Jukar Pistol Restoration

Better judgment should have alerted the owner to hang the old muzzleloader pistol over the fireplace, but he was a very determined sort. Though the old gun was covered with rust, the cocking mechanism was frozen and the trigger guard was missing, I told the customer I would do my best to make the old gun presentable, possibly even functional. Restoring it to firing condition would be very questionable but I would see what I could do.

On closer inspection of the old Jukar Spain muzzleloading pistol, I was able to loosen the rusted action retaining screws and remove the seized-up side plate cocking mechanism and barrel. The nipple unscrewed quite easily and a close inspection of the bore revealed it was very good looking with nice, deep lands and grooves. A closer inspection of the cocking/firing assembly showed I would be able to free things up and freely cock the hammer. This appeared to be a very well made lock assembly.

With the bore in very good condition, I called the customer who gave me the green light to restore the gun to firing condition. Refurbishing Process Underway Before doing anything else, I made sure the gun could be safely cocked. The hammer and trigger assembly, as well as the sturdy leaf hammer spring area carefully machined and fitted part of the side plate assembly comprising a very well made unit. There is a half-cock safety and the trigger is made up as a separate assembly, attached from below.

As the trigger is pulled it provides upward pressure against aside lever on the sear. After thoroughly freeing the entire trigger/ The right side of the milled-out stock shows where the integral cocking/lock mechanism fits in. Note the trigger mechanism does not attach to the cocking/lock mechanism per se, but works from below on the extended sear. The attaching screws, with washers, barrel pin, nipple and ram rod are also shown.

These internal parts were pretty much seized up with rust as received but cleaned up very well in the restoration process, leaving them in excellent condition. On close examination this is a very well made, precision cocking mechanism. Note the hammer spring and sear/trigger positions and how they would function. From this position the trigger pushes upward on the sear lever to fire the pistol. hammer mechanism, I reassembled the gun and the hammer/trigger functioned smoothly. The half-cock safety worked well, too.

I then buffed any remaining rust from the attractively engraved side plate and directed my attention to the barrel assembly. There was much external rust over the barrel which buffed off to clean barrel metal. The nipple was easily removed with little remaining rust. The barrel flash hole was open as was the nipple. Thorough bore clean-up and lapping left the interior in surprisingly good condition with sharp lands and grooves. I then left the bore lightly

oiled. All other remaining parts, including screws, pins and lower trigger assembly and ram rod were also cleaned up and buffed. The metal parts were then blued using Formula 44/40 Instant Gun Blue. I really wasn’t out to get a dark-bright bluing on the old gun, thus leaving it in a more rustic appearance. As aforementioned, the trigger guard was missing with but a small remaining end attached to the stock. The trigger guard was made of brass, which I used in constructing a replacement.

Not knowing the original configuration, I made a workable pattern of stiff cardboard and shaped it to fit the stock recess at the ends and formed it to fit the gun with plenty room for a finger. I then carefully The owner was totally thrilled with the result. marked and drilled the existing screw holes in the trigger guard and rounded the edges before final polishing. It turned out quite well, considering I didn’t have the original as a pattern.

Some Finishing Touches The hardwood stock required re-finishing but there were no major dents or broken parts there. I hand sanded it and applied two coats of Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. It turned out well with a high luster. The gun was then reassembled using all original screws and parts except the trigger guard. The finished gun more than met the customer’s expectations, leaving a very happy owner. Rescuing an old gun from the depths of despair can make two people happy—both the customer and his gunsmith.

I didn’t hold much hope for getting the old Jukar muzzleloading pistol in safe shooting condition but it was well worth the time in accomplishing it. AG