The customer has brought you the following Winchester Model 1897. It’s clean and well oiled, but very worn. The customer explains that when she works the action, the hammer doesn’t stay back – it simply moves forward with the action. You confirm this by attempting to work the action yourself.
(Safety)
1.How would you safely clear the feed source, chamber, and barrel of ammunition and potential obstructions?
First, I would make sure the firearms safety was on and working. Then I would attempt to clear the feeding tube located below the barrel by keeping the firearm pointer in a safe direction and flipping it upside down. You should be able to see if ammunition is loaded in the tube because you will either see an empty tubes follower or the head of the cartridge. if rounds are present in the feeding tube press the bar that catches and retained the cartridge located under the shotguns bolt. This will allow ammunition to eject the feeding tube one at a time and is a safer way to unload it compared to cycling the rounds through the pumping action. Once I am sure there is no ammunition in the feeding source, I would then pull the pump to the rear exposing the chamber of the barrel and I would both visually and physically check for the presence of a round.
(Initial Inspection and Diagnosis)
1.What action type is the firearm in question?
The Winchester Model 1897 is a Pump Action.
2.Review the customer’s complaint to determine what the firearm is not doing correctly. Based on your knowledge or research of the firearm, is it supposed to perform the function that the customer says it doesn’t?
Yes. The hammer should stay in the cocked position when the action is cycled.
3.Is this failure mechanical in nature or is it induced by poor ammunition?
This type of failure is mechanical in nature and would have nothing to do with the ammunition.
4.What is the most likely type of failure (failure to fire, failure to feed, etc.) the customer is
describing?
This type of malfunction is most likely a failure to cock. When the pump is operated correctly the hammer will stay cocked until the trigger is pulled. With the hammer moving forward with the action the connector that is supposed to catch the hammer is not working. However, and this is a big one, It is possible the malfunction is operator error. This firearm has what is referred to as a slam fire. If the customer is holding the trigger as the pumping action is occurring, then the slamming of the pump closed would fire the next round Or allow the hammer to move with the action.
(Detailed Assessment)
1.What single component would you most suspect is causing this malfunction and why?
If I were to determine that a part is the issue and this was not operator error, I may say that the hammer or hammer catch is the problem. If the hammer has excessive were like the rest of the firearm it is possible that the flat section that is supposed to catch and cock the hammer is rounded off and this will prevent it from locking correctly. It is also possible that the part that is supposed to lock with the hammer to cock it is broken, bent, rounded or missing and this too would prevent it from cocking correctly.
2.What procedures might you perform to either verify your assumptions or identify another
culprit?
I’m afraid Snap Caps wont help with this one. For this job I would need to break down the firearm and do a detailed inspection of its parts. I have handled these firearms in the past and have a pretty good understanding of what the parts look like in good working order.
(Post-inspection and repairs)
1.Assuming worn hammer notches were the cause of the malfunction, in a short customer
summary, describe the type of failure, what components caused the malfunction, the
components you removed/replaced, and the tests that were performed to verify operation:
The malfunction you were experiencing was a failure to cock the firing mechanism. This can be common in this type of firearm because they are often abused when slam firing the weapon system. During my detailed inspection I noticed excessive were to the hammer notches that are there to cock the hammer during normal operation. After repairing or replacing this hammer I was able to determine that the issue first discussed has been resolved and now when the pump action is worked, the hammer remains cocked until the trigger is pulled.
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