Bobbed Hammer on S&W

3

38Mike

New member
Hi Folks,

I'd like to take the spur off the hammer of my model 64; got just enough of a "spare tire" that it bothers me.

Removing spur down to the main body of hammer and only taking off material needed for a nice blend.

Hammer is stainless.

This modification shouldn't affect the gun as far as reliability goes should it?

Thanks for the help,

Mike M
 
The answer is a definite MAYBE.

If you have the factory mainspring in the gun, you SHOULD be ok, but there is absolutely NO guarantee of that.

If, however, you have installed a reduced power mainspring in an effort to make the trigger pull lighter, it may well affect reliability, especially on cartridges that use primers with harder cups.

I believe that Brownell's sells spurless hammers that are standard weight.
 
Mike,

The gun is stock I'm not changing anything internal; thanks for the info on Brownell's, I might check them out before I do my handywork....


Mike M.
 
With a factory mainspring, like Mr. Irwin said, you shouldn't have any problems. I LOVE Bobbed wheel guns. Just bob off the back of the hammer and you should be fine. If you want to reduce the risk, purchase a hammer from Brownells (orig factory part) and have the new part bobbed. That way, if there are any problems you can reinstall the orig. part with no harm, no foul.
 
The hammer must remain a certain weight to ensure that the primer will ignite when struck. In the old days, folks would lighten the hammer in hopes of faster lock time (bobbed hammer, holes drilled in the body of the hammer or huge sections literally ground away). They got it. But the hammer lacked the mass and the gun was no longer reliable. Mere bobbing of the hammer with no other action (keep the original mainspring) shouldn't adversely affect the gun. The factory has certainly done it on some models. I'm curious as to the weight of the normal factory hammer and the factory bobbed one. If you call S&W, ask.
 
I have bobbed two model 19s without problem. I took the spur off and left the main body of the hammer, just as you are planning. An article I read from the mid '70s (I think in American Handgunner) said that the extra speed from the spurless hammer would keep the momentum up to the level of the stock hammer. I kept the stock mainspring on both guns.
I find the spurless hammers increase the usability a lot.
 
Hey Guys,

I appreciate the info you've given me; am going to order another hammer (to be on the safe side) then will proceed with caution...this is my "save my bacon" weapon, don't want to screw it up...

I'll let you know how this turns out..

Mike M.
 
Both my 3" mod 65's are set up that way. I have had no problems and I do avoid all CCI loads just to be on the safe side.
 
I'm planning to do it on mine too. IIRC, the hammer is not stainless, but electroless nickled or hard-chromed carbon steel. That would leave some concern as to the final finish. Can anyone else confirm this?
 
I would bob the hammer only under certain circumstances. If it is digging into your side, that makes sense. Otherwise I don't think so. I think it is desirable, even for self-defense, to be able to take a carefully sighted shot by single action. Some argue that having a single action capability may cause legal problems. I am guessing that the argument is no stronger than saying a bobbed gun is a custom crafted killing machine. You can also retain your hammer spur and have the gun altered so that it cannot be fired single action. Personally I have hammers on all my revolvers, even the J frames.
 
Good observation Jeff. CCI primers are as tough as they get. You can get misfires from them with a stock gun, with factory springs and a hammer spur.
 
My 3" mod. 64 had its hammer spur removed by Rick Devoid (among other modifications) back in '92; to this day, it has served me faithfully, without any misfires.

Regards,

Leo Daher
 
VictorLouis

I bobbed a "stainless" 686 hammer six months ago. Finish WILL rust if left unattended. Had a similiar situation when I "flattend" an arched Springfield Armory "stainless" MSH a few years ago. I figure if you polish it to desired finish and coat it using clear nail polish you should be okay until the polish starts breaking down.

Everyone:
A note on bobbing hammers: Smith changed their hammer nose/frame bushing design early in production of the L frames. The hammer I bobbed came out of a 686-6 IIRC, and was put into a 586. Began to experience pierced primers, primers backing out, and the action seizing.

At first I thought that excessive pressure from the rounds was the culprit, although they were the same loads I shot in it previously. Replaced with the stock hammer and experienced NO problems.

I checked with one of my lieutenants who is a cert S&W armorer, he's the one who clued me in on the design change. Moral being make sure if you're ordering a hammer make sure its the correct one for your handgun ie 686-1,2,3.

In all honesty I wouldn't have bobbed it, but it was a freeby and I wanted to experiment.

Gator
 
'got just enough of a "spare tire" that it bothers me'

Just the incentive you need to lose some weight :) :).
 
VictorLouis is correct.

The hammers & triggers on the stainless guns are nickel plated steel. Regular steel was used because stainless of the same hardness results in galling and using nickeled parts avoided the problem.
 
I've bobbed most of the hammers on my S&W revolvers for comfort (spare tire), to avoid catching on shirts when drawing, and it's an offense to Smith, Wesson and the Lord to shoot a S&W DA revolver single action.

Have bobbed at least two "J" frames I remember. No malfunctions. Not to mention I've fiddled the mainsprings too. But I check them for several hundred rounds thereafter.
 
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