Fad of no Hammer Spur and DAO?

[Commander Crusty]

Revolver Hammer Spur 3 Myths and 4 Reasons to Keep Yours

I have carried revolvers, with and without hammer spurs, for more than 25 years. I see lots of good reasons to have hammer spurs and few reasons not too.


Three Hammer Spur Myths

"The hammer spur will get stuck on clothing." This has NEVER happened to me in 25 years. I did have the lining of one jacket get torn up, but that was from the thumb strap, not the hammer. Oh, and yes I do sometimes carry a revolver in a pocket holster.

"Single action is unsafe." If single action guns or shooting is inherently unsafe, then we better pull all those 1911s out of people's holsters before they start going off by themselves! Or maybe NOT, since virtually every rifle and shotgun, and more than half of all automatic pistols made in the last 200 years are all designed to shoot single action for every shot.

"You will cock the gun accidentally during a gun fight." Well, I guess you might, if that's how you always shoot your revolver, but then, if that's how you shoot in practice, maybe that's how you SHOULD shoot in a life and death situation where every bullet you fire has a lawyer attached. On the other hand, if you do most of your shooting double action, THAT is what you will default to under stress. Don't believe me? Shoot some matches and see for yourself.


Four Reason FOR a Hammer Spur

1) The hammer spur allows you to safely do a rotation check of your ammunition. I've never had high primers on factory ammo, but I HAVE had it with borrowed hand loads. I rotation check my revolver before I put it in the holster.

2) The hammer makes it much easier to reload the revolver with one hand. You might be surprised how often a hand gets shot, cut or damaged in a fight. Anything that makes it easier for me to hang onto the darned pistol when the chips are down gets my vote.

3) You retain the option to cock the hammer. Most people are going to shoot BETTER double action even at long distances (try it yourself and see). On the other hand, combat is never what you want, it's always what it is. Maybe I'm behind cover and have a long shot and want single action. Maybe, I'm hurt and shooting weak handed and know from my range experience that I shoot weak-hand-only better single action. Maybe my attacker looks like he's about to grab my gun, and I want to discourage that by cocking the hammer (that way the gun will still fire, even if my attack has his hands around the cylinder). Maybe I just like keeping my options open.

4) You dry fire your guns a lot and just feel more connected to a revolver with a hammer spur. To me, the gun feels better with a hammer spur. I "know" how it works. I'm connected with the pieces that move. I control what it does. I had a beautiful custom GP100 with the hammer removed. While I carried it for 5 years, I finally traded it away because it just wasn't much fun to play with--the connection was missing!


Reasons Against Hammer Spurs

If you ever use your revolver in self-defense, a sleezy lawyer will almost certainly claim you negligently cocked your pistol and fired it accidently. If this bothers you, get a hammerless gun. Nothing wrong with them! Lots of people use carry them, keep them at home, carry them around and shoot them in competition. On the other hand, if you want a court defense (beyond not shooting people without a darned good reason), ask the police firearms expert if his shotguns and rifles fire single action. Remind him that the number one selling police autopistol is the Glock and ask him if he can fire a Glock single action (you can, just don't release the trigger all the way forward). Follow-up by asking if virtually every police agency and military power in the world issues guns that are inherently unsafe. The answer is no. Hammer spurs do not make double action revolvers unsafe.

All my revolvers have hammer spurs. I prefer them that way.

 

[Old Fuff]

On the way back to town, some idiot ran up to the car and tried to carjack us! I grabbed a handful of my trusty Smith model 27 and tried to draw. The damned hammer spur got caught on the waistband of my underwear and gave me a wedgie that about killed me. Once it tore loose, the hammer spur got caught in the lining of my goose down jacket, finally ripped it free and there were feathers all over the damned car. Guess all that screaming scared off the carjacker because he ran off,

Well you should cut off the hammer on one end, and the barrel on the other. Don't worry about the front sight 'cuz you won't need it.

 

[tipoc]

Hammers can be modified as well to make them less snag prone and less likely to gash a thumb on the draw. I've done this on several of my wheelguns. I also break the sharp edges of the cylinder release latch which, as they come from the factory, can also gash a thumb. It still leaves tham capable of a sa shot if needed.

Shooting fast and accurate da is a very useful skill to develop. Takes time to develop that.

I've seen a few shooters who can do as well at 25 yards in fast da as I can sa at the same distance. But I haven't seen many.

There is a place for hammerless and shrouded guns. But a shooter should know their own abilities and keep those in mind. For many shooters the option of a single action shot is a useful option to have.

tipoc

 

[tipoc]

Modified hammer, shortened and narrowed.



Modified and unmodified hammers here.



Shrouded hammer.



Hacked up M66.



M640 wearing an impractical set of stocks.



tipoc

 

[MCgunner]

Most people are going to shoot BETTER double action even at long distances (try it yourself and see).

Oh, so THAT'S why everyone who wins IHMSA is shooting DA guns, eh? .....right, dude.

 

[earplug]

DA accuracy joke

I shoot USPSA and Steel matches with a DA only S&W 625. I shoot fifty foot bullseye with a red dot sighted 625 and M-14 shooting SA only.
I have tried the timed and rapid fire course in DA. I'm not as accurate.
I have talked to other shooters who have tried to shoot the course in DA and they arn't as accurate.
I haven't heard of a pistol shooter who shoots a DA pistol in Bullseye.
If it was a better way of shooting they would be doing it.
If it works better for some, it might be a way to overcome a tendency to flinch when pressing the trigger.

 

[Rexster]

No, it is not a fad, unless fads last 90 years. Fitz advocated spurless hammers in the 1920's. Ruger has offered spurless hammers since at least the 1990's. I have three Ruger revolvers with factory spurless hammers; one bought that way, and two installed my me. One more of my SP101s started with a spur, and it was removed by Jack Weigand. I got an S&W K-frame spurless hammer through Ebay, before they became evilbay, and that hammer awaits an appropriate sixgun, for implantation, probably an M64 or M65 snubby, someday.

 

[Rexster]

I will not pretend that DA is more accurate at long range, in slow fire, with a sixgun that has high-profile sights, fired SA. Apples and oranges. Really accurate, bullseye-level SA shooting, is a skill. Shooting fast and accurate in DA is also a skill. I don't see any reason for those who are good at one to run down those good at the other. A really accomplished sixgunner will try to develop skill at both tasks. Both are paths to the same goal, that being accuracy.

 

[icecorps]

I was watching a video of Jerry M. and his S&W 625. When I saw he had no hammer spur, I wondered why. Then I saw how far up the backstrap he gets a grip.

Does anyone know if competitive revolver shooters remove the spur to that it doesn't hit the web of their hand?

 

[Rexster]

As Old Fuff said, bobbing hammers and barrels is nothing new. Google "Fitz Special" for starters. Read Fitz's book. Read Ed Lovette's book. The Brits made a bunch of Enfield military revolvers that were DAO, no spur.

SA shooting is not ancient history. I see folks doing it all the time, with guns that are SA-only, and by cocking guns that are capable of both modes of fire.

I have S&W J-frames with concealed hammers, and Ruger SP101s with and without hammer spurs. One SP101 that has no hammer spur can still be cocked and fired SA, and three SP101s still have their hammer spurs, while one is DAO. I also have a 4" Speed Six with a factory spurless hammer, that can be cocked and fired SA.

I "enjoy" both DA and SA shooting. I guess you can think of my DAOs as purely "business" guns, lacking the versatility of both DA and SA modes of fire. That is OK with me; I have plenty of revolving pistols capable of the full range of enjoyment.