Marlin Firearms Collectors Association

What's the best way to reassemble the trigger plate and hammer on a Model 1889? The way I did it was to remove the hammer spring and insert the hammer and trigger plate into the receiver and then insert and tighten the hammer screw. This was problematic when you go to attach the hammer spring, as it will be under tension. This makes the hammer spring screw hard to start, and also hard to tighten because of the upper tang.

The other option I see is to try and insert the trigger plate with the spring installed, which makes it difficult to align the hammer and the hammer screw holes in the receiver when installing the hammer screw.

I'm sure I'm missing something obvious... Any help would be appreciated.

OC

OCStomias66;

The way I usually handle the problem is to assemble the way you describe with the hammer in place and the lower tang in place. Then, put the main spring screw in almost all the way tight but with the spring out to the side. Then with the screw a little loose, I compress the spring slightly and swing it into position under the hammer, then tighten the screw all the way. It pays to have an offset screwdriver from time to time, like in this case.

OCStomias66,

The best way, as I see it, is as Regnier describes. If you don't have an offset screwdriver a slotted bit will work if it's overall length is short enough to fit between the upper and lower tangs. You may have to grind one to be shorter. Then hold it and turn it with a needle nose vice grip. You should only have to turn it a quarter to at most half a turn. When you swing the hammer spring under the hammer sometimes a longish piece of wood dowel will save your thumbs some grief, I've found. I've also found that it's worth trying the full cock mode before reinstalling the stock because unless the spring is directly under the hammer it sometimes precludes the full cock notch from engaging the sear. It's just a nuisance to have to take the stock off off again to make that small adjustment.

OCStomias66,
I have done it the same as Regnier described and use a driver bit with a wrench the appropriate size to fit the bit. This saves the bit for the next time you need to use it with the driver.
I also have a small clamp that works good to compress the spring to line every thing up, but it will slip off at the most crucial time and you have to start over.

John