Bountyhunter,

Thanks for the input. The first thing I checked was the block. I even shaved a little off the top edge of the hammer, to allow it to go forward a little farther to strike the block. I could see by the worn blueing that the hammer was hitting only on one corner, so I used the dremel to even it up. The firing pin goes far enough forward when dry-fired, but it lacks the energy to strike the primer deep enough. It appears to be the classic "weak hammer spring" that I've seen on hundreds of M-16's over the years. On an M-16, the most likely cause is keeping the weapon cocked for long periods in storage. This wasn't the case on this gun.

By the way, I don't have a hummer, but my F-350 is outside begging for a tire rotation. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> If the barrel was about 6 inches longer, it would make a good tomato stake. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Semper Fi, George