1902 Winchester model 92 lever action hammer question

[LiveLife]

An elderly friend of a friend who has been hunting with a 1902 Winchester model 92 lever action stopped hunting due to age and medical conditions but had a question regarding hammer before he handed it down to the next generation.

He described the problem as hammer now dropping when he works the lever instead of staying locked.

When I Googled, following search results returned and described possible causes:

• Gradual swelling of stock is rubbing on the trigger parts to not stay cocked
• Hammer is worn and not catching the sear - There is nothing you can do

Since I am not familiar with lever action, could you enlighten me?

And if this is due to wear, could it be fixed?

Thank you.

 

[Jim Watson]

The 1892 is a typical complex Browning design, I have no thought of taking mine apart, so I can't comment in detail

"Gradual swelling of stock is rubbing on the trigger parts to not stay cocked"

Seems unlikely but you could take the buttstock off and see if it worked then.

Hammer is worn and not catching the sear - There is nothing you can do

Sure there is. Hammer and/or trigger could be replaced or rebuilt by welding and machining. Finding a replacement(s) or finding a gunsmith willing to fool with it would be the trick.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Sear spring may broken or gummed into place, the buttstock comes off by removing 2 screws in the grip frame, remove it and work the lever to see whats goin on.

 

[LiveLife]

Thanks for the guidance.

I will be inspecting/taking the stock off to get a closer look. I figured if hammer stays cocked without the stock, swollen wood would be suspect. If hammer drops without the stock, I will do a good cleaning and if hammer drop continues, will suspect sear wear.

 

[Tinman357]

After 118 years of use I would imagine it's fired a few rounds by now. You have a good diagnostic plan but plan for the sear to be worn as well as the hammer/sear interface. Could be a gummed up spring, but wear is more likely.

Period correct parts are still out there. But it will take a bit of hunting.

Let us know how it works out.

 

[LiveLife]

He said he has shot it on average one round to bag a deer each year (He is 80) so wear may not be an issue. I am hoping for the best but like you, suspect wear to be the culprit and will find out when I disassemble for much needed cleaning.

I will update after Friday.

 

[eastbank]

after over 60 years owning and shooting many different lever actions,both winchester-marlin rifles i can count on one hand any of them that were worn out due to normal shooting-hunting. i bought a old winchester 92 carbine in 44-40 made in 1909-1910 that looked like a smooth bore from a very large amount of shooting, but the inards were smooth as glass and the rifle still worked as it. shooting 3-4" groups at 50 yards. i lean towards a good cleaning to fix the problem, but if not 92 winchester parts are available.

 

[Kp321]

Hopefully a good cleaning will take care of the problem. The sear notch on the hammer is typically very shallow so it doesn’t take much crud to prevent the sear from holding. Failing that a good gunsmith can recut the hammer notch rather than having to replace the hammer. Yes, original hammers are available but pricy and may have the same problem.
Another thought, does the hammer stay cocked when hand cocked? If so, the problem is the hammer nose is worn and the bolt does not push it far enough to engage the sear. This is a very common problem but it requires a gunsmith to build up the hammer nose either with weld metal or an insert. I always opt for the insert from a harder metal to prevent future wear.

 

[doubleh]

Only one round a year. It sounds more like neglect and gunk than wear and tear. You will never know until you take it apart to see what it is.

 

[MauriceSam]

I just finished going through one in 32-20wcf that was made in 1904. It was my great grandfather's rifle. Has been stored unfired since the 1920's. Have no idea why it was not used anymore. Got it from my dad and had it checked out before doing anything else to it. It would not chamber a round like it's supposed to. Took it all apart and cleaned it. Put it back together and same issue. Pulled it back apart and looked at everything closer with a 10x eye loupe. Was amazed at how much crud I didn't get cleaned out. Cleaned thoroughly, and buffed up a few burrs that I found using the eye loupe. Now working as it should. My point, like others, check closely with magnification at sear points etc. In my case, it looked as though I did a good job initially, but what looked good to the naked eye, wasn't completely done.

 

[Project355]

Trigger nose (sear) damage perhaps, if it werr dropped while cocked or half cocked. Trogger/seat spring not right.

Many excellent disassembly vids on YouTube.