doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Win 21 Hammer Spring Replacement

I've changed hammer springs in Ithaca, L.C Smith, Fox, Savage, Beretta, Charles Daly, Miroku etc. and made lots of special tools and clamps to change them, but never a Winchester 21. I've already got it apart and now waiting for new springs to arrive. Anyone here have any recommended techniques/tricks?

When I do it, I use a hardwood block on the face of my bench. I place a spring over a cocking rod and push the assembly from the knuckle to the rear with the action upside down. Then I push the front of the cocking rod against the block and drop the correct hammer onto the rear of the rod. While holding the action against the block, I push the hammer axle from the side and secure the hammer. Then I repeat for the other side. Of course one must know left and right for the hammers and cocking rods. The front of the rods are such that the notch for the cocking levers is to the outside. The hammers are: 12 ga. nose to the outside,20 ga. reverse; 16 ga. in the center. I have done more than a hundred and it is tricky at first (dropping the hammers in place and aligning for the hammer axle), but will work with patience.

20yrs ago or so I made a small tool,,a lever actually, to pull the cocking rod back with the spring installed. It is easily held in that position with one finger while you install the cocking arm and start the hinge pin screw thru on that side.
Then release the tension on that one and do the other side the same,,installing the cocking arm and tapping the screw on thru.
No pushing against spring tension, thats all taken away with the tool.
I needed some way of doing this as I don't have the strength to compress the springs any other way.

No hammers in yet,,just the cocking rods, mainsprings, cocking arms and hinge pin screw.

Now place the bbls on the frame. Put the forend on.
Then open the action. The cocking arms are now moved back and forth under the main spring tension by the opening bbls.

At this point you can drop the hammers into position onto the cocking arms. By simply altering the position of the bbl opening/closing the hammer pivot hole and hammer itself are easily lined up and the pin installed.

No spring pressure to deal with in lining up the pin & hammer(s). It's all controlled by the leverage of the opening/closing of the bbl assembly.

I'll sift through the pile of junk that is a work bench and find the thing if I can and post a pic or two. Haven't needed it in a few months so it probably sank to the bottom.

The idea of a lever sounds like a very good one. Many thanks for the posts.