I am looking for a bobbed hammer to replace the stock on my m58 41 magnum, any info on if this would be a simple swap of hammers? Right now my biggest problem is finding a bobbed hammer for one. Anybody have any advice on where I can find one? Thanks

I'm unaware of S&W EVER selling bobbed hammers for the N frames. So you would have to CUT a hammer.

I have occasionally found hammers that dropped in and functioned well enough....but usually a replacement hammer or trigger requires some minor fitting.

Cutting the stock hammer will hurt the value of the gun...unless on resale you can find someone WANTING that bobbed hammer.

I would NOT cut the stock hammer at all. If you MUST....find a replacement hammer and cut that one.

FN in MT

They said they would do it for $92($48 for hammer, $30 labor, $14 shipping). I might go that route, nothing like S&W customer service. and send the original hammer back to me untouched.

Bigshep85, I just sent you a private message on this subject.

Years ago I bought a regular cold steel hammer for a model 36 and had my gunsmith bob it to where I could also carefully cock it SA. Had the flat top checked. That saved the original hammer. Love a bobbed hammer on a pocket gun, but for what reason would you find the need to bob a hammer on a large holster type gun?

With people in a hurry to replace their new MIM parts , original non-MIM S&W hammers , as well as other parts , have become scarce and expensive. I'm trying to find some NOS smooth med (combat?) N-frame triggers and they're getting scarce as hens teeth.

Shop in Boise, Id. did this one...really makes a perfect never snag draw...and still more than enough grip to cock SA...





..and a nice super smooth DA trigger...








Bob

I am looking to bob the hammer so it can be carried holdtered or carried concealed maybe IWB no hammer sticking me in the side or rubbing and tearing clothing or anything of that nature, think I will even look into some nice boot grips....Great looking gun btw superman

I bobbed my 58 hammer years ago. It worked fine but eventually I swapped it out for a standard one. I'll look and see if the modified one is still in my box of parts. If so I'll offer it to you at a great price.

And very much appreciated too.

I was going to keep mine in 95%+ condition, but after this thread do believe it will become my new winter companion to my Colt Commander. Love my S&W's folks but just plain shoot a 1911 better thanks to shooting one very frequently in various configurations since 1978. The .41 is a GREAT caliber for self defense with the right load. Just ask the 42 deer I've taken with my .41 mags over the years. Said it before if it will take a 180-240 lb. deer down with authority it will do it's job on someone intent on harming you or your family.

Do believe the original hammer is staying intact as I use thumb over hammer when drawing any revolver.

SuperMan, you have one outstanding carry weapon model 58 there. Great job on the mods.

__________________
V/R
Roger / SG

I have done this with a number of my Smiths. Swapping hammers in and out of S&Ws sometimes works and sometimes not. If you decide to swap hammers remove the double action sear lever from the original hammer and install on the new one. Make sure to get the tiny spring installed correctly. That should take about 90% of any fitting problems out of the picture. And welcome to the 57/58 club. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. These are the best revolvers S&W has ever produced.

One thing that I did have some problems with in the beginning was busting caps DA. With the very light mainspring (Power Custom PowerRib) and some of the hammer mass missing I was getting misfires with reloads using Winchester primers about 10% of the time. Put in a standard factory mainspring and it went to 99% reliability and 100% with all factory loads and reloads with Federal primers.

Last year there was a like new parts set on GunBroker that I picked up..everything but the frame and grips. So I have the correct barrel, hammer, trigger and cylinder release to put the gun back to new should I so choose.... The cylinder is reserved for the day I find that right shooter grade 5" Model 27....then I'll own the only 5" 57 Mountain Gun....

Bob

Actually all of the force required to set off a primer is provided by the mainspring. The mass of the hammer has nothing to do with it. If you're talking about hammer force striking an object where the hammer is falling and only powered by gravity then it would make a difference. With a mainspring that is powerful enough to set off a primer you can whittle the hamer down to a sliver and the gun will still fire. Reducing the mass of the hammer does allow it to accelerate faster which reduces the lock time of the gun. I have bobbed hammers on revolvers and 1911s for many years and it does not reduce the striking force at all. Reduce the mainspring enough and you will start seeing problems.

I would have to disagree with that. It's more of a balance between the two. I've seen enough failure to fires from light strikes in revolvers and autos with lightened , or so-called 'skeletonized' and titanium hammers.

Swing a 12oz finishing hammer on a 16d nail and see how far ya drive it. Then swing a 22oz framing hammer at the same speed and see how far that drives it.

I recently installed Timney trigger units in my AR-15 and LR-308 and the unit for the .308 has a much larger hammer.

My experience has been the same...the increased speed of the reduced weight hammer sometimes will not equal the delivered energy of a non-lightened hammer. In a 1911 combine that with a titanium firing pin and I have seen that combo fail several times. No one I know runs titanium firing pins any longer...

I've also found that the firing pin on the hammer guns require more mainspring than the firing pin in the frame models. I remember one of the best PPC conversions was to take a Model 53 .22 Jet and rebarrel it to .357 and rechamber the cylinder to .38 Special. The top PPC smiths found that the Model 53, having the only frame mounted firing pin in a S&W centerfire revolver at the time, could have a lighter DA pull than an a standard K-frame and still bust caps.... They are fairly rare to find however....

Bob

Back in the mid to late 1970's I carried a S&W Mod 29 for a duty gun.

I also had a Mod 58, that I decided to use as a foul weather duty gun.

However it soon came to be a pain in the rear, as I would have to change the speedloaders, and the rounds in the dump pouch on my duty belt, and the extra 10 or so speedloaders and box of 50 extra rounds in my briefcase, before leaving the station. And then when I went back to the 44 Mag change everything else out again. Quiet a pain.

So I then decided to leave the 44 in the station locker and carry the Mod 58 off duty.

Durring the cooler months I carried it in an upside down Bianchi shoulder holster designed for a 4" k frame. The Mod 58 fit just fine.

To keep the revolver from being snagged on my coat durring the draw I bought another hammer and fit it to the gun and then "bobbed" it.

I never had any failures to fire. It was a slick revolver... However I always wished it was a 44 Mag, just so it would use the same ammo as my other 44's. [There is nothing wrong with the power, accuracy, etc of the 41 Mag].

It is just, I am a confirmed 44 Mag guy, my first Centerefire rifle was a Ruger 44 Mag Deerstalker I got in the early 1960's, and my second centerfire handgun was a 44 Mag, in 1970 [first was an Accurized 1911 in 45 ACP in 1966 or 67].

I sold the Mod 58 and replaced it with a 4" Nickle 44 Mag.

I have spent some time swinging framing hammers so I know what you are saying but the analogy doesn't really apply because swinging a hammer down on a nail powered by your arm AND gravity is not the same as a gun's hammer that is only driven by a spring. The spring is supplying all of the force, the mass of the hammer and gravity doesn't enter into it. Like I said, I have competition 1911s that have had the hammer cut down until it is below flush with the rear of the slide and have had zero misfires even with reduced power mainsprings driving it. It looks wierd but it works 100%. What about a striker fired pistol that has NO hammer?