NO32 STANDARD 1875 help needed.

[Godsey1]

Hi. My step-dad has had this pistol for a long time and it has never fired. When you cock it, and pull the trigger, the hammer does not move. It seems like it has a broken sping in it. Any help would be appreciated. On the side of the barrel it has: J.M.MARLIN NEW HAVEN, CT. USA PAT. JULY 1, 1873. Thanks again.

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

Godsey1;

To start with, remove the grips from the gun. If the main spring is broken, it will show there. Otherwise, remove the small screw from the sideplate on the left side of the frame and then the circular sideplate. You may have to stick a small screwdriver up through the grip area to pop the side plate out. There you can look for any problems that do not seem right. Frankly, it does sound like a broken main spring.
How do you get the hammer back into the fired position? Do you simply push it back? Do you have to hold trigger down to move the hammer forward?

[Godsey1]

Thanks for the reply. To get the hammer out of cooked position, you do have to hold the trigger and push it forward. We took the groups off yesterday and we saw no signs of a spring, nor parts of one. I did take pictures that I will try to post. Thanks again.

[Godsey1]

Cocked not cooked. Sorry.