looking for tutorial on sears and tumblers.

1
i'm working on a replica 1859 sharps. during weapons inspection, i discovered that the sear/tumbler does not hold when i slap the hammer, either at half or full cock :wtf: . since the half-cock is supposed to be "safe", i consider this an unsafe condition, and pulled the weapon off the line :ohmg: . so i've had the lockplate off, disassembled and cleaned and lubed everything, and filed a tiny bit on the tumbler notches, (to no avail) which i believe are not deep enough.

i have another sharps i can compare it to, but meanwhile i've looked at midwayUSA's video on repairing the axtell tumbler and sear, and was hoping someone could point me to something similar. making a part is beyond my abilities, but i've a set of needle files and a dremel, and it doesn't look too awfully difficult to shape the notches a bit.

this particular rifle was in somewhat rough shape. i can't say if the owner has ever given it more than a superficial cleaning :problem: . i don't want to judge the man by the care he takes of his guns, but it's tempting... :hmmm:
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: looking for tutorial on sears and tumblers.

3
Fukshot wrote:If both are failing, perhaps the problem is the sear nose and not the tumbler?
makes sense. i'm not seeing any wear on the sear, but i'm not very familiar with this piece.
Fukshot wrote: If both notches have really gone bad, replace the part. That indicates a too soft or too hard tumbler.
the owner said something indistinct about already having had someone else work on it. it's possible they messed it up.
i think i can find the parts at VTI and numrich. numrich appears to have better prices.

i'll pull the lock off one of my guns to look at, talk to the owner, then decide what to do.

thanks for the help :beer2:
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: looking for tutorial on sears and tumblers.

4
i took the lock off my "new*" carbine to compare, and the sear in question looks fair but the tumbler is done. :evil: no hook whatsoever on the tumbler notches. someone who apparently knows even less than i do worked on this piece and did more harm than good. numrich has the parts so all is not lost. :yahoo:

i knew a good gunsmith in georgia, but have dealt with 2 here in middle tennessee who don't seem to know their jobs. i've fixed several of my own guns and other peoples' botch jobs with no training whatsoever, and this looks like a useful skill and interesting, so i'm going to learn what i can about it. this looks like an excuse to buy new tools, especially a good screwdriver set. :whistle:naturally, i'll rely on you guys if i get stuck. :thanks:

*new in this case means new to me. judging from the stampings, my carbine was made in 1977. :yikes:
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: looking for tutorial on sears and tumblers.

6
Fukshot wrote:I suggest the section on lock work in Black Powder Hobby Gunsmithing by Sam Fadala and Dale Storey. Sorry for not mentioning it earlier. Brain space has been devoted to my .32 heeled bullet tinkering.
wow, $90-some new, $50-some used :o. worth every penny, i'm sure, but too rich for my fixed-income blood :cry: . new sear and tumbler are on the way for $37.10 shipped. any idea how much i should charge for the repair?
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: looking for tutorial on sears and tumblers.

15
just an update.
got a new tumbler and sear from numrich, spent several hours hand fitting, got it all together and working yesterday.
this particular rifle (i've looked at 3 of them now) has a peculiar arrangement to hold the breech block closed. all the diagrams i've seen, and both of my rifles (an armi-sport and an IAB) have an elongated triangular spring which attaches to the bottom-rear of the barrel and bears on the breech lever. this one (an IAB) has a spring-loaded plunger mounted to the underside of the receiver.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests