Details
I will preface these comments to say that no one person should consider themselves as singled out, since any posted previous comments could just as easily have been posted by another in a different thread. I will consider these as all-encompassing, rather than specific to the posts here.
I am always amused by descriptions of shooters using very old guns, and bragging that it hadn't been apart since it was put together, etc. I might take exception to the statement that "they work just fine", and replace with "they worked the last time it was shot".
How many shooters use guns that are operating with lube over 10 years old inside, without a professional disassembly and thorough cleaning, with fresh lube?
How many of these same people would drive a car with 10 year old oil in the engine, if they found a collector car in a barn in blocks, not been started in 10 years? Only if you were "teched", right?
The first time an old gun fires when it is closed or bumped, due to old crud blocking proper engagement of the sear (like on plenty of old Winchester 97's, for example), I hope all that money you saved on gunsmith bills buys a good doctor or casket or lawyer.
Hosing an action with spray should only be considered an expedient, not a substitute for proper cleaning. Figure that a malfunction on a hunting trip could possibly be aided by a spray-out, but still no overall cure. Spray cannot possibly remove crud trapped inside a blind hole, and even ultrasonic cleaning has the same limitations. I know, I use them here, and have been selling ultrasonic machines for 15 years, besides.
Many mechanisms have been "cleaned" without disassembly over the years, whether by spray or ultrasonic immersion bath. I don't consider that as a substitute for a real cleaning, where parts can also be thoroughly examined for wear conditions to determine if any safety compromise is present. A gunsmith can see things novices might miss or fail to recognize as a potential safety issue.
I had a shooter here with a basically brand new condition 20 year old 1100, and the lube was gunking the innards enough to cause functional problems. Try using spray to remove the old lube inside an action spring tube that is plugged by parts on both ends of 11" of tube.
An ultrasonic application still did not clear all of the crud from this spring assembly.
Even if it had cleaned away every speck, you would have been unaware that the spring was considerably shorter than the replacement shown.
This is one part assembly that is normally not recommended to be disassembled, unless trouble functioning indicates necessity, but see what those imposed limitations can conceal.
Which of these parts look likely to retain crud and cause a future malfunction, if not disassembled? How about the parts beneath the floorplate?
Now for the details about the sear assemblies.
These B/SS hammers have no interceptor sear notches (or hammer blocks, etc.)
This hammer has the fully-cocked sear notch above an interceptor notch, to catch the hammer if dislodged or insufficiently cocked. See that the other notch is deeper, so more likely to intercept the hammer/sear juncture during an unintended hammer fall. Some designs have a completely separate safety-type hammer catch sear bar that is only removed from hammer interference when the trigger is pulled and simultaneously actuating the hammer block catch.
Sufficient clarification?
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