Light primer dents on 20 ga USH

[Cement Man]

I believe I have 7 NEF H&R/NEF Pardner/Handi/Topper guns with many barrels.  More than I can shoot.  Last fall a good friend was starting his daughter on slug hunting and I gave him one of my 20ga USH guns with a muzzleloader accessory barrel. Seeing a father getting his daughter into hunting is reward enough for me.  I started my daughter on a NEF rig - before the rifled barrels were out.

Anyway, I used my remaining 20 ga. USH to bag a nice 8 pointer this year.  With Lightfield Hybreds, the gun is just spooky accurate.  I love it.  The next day, it got colder and was about -3F in the morning.  I had a shot at a doe and I got a light hit on the primer, no discharge.  I changed shells, re-aimed, squeezed off - same result.  The doe scooted across a pathway and stopped further away, and was nice enough to stand there while I kept recocking and pulling the trigger on that shell until it went off and I dropped the deer.

I suspect that the cold temperature gummed up any lube in the hammer linkage and "softened" the strike.  I do not remember flushing out this action and spraying some dry lube in there like I have done on some of my Handis and Pardners.  Maybe I did, maybe I didn't.  I should keep maintenance records on my guns.

I believe it is either excessive and wrong lube that got gummed up in the cold ( the day before was warmer, and before the season I shot the gun several times in +20F temps and never had a problem) OR I may have a weak or borderline hammer spring.  I plan on flushing out the action and spraying some TriFlow TFE or CLP into the action, and testing the primer dent several times afterwards.

BUT, I want to be sure that I have corrected the problem and that the gun is absolutely reliable in below zero weather.  I am not real keen on taking the action apart as I haven't done one of these before although I am average-capable of such things.  I AM going to send another frame in for another USH barrel for a backup, or hopefully to get another youngster deer hunting.

In the meantime - any insights or experiences on what you all think I should do with this "dilemma" would be appreciated:

FLUSH-LUBE-TEST?  or REPLACE HAMMER SPRING ALSO? 

[presdme]

Had the same problem with my 12 ultra. Did not want to send it back and wait for the factory, we only had a week gun season then. I simply took a file to the hammer stop, the part of the hammer that hits the reciever.  However much you take off is how much more the fire pin will stick out. If you decide to do this a little goes a long way. Good luck. My ultra has never missed fired since, I even shot the shells that would not fire before!!

[Redtail1949]

I have an older Topper Model 058 with 20 gauge and 30-30 barrels. I have gone through this website using all information I could to tune it up. It will fire all shotgun shells but only 3 out of 10 rifle shells.

I ordered new springs for hammer and firing pin. I smoothed all parts and it is slick and now locks up tight however trigger pull still a little heavy but smooth.

Mine has the single leg spring for the hammer and I have been told the double will not work. That is a shame as The Wolf Sprins were made to be stronger.

I just got back from the NRA Whittington Center after sighting and shooting all day with several guns. I still have the problem with the 30-30. I am very carefull to follow through on the trigger pull the same as I do with the shotgun barrel. I have yet for the shotgun to fail to fire.

I want desperately to figure this out as I love the gun and it is accurate when it does fire. You mentioned modifing the hammer will that work?

If I understand it, the hammer strikes the hammer block and it strikes the firing pin. The the hammer block falls out of the way as the trigger is completely pulled. How does filing the hammer help it hit harder? Have you done it and did it work for you?

Does anyone have an idea as to how this can be cured and I get this rifle to work? It strikes the primer and leaves a fair dent in it. The pin certainly protrudes far enough out when I press on the firing pin making it flush with the reciever. It feels like to me that it is striking hard enough but apparently it is not.

I shot this gun a week or so ago and it fired 8 out of ten shells so I though I had it wupped. But now i am back to where I started. ( Note: not excessivly lubed very light light film of oil almost dry you might say)

Help Please!

[presdme]

When I was having trouble with mine the fireing pin was not coming through the reciever far enough . Thats why I filed the hammer stop just a little. Now the pin comes through the reciever just a little more than before and it has not missed fired since. I even shot the ones that did not fire before.