"Military Heritage" pistol question

[Kaylee]

I just got one of these things and WOW the thing is huge. The proportions were what I was looking for, it's just half again as massive as I expected. I think I'll end up shaving off a good deal of wood eventually to bring down the mass.

ANYHOW...

the trigger is terrible hard to pull. Sometimes it doesn't seem to want to pull at all (yes, I'm on the full-cock position )

When I took the lock apart to clean out all the packing grease and stone the rough surfaces, I noticed that on the tumbler, the full cock notch was angled backwards, so that pulling the trigger had to force the hammer a touch back in order to clear the notch. Hence the heavy trigger pull.

SO -- what I'd like to do is stone that to a nice smooth 90 degree angle from the tumbler axis, and hopefully lower the trigger pull that way.

Is that safe, or are those notches even suppose to be that way?

Thanks!

[Captain Jim]

To answer your main question, no, they are not supposed to be angled as you describe. Now you have three choices, in descending order of desirability:

1. Send it back, either for repair or replacement. These are good people and stand behind their product.

2. Have a professional gunsmith repair it. Voids any supplier warranty that you may have, written or implied.

3. Repair it yourself. Unless you are a really competent craftsperson or preternaturally gifted, you run the likelihood of screwing everything up, voiding your warranty and making the aforementioned gunsmith very happy, because you will now spend much more money than before.

[Kaylee]

I did it!

Polished the innards s'more, and refaced the trigger notch a touch.. as much as I dared anyhow. Trigger pull is *loads* better.

The more I play with it though, the more I'm thinking I'll be reselling it anyhow. Just too biggish for me... more like a "sawed off" musket than a pistol. Great bit of devilment there, just not much panache.

I'll say one thing though.. those ol' locks are interesting inside. I think I'll have to try building a pistol up from parts now. :)

[Captain Jim]

Good for you. I really don't try to discourage people from trying gunsmithing, but I do want them to be careful.

Try a Pedersoli Queen Anne. Smaller overall and you can slim down the grip to fit your hand. It seems that you are willing to take and modify a weapon without the “second guessing” and doubt that besets most. So take a file to the stock and shape it to fit. Or….

Buy a kit and go from there. Talk to the people at Muzzleloader Builder's Supply. They have breathtakingly fast service so far as my experience goes, and they have several European parts sets available.

That is the Martinoni gun, barrel 5 inches.

Have fun...

[Story]

I just got one of these things and WOW the thing is huge. The proportions were what I was looking for, it's just half again as massive as I expected.

K,

*Which* MH pistol did you get?

http://www.militaryheritage.com/muskets.htm

[Kaylee]

The prussian/potzdam model. I'll post a picture of it compared to a modern pistol shortly.

PS -- it's for sale here. :)

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?...p?Item=57350569

[Kaylee]

Ah ha!

Here's a sense of scale for the thing. It's pictured between a full-size gov't model 1911 (albeit one broken down for a checkering job) and a Winchester Model 94 rifle.

It's um... big.

Captain -- thank you so much for your advice! I just ordered a catalog from MBS. Those octogon-to-round barrels are purty. :)

When did they see use?

[Tall Paul]

The prussian/potzdam model. I'll post a picture of it compared to a modern pistol shortly.

PS -- it's for sale here. :)

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?...p?Item=57350569

Ah, Well,

There's your problem.

The Potzdam Pistol was noted for being one of the Biggest pistols around at the time.

I think that it would be a terrible shame to cut it down.

[Handcannon Chris]

The prussian/potzdam model. I'll post a picture of it compared to a modern pistol shortly.

PS -- it's for sale here. :)

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?...p?Item=57350569

I bought that from you before I joined here. It is just the right size for my um uh muscular body. I keep it tucked in my belt with no problem.