Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots How to chamber a cartridge in a B78 without retracting the hammer.

I recently discovered how to chamber a cartridge in my old B78 WITHOUT the hammer retracting to the fully cocked position. An easy procedure - momentarily squeeze the trigger at the commencement of the distinctive second (and final) stage of closing the lever. Note, I�m not sure if it also applies to the 1885. Thereafter, when the need arises, simply thumb the trigger back to the fully cocked position. In hindsight, it certainly beats the normal potentially dangerous practice of firmly thumbing the hammer spur, squeezing the trigger and then slowly lowering the hammer to the �safe� or closed position - exemplified on a recent goat hunt when I accidently fired off a round when I mis-timed the uncocking procedure. Namely, I pulled the trigger without having a firm grip of the hammer spur. Fortunately, as is my usual practice, the muzzle was pointing in a �safe� direction at the time.

Are you sure the hammer is not resting on the firing pin and it on the primer? (Like in a Colt SAA)

Oldman1942,I'm not honestly sure if the hammer's resting on the firing pin and it on the primer. Note, would that not also be the case when a fully cocked hammer is carefully lowered to the 'safe' uncocked position ? Also. the hammer spur's 'safely' tucked away under the scope so it's unlikely to be bumped or jolted in a forcible manner such that it fires off the primer. Any verifible comments would be very much appreciated.
Thanks, Ross.

Guess I would chamber a primed ONLY case and whack the hammer with a rawhide mallet to see if it went bang.

With the hammer all the way down, it will be resting on the firing pin. Why not simply bring it back to the "safety" notch once you've lowered the hammer? Frankly, you method leaves me a bit apprehensive. Have you tried it at least several times with primed cases. I prefer to leave mine empty until I'm close to my game. The one I have is much quieter than my Ruger #1's.
I could be wrong, but the B-78 operates exactly like the original Wichesters. IIRC, Whinchest then improved the rifle with the 1885 version where the hammer drops to the safety notch. I believe the B-85 operates the same way.
Paul B.

Hi Paul, thanks for your input. My B78�s hammer drops against the block and protruding firing pin mechanism, from the half-cocked position, when the 2 pound trigger is pulled. The resulting short distance travelled, and minimal striking force, are still enough to �fire� a primer in an EMPTY case � hence my current practice of stalking prey with the hammer flush up against the block in the dropped or fired position. The notion of carrying it unloaded would certainly be the safest bet, but the audible noise resulting from the case extractor snapping back when the lever is fully extended may alert nearby game. In contrast, simply thumbing back the hammer is both super quiet and convenient. Note, a slightly �weaker� spring in the extractor lever mechanism would no doubt reduce the mentioned noise and thus result in the quietest and safest means of hunting with this otherwise fantastic rifle.
Cheers, Ross.

Your trigger is not adjusted correctly if it will drop the hammer from the half cock position. These triggers are known to be a b**ch to work on and are easy to make inoperable or unsafe just by fiddling with the adjustments. Many of them have been messed with over the years by people trying to lighten them or eliminate creep. I have purchased a couple that were screwed up.

Take the stock off and you can see what is going on.

The Browning 1885 model had a redesigned trigger that was much safer. I think they called it an inertial sear. It is almost impossible to let the hammer down past the half cock position.

Jerry

Jerry, the original trigger's very noticeable amount of creep and pronounced pulling effort were very off putting so I had a 'competent' Gunsmith adjust out the creep and reduce the pull down to a very crisp 2 pounds. In the process it would appear, as you mentioned, it has been incorrectly adjusted due to the fact that the hammer drops from the half-cocked position when the trigger's pulled. Accordingly, I'm loath to have the trigger re-adjusted in case it comes back worse than the original. So, consciously bearing in mind the associated fault, I'm inclined to carry the rifle loaded with the hammer in the dropped or fired position - re-assured by the fact that no one has acknowledged a projectile being sent into orbit when carried in such a manner.
Ross.

Ah well if you do that, don't drop the rifle. Don't fall with it, and don't hunt with me. I won't hunt with folks that carry a round in the chamber with the firing pin resting on the primer.

Selling such a rifle would be borderline criminal in my opinion.

Brent

I don't understand what you mean. With the hammer down on a live round, all it takes is a small impact on the hammer to set it off.

You knowingly have an unsafe firearm and should get it fixed or disable it.

Jerry

Jerry, he a'int listening. I told him the simple test (let his hammer down on a primed case and tap the hammer with a mallet) He hasn't done it and won't. There is no cure for stupid until he shoots a few toes off.

Oldman1942, on the contrary, I am listening - for the benefit of all B78 and 1885 owners. Do me a favour and read my new related post - then share your results.

Jerry, I've purposely trial dropped my B78 onto its butt several times, from a height of about 6 inches, with the hammer in the half-cocked position - without firing off a loaded primed EMPTY case. Note, I view such a test as been rather unrealistic because it's highly unlikely that a rifle accidently dropped whilst hunting in the field would land on its cushioned butt.I have, as yet, not repeated the butt drop test with the hammer in the dropped or fired position - I'll do it after school tomorrow and let you know. In the meantime, as per my new related post, I'm keen to hear from people regarding the outcome of pulling the trigger on a primed EMPTY case when the hammer's in the half-cocked position.
Ross.

That test is really only relevant to trigger pull weight. You need to bump the hammer as Oldman1942 suggests, but I think you already know the answer to that.

Jerry

I repeat NO HAMMER GUN WILL FIRE OFF THE 1/2 COCK NOTCH UNLESS IT IS BROKE. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. This thread is just a waste of time to anyone who can pass gunsmithing 101.

I'm not gonna disagree with that but having something hit the hammer under a scoped Browning B-78 or the B-85 for that matter would have to be a stroke of extremely bad luck. Even with a smaller sized scope it's a bit of a tight fit just to get a thumb under the scope to cock the hammer and I have rather small thumbs. To even try to test if hitting the hammer would set of a primer would require removing the scope. That's the main reason I don't hunt with it in cold weather.
Paul B.

Paul, "To even try to test if hitting the hammer would set of a primer would require removing the scope." Note, I awkwardly managed to do this test without removing the scope - refer to my other related post for the various results. Accordingly,considering that my B78 currently has a faulty trigger when the hammer's in the 'half-cock' position, I wholeheartedly agree with you that the SAFEST way to carry mine loaded is with the hammer in the fired position. I've arranged for a Gunsmith to investigate, and hopefully rectify, the troublesome trigger mechanism. Cheers, Ross.