First Trigger Bob

[doc540]

WTH??? "Trigger" Bob? Glad I can grind better'n I can type.

You vets might chuckle and shake your heads, but you have to start somewhere, right?

I did as much homework as I could, visited with a couple of local gunsmiths, and put patience ahead of everything else.

I carry a Smith 36 in a SmartCarry holster which means snagging can become a serious issue impeding the ability to draw the gun. I realize a SmartCarry is a deep carry system and there will be no "quick" draw regardless.

But having the hammer snag inside my waistband is more of a possibility with this method of carry (my only current option for reasons I can't discuss here).

I masked off all areas which filings and dust might collect, carefully put the gun in my bench vise with it's nylon, no-mar, inserts and using a small file, marked a starting line on the hammer.

With a fresh cutting wheel in the Dremel,

I slowly began a cut across the hammer from side to side, stopping to inspect (with my flip-down magnifying glasses thanks to flyfishing for years) and let the metal cool.

After cutting patiently off the tab, I chucked up an aluminum oxide wheel

and carefully polished the cut surface until it was smooth and made a gradual transition from the back, uncut surface to the top, back edge of the hammer.

I still have enough surface to safely cock and de-cock the hammer, but until I go to the range this weekend I won't know if the weight removal affects the hammer strike. If it does (I've had trigger/action work done previously) I'll just have my local gunsmith adjust it accordingly.

Aesthetically, I'm really pleased with this first effort. And even more pleased I didn't really screw anything up!

Thanks for everyone's previous posts and advice about this mod. How do you think the noob did here, gentlemen?

Before:

After:

 

[fisherman66]

Looks good to me, but it's your happiness that counts. I'm curious why you didn't go all the way and remove the entire spur if you are concerned about it hanging up.

 

[doc540]

That's a good question and one that I gave some thought.

I just took the first step knowing I could always go further if my skills merited it.

If, on my first attempt, I'd tried to remove it all and screwed up there would be no going back.

I still might remove the entire spur eventually.

 

[fisherman66]

It looks like you have the skill and steady hand to remove the rest if it fits your agenda. Maybe you should try to acquire another hammer to bob completely and keep the half bob and see which works best over a longer period of time.