lowering the hammer down?

If one can't coordinate a thumb and a finger at the same time, they don't need to be around guns at all.

Holding the trigger back is one slip away from a ND
 
just to let you know, within five days of my first revolver, this was how I had my first and only ND. was just playing when I shouldn't have and the hammer slipped outta my thump and barrels into the arm of my couch. be careful, and just try not to get into the habit of puling the hammer back, unless your at a range and its going to be okay if the gun gets fired in a safe direction.
 
What about the poor one armed man?

I've been decocking one handed forever. Big deal. Keep it pointed downrange!
 
I personally use the Tom Mix method.

If for some reason my revolver is cocked and I need to un-cock it, I just playfully shoot the hat off the guy sitting at the next table. :)

If no one is handy, I just fire it at the bottles behind the bar. The bottles will shatter but the big mirror will be untouched.
 
For a bunch of older designs there simply is no way to do it except the method Driftwood explained; hold the hammer, squeeze the trigger and lay it down gently, making sure that you're pointing in a safe direction. That works from the Colt Patterson onwards.

Had me nervous doing it the first few times, admittedly.
 
Anytime you add complexity, you multiply the chances of something going wrong.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Such as transfer bars, crossbolt safeties.

Actually if we just eliminated attorneys altogether everything would be just fine.
 
On one hand it's not the safest practice and nowadays isn't allowed in CAS, on the other hand that's what you get with any military weapon with a free-floating firing pin when you chamber a round, and I don't see people throwing away their SKS rifles and the like which are designed to do exactly that every time. It won't go off on it's own from just touching the primer. Some force is needed.

However, if the hammer on a revolver snags on something, or if you hit it vigorously or you drop it, well... not the best of ideas. Statistically, if you have to do everything perfectly, a mistake will happen to someone, somewhere. Honestly, I don't know how they dealt with it back in the day of single action revolvers. I know it was a known problem even in the percussion revolver era (so in the percussion days, you had milled notches between nipples in the Remington or pins between nipples in the Colts, although they used more sensitive caps then we do today), but I really don't know how they carried their guns in the old days.

However, if you lower the hammer down gently it just won't fire unless your thumb slips, so if you keep it pointed somewhere safe you're alright. Carrying it with a live round sitting under a hammer and pin is a bit more dodgy.
 
Last edited:
You may not believe this story. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this happen. I was in a gun shop many years ago (about 60 yrs ago) when a cop came in with a revolver in his hand, cocked. He wanted the proprietor to uncock it without firing it for him. I swear this is true. The cop learned how to do it properly that day.

After the cop left, I was finally able to close my mouth because my jaw had been down to the floor.
 
I bought a 3 screw SBH in 1968 and have owned dozens of shooters since and have never had an occasion to ask that particular question. I know there are no stupid questions, but if there was one.....
 
On one hand it's not the safest practice and nowadays isn't allowed in CAS, on the other hand that's what you get with any military weapon with a free-floating firing pin when you chamber a round, and I don't see people throwing away their SKS rifles and the like which are designed to do exactly that every time. It won't go off on it's own from just touching the primer. Some force is needed.

However, if the hammer on a revolver snags on something, or if you hit it vigorously or you drop it, well... not the best of ideas. Statistically, if you have to do everything perfectly, a mistake will happen to someone, somewhere. Honestly, I don't know how they dealt with it back in the day of single action revolvers. I know it was a known problem even in the percussion revolver era (so in the percussion days, you had milled notches between nipples in the Remington or pins between nipples in the Colts, although they used more sensitive caps then we do today), but I really don't know how they carried their guns in the old days.
Click to expand...

You are correct. In CAS it is forbidden to lower the hammer of a revolver or rifle without firing the round. If you cock it, you must fire the round or accept a stage disqualification. Two of those and you're done for the day. It happens to all of us at some point, we screw up on the order of things and wind up standing there with a cocked hammer and nothing to shoot at. Yes, I feel completely confident decocking the gun, but those are the rules of the game.

How did they carry their guns in the old days? It was common knowledge that a Colt dropped on its hammer would probably break off the tiny 'safety cock' notch on the hammer and would probably discharge. For that reason, revolvers were usually carried only loaded with five rounds, hammer down on an empty chamber. Exactly the way we do in CAS today.

But as John Wayne once said, 'if you think you're gonna need six, then load all six'.
 
Guys, I didn't intend to have a part in starting all of this...

The intent of my post was to explain the safest possible method to de-cock a S&W DA revolver. The rest of it was to help demonstrate why that is the safest method. I guess I assumed that most people learn the way I do... I grasp concepts best when I understand all of the underlying "whats, whys, wheres, and whens".

Obviously the "old way" of doing it is the only way on certain models and can be perfectly safe if the person follows all of the other rules of safe firearms handling. And obviously the "old way" can be safely used on pretty much any revolver no matter the brand or model.

My post was to demonstrate that on S&W DA's, the safety mechanism in play that prevents an AD due to dropping the weapon or other such case where the hammer falls with no finger squeezing the trigger also facilitates a safer method of de-cocking.
 
No need to apologise. It's always good to hear something new, and it has been an informative thread even for us who are totally fine with the old way and have old style guns.
 
The technique does not work with any of these revolvers. There is no room under the firing pins for my thumb or any other appendage. If I ease the hammers down, these firing pins bear directly on my thumb and it hurts like hell.
Click to expand...

In that case, you pinch the hammer between the thumb and first finger of your left hand. Works fine for me, and I don't really see where it causes any undue complications. It's all very natural and easy for me to do. I have a couple of repro Smiths, too, as well as some originals.

But, to those who think it adds "complications," please feel free to continue to use your own style for lowering hammers on guns. I'm very comfy with my way of doing things, and I have never had an AD or ND. No harm, no foul.

And:

As always, YMMV.
 
Just taking my 19-3 snub, I cocked the hammer back.....then, holding the hammer, I pulled it back that last smidge as I squeezed the trigger and slowly lower it while releasing the hammer. Works every single time........and SAFELY
 
" slowey lower it while releasing the hammer." See, now that just doesn't sound safe to me, kinda confusing. I'll just stick to my safe way. (The way I read that, sounds like it should go BANG every time!!)
Thanks.

Mike
www.goonsgunworks.com
Follow me on Instagram @ goonsgunworks
 
I read a bunch of replies, not all, and thought it worth mentioning that whatever method one chooses to use, safe, unsafe, or something in between, please follow the simple practice of pointing the muzzle in a safe direction and and not anywhere in the direction of something you really don't want to shoot.
 
Well said. As long as you follow firearms safety rules, muzzle control in particular, nobody is going to get hurt whatever method you use. If you don't, no method is truly safe.
 
As a matter of interest, I sort of rehearsed how I ease the hammer down, and really don't ease the hammer down. The hammer stays put, held by the thumb, while the gun rotates upward. Sort of, anyway.

Bob Wright
 
As a matter of interest, I sort of rehearsed how I ease the hammer down, and really don't ease the hammer down. The hammer stays put, held by the thumb, while the gun rotates upward. Sort of, anyway.

Bob Wright
Click to expand...

That's the way it works for me too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top