Mainspring break

[smith693]

Hi all!

Hoping to get a little insight. In this thread ( http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,51018.0.html ) I discussed finding this Remington New Model and as you can see the mainspring is broken. We actually found the broken piece right in the hole with the gun- so it had to break during the battle and stayed inside the grips until they rotted away OR it broke over time while in the ground. The hammer is set on a safety notch and one cylinder is fired/empty. If we call the empty cylinder #1, then the hammer is resting on the safety notch between cylinders 2 and 3. Does any of this "add up" to you professionals? Does it make sense as maybe occurring during battle? What happens if the mainspring was to break during operation, what would the resulting action of the hammer be?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[hellgate]

The hammer would flop around and be loose to rotate on its axis. It might stay in the safety notch if placed there and holstered. If it broke in the heat o battle the liklihood would be that it would not be seated in the safety notch. My guess is the gun was fired, then made safe and lost. I suspect the spring broke while buried.

It is interesting that the bullets are protruding beyond the chamber mouths. If that were the case during battle the gun is inoperable since the cylinder won't rotate. I wonder if there was swelling of the powder or cartridges that forced the lead forward while buried.

[smith693]

The hammer would flop around and be loose to rotate on its axis. It might stay in the safety notch if placed there and holstered. If it broke in the heat o battle the liklihood would be that it would not be seated in the safety notch. My guess is the gun was fired, then made safe and lost. I suspect the spring broke while buried.

It is interesting that the bullets are protruding beyond the chamber mouths. If that were the case during battle the gun is inoperable since the cylinder won't rotate. I wonder if there was swelling of the powder or cartridges that forced the lead forward while buried.

You are exactly right, the experts tell me the powder will swell over time and push them out.

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