'nother under

surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Making another underhammer, this time all parts, except the barrel, from scratch.

Here's the rough hammer and trigger.

Hammer from a 1/2"x1-1/2" bar stock, trigger from 1/4" sheet.
 

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surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
After months of covid delays, I got back to work on it, and after three attempts at bending, tempering, and annealing, I got a working spring.

Having checked the half cock and sear engagement, I may make another spring, and trim the trigger so I can shorten the spring and lower it's profile.

For now, it'll do.

Tomorrow, some tang, breech and barrel stuff ...
 

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surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Breech made from the same stock as the hammer. Tang from 1/4" bar, dovetailed into the top of the breech.

Breech plug is 3/4" threaded into a 36 twist Colerain 54 cal, groove and bore customed for a maxiball.

Barrel/plug held to breech with a 1:40 taper pin.
 

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surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Waiting for my nipples before I do some hammer work, so why not rough in a forearm?

Fits so good, it's almost like I used the barrel itself as a shave...
 

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Hoss

Eight Pointer
Are you making parts by filing. Just curious been a toolmaker for 35 years most people don't know what goes into producing metal products or parts. Good job.
 

surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Are you making parts by filing. Just curious been a toolmaker for 35 years most people don't know what goes into producing metal products or parts. Good job.
Yeah, I go through some files. And hacksaw blades. And drill bits. The slot that the mainspring fits in was actually a series of 1/16 holes, some brute force to get a needle file in it, as well as a hacksaw blade that I ground down the backside of to make its depth short enough it get into the drilled holes, then a lot of elbow grease to slot it the rest of the way.

I had to cheat a little, as the plate for the trigger and hammer is knife blade steel, and its been a pain to work. So I filed a 1/2" diameter notch into it, and wired welded some softer steel bar into that, and drilled and tapped that to handle the tang screw.

May seem like extra effort, but all that filing helped remove the broken tap.. :rolleyes:
 
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surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
@Hoss If you watch the video, there is a small spring at the top of the trigger, I pointed it out. The hole for that was supposed to be tapped for a number 6 screw, but I broke the damn drill bit off in it, the same way I broke the tap for the #10 tang screw.

My own fault really, I was using a smaller vice than the one I should have been using, and the part slipped.

So for the Broken #6, I redrilled down to the level of the broken bit for a number 8 screw, then threw the whole thing in the freezer. After a couple hours, and a beer, I viced it up proper, took a hardened steel rod and gave it a firm smack.

The broken bit shattered, I cleaned it out, finished the hole, tapped it properly in the big vice, and proceeded to make two practice springs before I got one that didn't break :rolleyes: , was not over annealed so it didn't straighten out under initial setting :rolleyes: and provided adequate pressure to set the trigger when cocked.

Maybe if I make another dozen or so, I'll get it worked out without screw ups
 

surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Sruveyor I have a stupid question . Do all side lock and under hammer muzzleloaders have a breech plug separate from the barrel and can they be removed?
All the ones I've seen.

Whether its a threaded stud to fit through a receiver plate, or a threaded tang.

Age, fit and maintenance may make it a pain to remove, but they are all typically designed that way.
 

CutNRun

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Does it have a name? I named a few of mine, though most I use the Make, model, or caliber to identify it. Seems to me it ought to have a proper name since you created it. Maybe that's just me.... Pretty work no matter what you call it.

Jim
 

surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Does it have a name? I named a few of mine, though most I use the Make, model, or caliber to identify it. Seems to me it ought to have a proper name since you created it. Maybe that's just me.... Pretty work no matter what you call it.

Jim
Jim, I call it "The UnderHammer of Jethro". Or Jethro for short.
 
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