Hammer Spur Advice

[Buckeye Bill]

I am in the process of mounting a scope on my 464 Brush Gun.

I have the original equipment Hammer spur and it looks functional but not very durable.

What options have members found that are compatible and more durable?

I went with the Kwik-Site ring and base set (low).

Leupold Freedom 1.5-4 x 20mm Pig Plex.

Bill

 

[CaddmannQ]

Hah! Your average 6 year old could just reach up and break one off.
I broke mine off right away. If you want one I'd consider drilling the hammer for a bigger thread.

In the end I didn't need it, as I used a higher mounting.

The first was modified from a Thompson, that I carved a bit of ejection relief into. I didn't paint the raw aluminum and you can see my mods. I had to re-drill the base to match the 464 holes.
But you can't see the irons with these rings.




Eventually I modded a couple Kwik-site Thompson bases that allow me to see the irons too. I also swapped the Tasco for a silver Leupold.
These were trimmed and re-drilled. It was some work (not much!) but I wanted everything silver. LOL

I made the second one up because the first (shown mounted below) only allowed 3 screws. The longer mount was trimmed to allow full contact and 4 screws.


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This is the current mount.

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You can see there's plenty of hammer clearance.

I would suggest you stock a spare extractor or two. They are cheap and easy to change. They can easily break trying to extract a stuck case.
Don't try to extract a stuck case with the lever. Use a rod and poke it out from the muzzle, or you'll break the tip off of the extractor like I did.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

Thanks for the information and the pictures are worth 1000 words. Like you, I think I will be able to live without the hammer spur extension. When I got the scope all mounted, I have enough room to get my thumb in for hammer manipulation.

 

[CaddmannQ]

My pleasure, Bill.

I didn't like the idea of a split base arrangement, which started me modding the single bases to fit.

I bought a lot of new guns back when Hillary was going to make them all illegal, and the 464 was one of the first ones.
And it was my first levergun.
I've since bought 3 Henry's and a Marlin, and the 464 compares well with all of them.

It was more accurate than my buddy's 1960's Winchester .30-30 and I think that ticked him off because he sold the Winchester soon after shooting the Mossberg.
It must have hurt, because he hates Mossbergs.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

I was very happy to see that my spent casings were not bouncing off my Leupold scope on their way out. Your modified base in impressive. I think that had the 464 been more popular, we might have seen more after market items. I still have high hopes for the rifle and its continued success. For me, lever rifles are Winchester, Marlin, Henry and Mossberg. I like a traditional loading gate so the Henry is off the list. I like Winchester but the top ejection limits scope mounting and prices seem too high. That leaves Marin and Mossberg. Recent relocation of Marlin has left their products lacking in QA. So, I hope that Mossberg works out their issues that we are all reading about for the models introduction. I bought my Brush Gun because it looked so good at the shop. Less than $500.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I'm sure I paid over $600 on Davidson's online.

I bent this stamped mainspring linkage a little, to tighten up the spring, because mine was getting light strikes. That fixed it, but the first time I went too far and then had to back off. Get it too tight and the hammer won't drop reliably.

I also deburred that little stamped safety bar (grip safety) that touches the lever. It would scrape and hang a little sometimes.

It sounds like you know your leverguns, and I have the same opinion of loading gates, but I like curios, so I love the Henrys.

Lubing the ejector groove on the bolt of my .357 Henry is for some reason a big deal .
If I feel the action starting to drag, that ejector groove is the first suspect.
You can see that big ol groove in the bolt below.

See that little hair pin thing left of the coil spring?


Same ejector setup as my replica 1895 Marlin .45-70.

 

[John A.]

I am using a Carlson brand spur on my NEF receiver.

The scope mount sits so low in it, without the spur would be next to impossible to cock it.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

John A.
Did that Carlson brand spur fit correctly without any modification? I can live without it but it would be handy.

 

[John A.]

It fit on my NEF Pardner hammer. I could only guess that it would on anything else.

The notch for the hammer is somewhat wide, and a set screw tightens into the side of the hammer. It's not really the best method of attaching it, but I've honestly had it on the gun for several years and I haven't lost it yet.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Something like that came with my Marlin 1895. Hooks over the hammer?