Hammer repair on a 22/32 target

[992B]

The hammer spur broke off on my old 22/32 Heavy Frame Target model. I found the piece of the hammer and it is about 3/16ths long and a clean break. What are the recommendations for the repair and who can do such repairs? I want to keep this nice old shooter original, so the repair, rather than replacement of the hammer is my goal. Thanks, Gary

[ken158]

Find a period correct replacement is your only option. Some may pop on and say it can be fixed but it will not look right, may not function properly and will always be a weak part of your gun.

[garbler]

I've had a couple of hammer spurs modified or offset strong side for BE competition years ago along the lines of the King Sight Company design. The work was done by a very good tig welder friend and held up as long as I shot and owned these model 14's.

Keep in mind the case hardening is normally around .003-.004" thick so this has to be factored in. Once welded the hammer will always look repaired as I have yet to see anybody blend or match the case hardened appearance of a off-the-shelf factory hammer.
Who knows you may be the first. In the final analysis I agree with the previous poster it's probably easier and cheaper to locate another hammer and fit it up

Good luck

[Bekeart]

Since you have the piece and a clean break - would silver solder be an option.

I just remember an OLD gunsmith who did many repairs with silver solder rebuilding hands and cylinder locking bolts.

Have NO knowledge if silver solder would have enough strength for this job. Somebody with knowledge will probably jump in and comment.

Bekeart

[usnrigger]

Find a period correct one, it will be cheaper and look better in long run.
Tig welding your looking at 75$'ish a hour, plus the cleaning up the welds and the cost to case color it.

[tlay]

I agree. The hammer is not a serial numbered part so there is no reason not to change it. Just find the period correct hammer. Put a want to buy on this forum.
Trying to weld up this broken hammer will never look right. The cost to weld it and re-caseharden will far exceed the cost of a replacement.

[usnrigger]

plus, I did some work on a humpback hammer. As I saw this as a worthy cause to try and restore back to original shape. Welding on 50+ year old metal is a PITA. all that oil that the metal has absorbed into the pours ext... I had more time going it to fix little voids. I had 10Hrs of TIG, bench and case color into it, plus the checkering of the top, it looked a whole lot better but still not perfect.

[2152hq]

A replacement for the best look.
For repair, I'd recommend a silver solder (hard solder) job since the break is so clean.
The hammer can be protected from heat damage (annealing) and the spur can be repaired w/o drawing back the hardness in the sear notch.
It'll take a bit of set up to get things in place but once ready to go, a quick heat w/a Acetylene torch w/a small tip (0),,that broken spur could be sweat soldered right back into position. A hair line of solder hardly noticeable if done correctly.

Cost wise, it'd probably cost as much to repair as it would to replace,,or near as much. I'm guessing $100 +/- for the part/repair.
A replacement would be my first choice but parts for the pre-war22/32 are not littering the landscape either!

[6string]

I strongly encourage you to contact Pullman Arms and let them know what you've got. They have a repair process called microwelding. It will return your hammer to full utility with no effect on heat treating or finish.
Just google the name above and it will come right up.
They specialize in repairs of collectible firearms for which parts are no longer easily available.
I had them repair the trigger on a nice Luger. The right side pin broke off clean. They got it back together with perfect alignment. There was a very small amount of extra metal around the base of the pin from the repair. It was no problem dressing this off with a couple file strokes. We did it that way so I only had to ship the part, not the whole gun. You can't even see the repair.
Turnaround was about two weeks.

I'm fully confident that you'll love the results.

Jim

[6string]

* Gunsmithing Services

Here's the link for Pullman arms and their repair services. Check out the pics at the bottom.

Jim

[992B]

A friend of a friend, a retired welder, was able to reattach the broken spur to the hammer.The welder used a gas torch, but souldn't divilge much else!! The weld was done and is barely noticeable after the weld was filed down. After over 100 rounds were fired at the range, the weld seems to be holding nicely. The sides of the hammer are now in the white and I think it will stay that way. Gary

[the armanian]

I have a very early hammer not sure but think its for a k frame the hammer nose is broken off.I you think it might work I will give it to you.
Peter

[992B]

Armanian, thank you for the kind offer! The 22/32 I have has a floating firing pin in the frame and a flat nose hammer. It is an I-frame revolver. What you have could be for a centerfire revolver, either a .32 I-frame or a .38 k-frame. Hang onto it as someone here may well need a centerfire hammer. Hammer noses can be obtained. Thanks again, Gary

[JSR III]

Although not what you might be looking for but a "bobbed" hammer on the .22/32's has been seen on several examples. It is believed that some folks altered the hammers on these guns so as not to catch the web between the thumb and index finger while shooting double action.

I have one with this modification in my collection and have read about it here in several threads.

Finding a NOS hammer would be ideal however, I am not sure how many you will be able to find. Another common problem with these guns seems to be broken or missing rear sights. It appears that when folks adjusted the rear screw without backing out the front screw often broke the leaf. I have seen this on multiple guns and have several in my collection.

Trying to locate a replacement rear sight has been almost impossible.