Greetings,

This is my first ASSRA posting. I have a Marlin Ballard #3 in very good condition. The previous owner had a new extractor and firing pin made for it and had the barrel re-sleeved, making it very shoot-able, which is what I was looking for in a Ballard. There is residual color case hardening. All the S/Ns match, wood is in very good aged condition and no rust to speak of. I noticed the face of the hammer has an indentation from 132 years of striking the firing pin, maybe 1/32 - 1/16" deep.  It may be that the reason the prior owner had a new firing pin made was to have it longer to accommodate the indentation. Is it worth refacing the hammer and if so, what's the best method of or source for having the work done?

Thank you for any light you can shed on this.

First thing I would do is paint the pins end with black marker & dry fire a few times to indicate on the hammer face how it strikes, other words how much engagement with the hammer it has. If it looked nice and even then prime empty cases and see it they fire OK.

No unusual strikes primers fire OK I would leave it alone & keep my eye on it as I used the rifle. 

Boats

The end of the firing pin should be flush with the face of the block when the firing pin is fully depressed. The excess force of the hammer fall should be absorbed by the breech block, not the firing pin.  If the firing pin is proud it will cause damage to the hammer face.

The indentation on the hammer face could be filled by laser welding if desired.

Glenn Fewless

Not if peening the end of the firing pin jams it in the block;-)

I have welded up more than a few hammers with a tig torch. Most of the stuff was covered by others here. Firing pin protrusion about .060" for centerfires and .030" for rimfires. In some cases the firing pin should be a little loose when the hammer is down resting on the breach block. This is not always the case with low walls or high walls as the firing pin stop is the breach block it self and the firing pin is almost the same width as the hammer. On a Ballard the hammer face should de smooth and hard. As said before the firing pin is cheeper than a hammer but it should also be harder than some that I have seen, like one made from a nail.