Bud Hyett
posted this
24 February 2018
The following is something you might want to discuss with your gunsmith as you are working this project.
In his hardbound book on Single Shots, Frank DeHaas discusses hammer fall and the effect of the speed and force of the hammer strike on the primer. His hypothesis is the force and velocity along with the consistency of these factors impact the accuracy.
He measures this by setting rifles perpendicular to the floor, inserting an aluminum rod, and measuring the height the rod rises when the hammer strikes the rod. The Winchester High Wall was strongest (highest) and the Ruger #1 was weakest (lowest). The author admits this is a simple test with less than optimally structured test criteria. However, the results are interesting.
Being bitten by the Ruger #1 bug, I have six of them, this topic intrigues me and hope the results are shared in the future. Now retired, I want to explore the DeHaas finding. My thought is to deburr and dry lube each action. Deburring will be the hammer, the transfer pendulum and the firing pin to assure minimum friction. Dry lubing will be each pivot surface (pin) and the firing pin to again assure minimal friction.
Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest