Schofield hammer won't hold at full cock-problem solved

[Manuel]

The hammer doesn't hold in the full cock position on my S&W Schofield (Model 3 I think). I do usually hear a click at the end of the hammer pull but don't feel anything catch. Half cock position works fine.

What might cause this full cock problem?

Any suggestions for trying to diagnose and correct this problem?

 

[opoefc]

Most of the time, problems like this are just the result of 130 yrs of old grease , dirt & crud in the action. Take it apart and give everthing a good cleaning That usually solves the problem. If not, then carefuly check the cock notches on the hammer for breakage and excessive wear. The sear on a Schofield is part of the trigger, so check it's alignment with the full cock notch. Correction of any of these problems should be left to a good gunsmith. Ed.

 

[Manuel]

Ed

Would soaking the firearm in a bucket of Kroil help if the problem is that of crud, dried oil,etc. in the action? I'm not a gunsmith! I'd like to try what I can do without taking the firearm apart before sending to a gunsmith.

 

[jmcghee]

It might help ,short term.The problem is ,the majority of the crud ,you loosen,will stay inside the gun. Unless you remove the sideplate to remove it.(the crud)

 

[Manuel]

Jim

Looks like just two screws in the sideplate. Anything else need to be removed or loosened before the side plate screws are removed and frame struck on the opposite side to loosen or pop up the plate? Will anything fall out of place when I do this? I do have gunsmithing screwdrivers and bits and am familiar with automatics . Just never touched a revolver before.

Manuel

 

[opoefc]

A good soaking is the first step, but as Jim says, you have to remove the loose crud. Remove the side plate and stocks, and then use air hose to carefully blow out the dissolved crud, if you don't feel competent to remove the action parts. With the side plate off, you can work the action and see the condition of the trigger sear & the cock notches. The side plate is easy to remove if you do the following: (1) Carefully take out the sideplate screw with a screw driver that fits the screw slots firmly. (2)Take off the grips. (3) Take a rubber or wooden hammer and tap the grip frame. The sideplate should pop up and loosen enough to remove it. Never try to pry off the side plate. Sometimes you find that years ago someone tried to repair the "won't hold" problem by recutting the cock notch on the hammer, however they cut through the case hardening, leaving a soft metal notch that quickly wore out. If that's the case, the hammer must be replaced and the gun retimed. Welding up the notches and recutting them is possible, with new case hardening, but that must be done by an expert and is expensive. Good luck, Ed.

 

[Manuel]

Thanks to both Jim and Ed

I'll post what I see after the soaking and after removing the side plate.

Manuel

 

[Manuel]

Side plate came off easily (after I figured out that I needed to remove the barrel catch first!). It was clean, i.e. no gunk or debri or parts rusted and frozen. The problem-I was not pulling the hammer back far enough to engage the sear on the trigger into the notch on the hammer. The last few thousandths of an inch is a hard pull for engagement (I had been expecting it to easily click into place with no additional force at the end of the pull as with my modern revolvers). I have to ask-is what I am describing the way it is suposed to be?

See pictures for sear and hammer positions.