bobbing a hammer....lol

ratrodney

New member
Hello.
Id like to get a 9mm revolver. Good self defense rd and great ammo pricing of course. But the charter n taurus both in my price range both have hammers. Id like a hammerless. Is there any drawbacks other than the obvious to shaving dwn the hammer to pocket carry? Tnx
 
A small revolver has a small and lightweight hammer, and a heavier spring is needed to provide the energy for reliable ignition. You can probably get away with bobbing the hammer if you don't cut too much and leave the mainspring alone, but reducing spring tension as well is the road to misfires.

Unless you are an officer and are required to carry a 9mm handgun, I would simply go to a .38/.357 with a concealed hammer.

Jim
 
Id like to get a 9mm revolver. Good self defense rd and great ammo pricing of course. But the charter n taurus both in my price range both have hammers. Id like a hammerless. Is there any drawbacks other than the obvious to shaving dwn the hammer to pocket carry? Tnx

Charter will sell you a spurless DAO hammer. Swapping it in in place of the original is a 5 minute job.
 
The lighter hammer will actually be more reliable since it is moving faster. Competition shooters have learned this years ago. If you are going to shoot double action go ahead and bob the hammer. You can also find them on Ebay.com if you don't want to do it yourself.:)
 
My first J frame (a model 36) had a terrible trigger out of the box. I had a local smith do a trigger job, including bobbing the hammer.

The gun ran flawlessly with any factory load. The only issue i had back then '80s was finding a holster for a hammerless 36
 
If swapping a hammer out is a 5-minute job, I guess you could try your hand at bobbing it. You might also see if a bolt-on hammer-shroud is available. If you don't like the way it operates, you can take it off. Most detachable shrouds are designed so the hammer spur is exposed just enough to make a single-action shot possible, should it become necessary.

And speaking of which, I'm aware that the chance of needing a single-action shot with a 2" barreled snub-nose .38 Special is pretty remote. I'm also aware that I should never shoot my automatic dry, and require a fast magazine change. But I have a beveled magazine well and built-up slide release on my 1911A1, just in case. For that same reason I want a single-action option on a .38 snub.
 
I'm aware that the chance of needing a single-action shot with a 2" barreled snub-nose .38 Special is pretty remote.
So remote that most advocates of having a hammer spur cannot construct a logical or realistic scenario where one would be needed...just parrot the usual generalization about "...having the option to take a rare long-shot.", what ever that means. And, of course, it is a personal choice... no one ever said it was not, but at least admit it is an emotionally based choice and ask yourself if no double action revolver ever existed with a hammer spur, would you still carry one? In short, the people who insist on a hammer spur, do so because they like them.
 
The hammer swap in the Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull is very easy. I go back and forth with mine, I currently have the spurred hammer installed because I was checking a few reloads for accuracy. I have both the Charter, and the Taurus 9mm revolvers. Both are excellent. The early 9mm Pitbull is a 6 shot(mine is), the newest ones made since summer of 2015 are 5 shot. Here is the hammer swap thread I did showing how to swap hammers. I did the thread with my 6 shot Police Undercover .38, the 9mm Pitbull is exactly the same, as far as the hammer swap goes.

Charter Arms Spurless Hammer (DAO) Install

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I know a fellow who bobs his own hammers with a hacksaw and bench grinder.
They actually look very good and work just fine.
Technique is everything.
 
I know a fellow who bobs his own hammers with a hacksaw and bench grinder.
They actually look very good and work just fine.
Technique is everything.
On the S&W's I have done, the steel hammers were too hard (either case or through), to cut with a hacksaw. I used (after dulling a hacksaw blade), a dremel with an abrasive cut-off wheel.
 
That's probably how he did it, too.
Using the word "hacksaw" was just a quick way to say how.
He might have even used a two handed disc for cutting axles to length.
He's that kind of fellow. :)
 
"...I'd like a hammerless..." That'd be a Ruger LCR. However, your pocket is a really bad place for a revolver with or without a hammer spur. Almost as bad as an ankle.
 
Lee... the blue revolver is a Taurus 905 with a Hogue Rosewood grip. The stainless revolver is a Charter Arms 9mm Pitbull with an Ebay jaruwan.p grip from Thailand, of unknown hardwood.
 
On the S&W's I have done, the steel hammers were too hard (either case or through), to cut with a hacksaw. I used (after dulling a hacksaw blade), a dremel with an abrasive cut-off wheel.
I ran into this as well with a couple of S&W case hardened hammers and triggers (target type). I used a file to break the case hardening, and then a hacksaw to finish the cuts. Once I got through the case hardening with the file, the hacksaw was not a problem.
 
On the other hand, using a holster with small revolvers eliminates the need for a bobbed or hidden hammer.
Pocket carry always seemed to be lumpy and clumsy.
Never liked it.
Hard to keep yer pants up, too.
 
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