who would have thought that shotgun primers were so much easier to fire than pistol primers!  I am going to try Federal LP primers next and see what happens.....

[Abilene]

Mossy, since it pops factory ammo, I wonder if maybe the firing pin is a little too blunt for the LP primers.  Possibly a little careful file work to sharpen the FP without shortening might help?  Also wonder what would happen if you swapped the firing pins from one side to the other.

[Tucson Jim]

 any updates on this?

[Mossyrock]

Well, it has not misfired with any factory ammo, and it seems to work fine with brass cases after I switched from Winchester primers to Federal.  I guess you could call that "problem solved"

[Hoof Hearted]

You could always drill out the Magtech primer pockets and use 209 primers
I did and they are just as easy to load.