Hammer face

[Montreb]

Just noticed quite a bit of ping/scoring on the hammer face of my new Henry.  Is this common due to the soft metal Uberti is using and is it a problem?     

[Pettifogger]

If your hammer was properly heat treated you shouldn't see any significant wear for thousands of rounds.

[Major 2]

Ditto...    my circa 1980 Henry in 44.40 has seen countless rounds.
It was sold in 1988, but I bought it back in 08
20 years it was my friend main match, pryor to that countless reenacting blanks (444 Marlin)
and many a box of live 44/40 with me.
It's a little shinnier where it strikes the pin but pinning or dimpling.


My circa 1996 had been main match since 99, until 09 when I stared to use the then new 06 steel frame
model.... same thing no issues....

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Picture Is Worth 1000 Words Department.

Here are a couple of photos of the face of the hammer on my Henry. This has been my main match rifle for the last three or four years. There is a little bit of marring on the face of the hammer but you actually have to look close to see it. You ain't gonna slam the hammer into the firing pin extension thousands of times without seeing a little bit of marring.

[Major 2]

Mark sent this photo

if his is a new gun then this does seem a lot of wear...
I have suggested he contact Uberti....



turns out it's from Cimarron ..... mayhaps they will help ....Abilene  ?

[Montreb]

Thanks Roger for getting those up.  I really need to figure that out!   Here's more info:  I picked the Henry up at a gun show last month and have put about 40 rds through it.  It didn't appear to have been fired a WHOLE lot, bluing is very crisp, rifling good and screws aren't marred (as though it had been disassembled).  I've tried searching the proof marks and serial # prefixes, but still can't figure out the manufacture date. 

Thanks for the help and suggestions,
Mark

[Montreb]

Ok- Upon examining the rear face of the firing pin extension (thanks Driftwood Johnson) I noticed a raised "tit" in the very center.  My '73 doesn't have this.  Shall I replace the pin extension?  Or just file/polish it off?

Mark

[Montana Slim]

Ok- Upon examining the rear face of the firing pin extension (thanks Driftwood Johnson) I noticed a raised "tit" in the very center.  My '73 doesn't have this.  Shall I replace the pin extension?  Or just file/polish it off?

Mark

I'd polish it off in a heartbeat.

Another easy modification that may save you some grief & $$ down the road is to remove the mainspring and polish it lengthwise to remove all the coarse transverse grinding marks left at the factory 

Slim

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

That 'raised tit' is an imperfection left over from the turning operation of the firing pin extension. Sometimes when round parts are turned on a lathe, the part will separate from the rest of the stock before the cutter is completely finished making its cut. In that case a raised nub will remain at the center of the part. All the parts for Uberti guns are mass produced on CNC machinery and the inspection process may be a bit lacking. So some parts like that probably sneak into finished guns. Like I told you earlier, the hammer smacking that raised nub repeatedly as left a small round dent in the hammer face. Nothing you can do about it now, the hammer is already dented. If it wuz me, I would remove the part and file down the nub with a couple of strokes of a file. Then I would smooth up the underside of the firing pin extension that has caused the flat line you see on the hammer. Every time you work the action, that sharp corner is digging into the hammer a tiny bit.

A bunch of years ago Happy Trails did an action job on both my '73 and my Henry. Part of Hap's action job was to always pay particular attention to that portion of parts that rubbed against other parts. He would always polish the rear of the firing pin extension to a mirror finish, including rounding off that sharp corner on the underside of the firing pin extension ever so slightly. By polishing the rubbing pars Hap reduces friction, which makes the parts work together more smoothly. That is the heart of a good action job. Hap has gone over many of my guns, including modern Smith and Wessons, and often finds a tiny burr somewhere that has been causing a slight 'hitch in the get along'. He makes short work of polishing the offending surface and the guns always come back to me working much smoother than when I gave them to him.

Your hammer has some relatively ugly wear marks on it now and nothing short of grinding down the surface is going to make those go away. I don't suggest this because you will probably go through the surface case hardening and make the situation worse. You might also change the geometry of the parts enough that you make things worse. However if you smooth up the end of the firing pin extension you might find the gun actually works a little bit smoother. The hardest part will be getting the part out. Smoothing it up should take about five minutes.

[Major 2]

Happy to oblige..here is your photo Montreb...

I'd echo what both DJ & Slim have said ...

[Montreb]

Thanks again to all!   . I'll dress that extension up, shoot it and love it- scars and all.

Mark

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

Yup, that is a nub left when the lathe cut the part off a little bit too early. It should have been caught at the factory, but it wasn't. By the way, that view gives you a good look at what I have been talking about with the straight line. The hard edge between the vertical face on the firing pin extension and the beveled face is what caused that straight line across your hammer. Every time you work the lever, that hard edge is shoving against the hammer  face. Watch closely what happens when you work the lever. Watch as that hard edge shoves its way up the hammer face. That hard edge is actually doing more damage to your hammer face than the raised nub. The nub has dug a hole as deep as it is going to get. It ain't going to get any worse. But that hard edge will eventually dig a tiny trench across the hammer face. Then every time you work the lever, the hard edge will have to climb out of the trench it has dug. This is going to add some resistance to working the lever, just at the point where you don't want it.

I would take care of that hard edge. Round it over ever so slightly and then give the new rounded surface a micro-polish. Just round it a teeny bit, just enough to break the sharp edge. You will notice that it is a little bit smoother to work the lever after you do.

[Montreb]

Now I'll endeavor to resist not replacing that hammer...  I hate being a frustrated perfectionist!

Mark

[Montreb]

Couldn't help it- I found a replacement hammer on GUNBROKER for $40.  It is a bit different from my current hammer, as the sides are hollowed.  Has anyone else seen a Henry/66 hammer like this?


Mark

[Pettifogger]

Couldn't help it- I found a replacement hammer on GUNBROKER for $40.  It is a bit different from my current hammer, as the sides are hollowed.  Has anyone else seen a Henry/66 hammer like this?


Mark

Like what?  You need to post a photo so we know what your are talking about.

[Montreb]

Here it is.

[Coffinmaker]

Well ......... it appears to be a standard Uberti Hammer that has been milled out to make it lighter for competition.  It has been thought a lighter hammer results in faster lock time.  The down side is with the reduced mass, it may or may not have enough "whack" to give reliable ignition.  Hence it's availability on gun broker.
The CAS shooters who might benefit from the "faster lock time" also shoot with heavier springs than some to achieve the quicker lock time.  I personally don't shoot with anyone who can out run their hammer.  They can and do get all hosed up and out of time with their rifle, but, they don't out run the hammer.
Not sure that milled hammer will benefit ya.  But ......... since you own it, might as well try it

Coffinmaker

[Abilene]

Montreb, don't know if you are a SASS shooter or not, but that hammer would not be legal for SASS (external modification).

[Montreb]

Dern my luck!  What I get for trying to save $20.  I guess I've wasted more cash on worse things....look at the bright side, I didn't put money down on a Merwin & Hulbert 

Mark Hoffman