doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Original Colt Model 1878 12 Ga.

Does anyone know the actual thread size of the tumbler shaft stud that the hammer nut fits onto? It is not 8x32 and I don't think quite 8x36. Customer brought one into the shop ( s# manf. 1880)that needs a hammer nut and it has a damaged thread that was butchered when someone in the past forced s spanner nut onto the stud to hold the Left hammer in place. Brownells' gun tech bench does not have any data on the Colt SxS 1878.

Can't recall the exact pitch but I do know it is non standard. Does the right tumbler (stud) appear to be original? If so then you can measure its length, count the threads and with a little math should be able to determine the actual pitch. Coltparts.com has a tumbler nut listed. Maybe contacting them will provide an exact answer.

Hank

I'll give it a try, the stud is quite short, also never thought about e-mailing Colt> will try that also>>>THANKS!

The Colt parts list shows an asterisk at the end of hammer nut line. The footnote says limited or no stock. I'd bet they don't have any.

The above picture is of an original Colt lock and a Chinese copy sold by Cameron. If all else fails.... maybe the Chinese parts may work.

Well folks here it is 14 JAN 17 and I have filed an official complaint with the Western Washington Better Business Bureau against Colt Parts. I received a reply from Colt Parts stating that they had one hammer nut in stock, send check and will send part when it clears>>all fine right WRONG<<<< sent check before Thanksgiving and still have not received my part. I have even written them letters with all correspondence enclosed and contact phone numbers. They do not respond to e-mail nor answer their phone and their voicemail box is always full. My advise is do not do business with Colt Parts, they have in excess of 20 complaints filed against them!!

My solution to the Colt hammer nut problem was to contact Cimmeron in Texas and obtain a nut from them and rethread it to 8x32 tpi, then reduce it in height to the thickness of the existing original, remove the blueing boil in bleach until begins to rust, cold blue round over edges and spot wirebrush>> looks like it original. The damaged tumbler shaft was recut to 8 x 32 also after consulting with a machinist for accurate measurement of the good parts. When I was finished both hammernuts will interchange and you have to look very close to see any difference in the two.

Would there have been any chance the threads were metric? I just found screws for an old Stevens 225 that turned out 4Mx.7 worked perfectly. There has been rumors that them Colt was actually made in England. Maybe was, maybe not. But maybe major components - like the locks were sorced from England.

that is the pitch that the Cimarron nut was and no it wouldn't think of fitting to the un-messed-up tumbler stud. That said the rethreading worked the proper magic as either hammer nut work on either sideplate assembly.

WA State BBB replied to the complaint that I filed and has closed it because Colt Parts has failed to respond to numerous contacts from the BBB on this complaint, so I am considering contacting the Washington State AG consumer fraud division to see if an out-of-stater can file a complaint. It is not the $25 I lost but the principal of fraud. Yes I am P-O-d!!

I have filed a fraud complaint with the Illinois AG