[Hardtarget]

I have a Savage, model 72, .22 rifle. The hammer spring broke. This gun is almost identical to the Stevens Favorite. These are not complicated firearms. My problem is...I can't get the pin, ( the pivot pin for the hammer) OUT. It will not move. I've put a penetrating oil on both sides, let soak, no movement. Will I be better off to send it to a gunsmith rather than doing damage to the gun? I'm not too proud to ask for help...I just want it fixed without marring the frame...and I like shooting the little gun! :D
I'm in the mid-Tenn area, so if you know a "go to" 'smith in this area, I'd appreciate his name. Thanks for your help.
Mark.

[GeorgeR]

You'll get 100 different ways to remove a stuck pin, and none of them are wrong. You just have to keep trying till you find the right one. Here's what I'd do...soak it in Kroil for a few days. Then, make sure you have a solid base-if your bench has any give or bounce, get on the concrete floor. Use a steel bench block. Have your wife hold a correct size starter punch. If she won't do it use a pair of vise grips. Hit the tapered punch smartly with a two pound hammer. If that doesn't work, sometimes a little heat and/or lightly tapping the stuck area repeatedly will work. It will come out. Keep trying.

[GeorgeR]

Wait a minute! The hammer pivot on a Favorite is a screw. Are you sure it's a pin?

[Hardtarget]

Pin...screw? I rechecked...there are no slots on either side. This is a Savage model 72. I'll try the Kroil and time. Maybe I'll be more successful if I slow down a little. Thanks again...I'll be back.
Mark.

[Jim K]

The Gun Parts Corp catalog shows the Model 72 Savage as having pins, not screws, for the hammer and trigger. The hammer spring is a mousetrap type that fits inside the hammer, not a flat spring like the older guns. It also has a frame mounted firing pin and a transfer bar. It shows almost all parts as being available including the hammer spring.

You will probably need a slave pin in the hammer to reassemble the gun.

Jim