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I inherited a Stevens Model 67E 12 ga. And within a month it became my favorite shotgun in the cabinet. Since I got it I have put I don't know how many shells through it.
Last Sunday my wife and I went to the range and after a few shots, it started behaving funny. I took it apart last night and I discovered a wore out hammer.
The pivot hole is oblong and there is a crack at the upper end of the hole.
I have never wore a gun out before. Has anybody else done this?
http://i.imgur.com/T8Qpi37.jpg
The 67's, 69's, 77's, and 170's were all cheaply made guns with stamped parts, I can see it happening.
Nice thing is that the parts for these otherwise wonderful shotguns are widely available and inexpensive. I tend to be more detailed when cleaning these days and use grease or Froglube paste on hammer assemblies where precision shooting is not a factor.
Just get a replacement part (perhaps the original part was not heat treated properly) and continue the enjoyment. Also check the hammer pin and probably replace that at the same time just in case there is some wear on that too from the bad hammer.
Edit: As you know these hammers are kind of floating without guides to hold it in a strait line. I tried once to use nylon bushings on each side of the hammer to keep it true but my experiment failed. These hammers simply float around on the hammer pin which could weaken a improperly-treated part. Hope this helps.