Invest Arm .50 hammer problems

P

pointfive0

BANNED
BANNED
BANNED
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I inherited my dad's 1977 Euroarms of America .50 Hawken rifle (made in Italy by Invest Arms, same as Cabela's and Lyman's Hawkens rifles) and I am getting very frustrated with it. I'm about to abandon BP altogether if I get another stuck ball.

The hammer is off center of the nipple. Apparently this is a common problem. My dad claims to have NEVER had any problems with this gun. He always kept it clean and washed after every use. No rust or pitting in the barrel at all. I, on the other hand, have had nothing but misfires with this thing. First off, the percussion caps only go off 1 in 3 tries. I had old CVA caps, bought new ones thinking that was the problem. CCI #11 Magnum caps still same problem.

When the caps DO go off, I get the occasional misfire. I had a click-bang once (heard the cap go, fraction of a second later the black powder ignited). But twice now I've had a complete mis fire, 10 or so caps go off and nothing. Out comes the worm screws. Woops! Brass end came off inside the barrel. Off to the welding shop to get a nipple welded to air hose fitting.

I think maybe I'm not "rapping" the gun enough to settle the powder down. Is it a good idea to pack it down with the rod before inserting patch and ball? What can I do about the off center hammer, short of heating it and bending it a bit? I've taken out the mechanism and everything seems to fit nice and tight.
 
I have had one in 54 for 18 years and never had trouble. EVER. I bought it from a guy that used the sh%t out of it for 20 years and never cleaned it once. It still shoots about 6"'s at a 100 with a patched round ball and open sights. You must be doing something wrong. Have you taken the nipple out and cleaned it? have you taken the brach plug out and cleaned the barrel properly? I have never heard of an off center hammer on one either. I would like to see pictures of it.
 
Sounds like the flash hole might be clogged. If you can remove the barrel and and put it in a bucket of hot soapy water, use your jagger as a plunger, and leave the nipple in to create a bit of pressure to clean out the flash hole.
I've heated and bent a couple of hammers without any problem.
You don't need to rap the powder down or pack it before the patch and ball.
Cheers nessy
 
Nessy has it right, and I would like to add that you may need a new nipple. The one you have may be mushroomed and not letting the cap on all the way. As far as the hammer hitting the nipple strait on, you can heat and bend the hammer or loosen and adjust the lock. I have done that on my wifes Traditions and not had a problem since. Another thing you need to do run a dry patch through the barrel before loading, then pop a cap to clear you flash channel. One more thing is don't store the rifle standing up, flip it over and have the barrel down. This will stop oil/lube whatever you use to store it, from settling in the flash channel. I will also like to add, use real black powder, it works best.
 
Thanks for all the great replies!

I have changed the nipple three times now and no luck. Billdick do you mean the screw on the side of the breach or the actual breach? I was told chances are very slim that I can get the breach off without damaging the rifle. I do, however, take out the little screw every time I wash the gun. I also put a drop of oil on it when I re-install it. Could this oil be fouling my powder?

I always use real black powder.

How do I adjust the lock???
 
How do I adjust the lock???

Loosen the screws that hold the lock, and try tipping it one way or the other to see if things line up better. My wifes tradition took a small piece of match stick on the bottom side of the lock, to make things line up. If that dosen't work you may need to heat and bend the hammer.
 
The oil in the breechplug cleanout may not be the best idea. Something you should always do when you shoot for the first time after storage is pop 2 - 3 caps on the nipple to dry it out in the barrel and breech area. Also, put a cap on the nipple and hold the muzzle up to a leaf or some grass (or even powdery snow) and pull the trigger - see if what's in front of the muzzle moves. If not, you probably have a blockage in the cap-flash-to-the-main-powder-charge area (touchhole). Another thing you can do that will really help is to order a replacement nipple that uses musket caps (top-hats) instead of #11's. They are much hotter and will be far more likely to light the main charge. Check Trackofthewolf.com
 
you mention that the hammer is offcenter --- is the recessed tip of the hammer dragging on the cap as the hammer falls? If so it can slow the hammer down enough to give misfires. To correct it heat take the hammer off and heat it red hot and twist or bend it so that it is centered on the nipple.
If there is only one screw up high securing the lock; are you tightening it too much and is the lock rotating in at the top throwing the hammer off center? maybe you don't have to bend the hammer but concentrate on lock position.
The misfires suggest some sort of blockage in the flash channel. After the gun fires once, do all successive shots fire or does the problem persist. Oil in the barrel should cease to be a problem after the first shot and of course as previously said, snap a couple of caps before loading the first time.
Are you sure the gun is Italian? Spanish guns often used a drum to support the nipple and the drum screwed almost all the way through the barrel. The opening to the powder chamber is very small and the system is very prone to plugging. If so you need to take out the clean out screw and run a close fitting drill in with your fingers and clean out any clogging. When you clean the gun take the nipple out and run lots of warm water through the barrel to wash the flash channel clean.

cheers mooncoon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom