Hammer and Bushing "Glued" = Drag

[walt k]

Hello Members

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I decided to "glue" the hammer and hammer bushing in my MK II.

I carefully prepped the parts by deburring, cleaning, checking the fit of parts to be flush and flat. I used Loctite 638 (retaining compound) to "glue" the Clark bushing and Volq. hammer together.

Later on when I assembled the lower and checked for function I noticed the hammer assembly did not fall freely when the trigger was pulled and the lower moved up and down. I could move the assembly with my fingers but there was a noticeable drag.

I disassembled and reassembled several times checking everything and lubing generous but still the drag.When I assembled it with factory parts it (hammer assembly) moved freely.

I took the the gun to the range and ran over 200 rounds without a hiccup so I know it will shoot reliably.

But I am puzzled. Has anyone have a similar experience ? Any thougths or comments would be appreciated.

[Bullseye]

How was the hammer pin when you installed it in the bushing? Was it tight? With basically both parts moving (bushing and pin) if one is tight the other can take up the slack. Since you've LocTited sealed in the bushing the hammer pin has to move smoothly. You can take some rubbing compound and mix it with some light oil and make a lapping compound. Apply some of the oil/compound to the pin and work it for a while to smooth up the fit. Clean up all the parts to remove all the cutting material and try again with a little lubricant. Be sure that some of the sealant didn't migrate to your hammer pin and lock it into the bushing. If it did then all the friction is now on the hammer pin holes in the frame.

Also check to ensure that your bushing is fully seated in the hammer otherwise you may have excessive friction on either the thumb safety side or the disconnector side.

Is there any evidence of rubbing from the hammer strut rivet head on the side of the thumb safety lever? If there is then you can file the top of the rivet head smooth to take off a little of the metal to free up the hammer.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

[walt k]

Thank you very much for your help/reply.

The hammer pin was slip fit in the bushing.

I think you are asbolutely correct in your assessment.

I'm going to tear the whole thing down again and check every part for fit, (hammer pin) wear and rub marks and look for any excess material. Your correct, something has to be tight or binding.

I did file down the hammer pin head. I'm pretty sure the bushing is flat and flush with the hammer side. I even removed a small amount of material from the safety for clearance.

I wonder with the slack taken out if any slight misaligment ( holes in fame) could cause this problem?

I will definitely keep and use all your suggestions in mind.

Thank You
Walt K

[Coach1]

Welcome to GTOL, Walt.

Glad you decided to share your problem here.
Good luck

[Yleefox]

Welcome Walt

[walt k]

Thanks for the welcome.

This is a great website.

The info and knowledge here is tremendous.

Walt K

[Bullseye]

As I read your original post, is this hammer movement propelled by gravity as you pull the trigger? If it is then how does the whole assembly operate under normal conditions with the mainspring as the prime mover?

R,
Bullseye

[walt k]

The hammer assembly will not move by gravity under its own weigh. It will move by finger pressure but with a noticeable drag.

When the main spring is installed it operates fine.

I assembled the whole gun and fired over 200 rounds without a single malfunction.

Walt K

[blue68f100]

Walt, Welcome to Guntalk-Online

The hammer should freely fall with gravity. If by chance the bushing is cocked just a tad, it impact the alignment on the pin. It's also possible that your pin holes could not be square to the frame, but very unlikely. Like Bullseye stated you have eliminated one of the rotating points so the last one must be dead on and move freely.

[walt k]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, something either rubbing or out of alignment.

I'm going to get off my duff and tear the whole thing down.

Got to be able to fix the problem with the process of elimination.

Thanks
Walt K

[Bullseye]

What kind of trigger do you have in your pistol; factory or aftermarket? When you take the receiver off and squeeze the trigger can you see the sear face fully clear the hammer hook? If the sear is not clearing the hammer this can also be the source of your drag. The factory trigger has an overtravel stop in the front face just above the mounting pin. To adjust it you must remove the trigger and use an allen wrench.

On the positive side the pistol functions normally when assembled. The newer Mark III pistols do not all have hammers that fall freely under gravity because of all the extra parts in them for the magazine disconnect lever assembly. This usually means some pistols need a little coaxing to get the hammer fully forward for disassembly and removal of the mainspring housing. Taking the pistol and tapping the muzzle (vigorously) onto a block of wood on the floor usually does the trick. If you have excessive drag on the hammer pin you can use the lapping compound method I suggested earlier to loosen the fit of the bushing and pin.

R,
Bullseye

[walt k]

The trigger is a standard Volq. after market with pre and over travel adjustment screws which I adjusted correctly.

Yes, I can see the sear fully clear the hammer. In fact I relieved the bottom of the hammer to fully clear the sear.

I'm definitely going to check out the hammer pin situation which may be the culprit.

Thank you for your help.