Hi guys,
The spur broke off my hammer the other day. I was looking to see what replacements are available and the one that caught my eye was the Apex Mass Driver - supposed to be best for rimfire ignition.
So, looking at the Mass Driver Hammer, it doesn't have a spur!
Now I'm thinking, I'll just smooth off the spur nub with a file and have a competition hammer.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks

It may not make a difference for competition shooting, but the hammer is still readily available and should be easy to install, so I say replace. You may want to shoot it SA at some point in the future.

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Alan
SWCA 2023, SWHF 220

The reason for the Mass Driver hammer is that it has extra weight at the top because rimfire ammo takes a harder hit to set off than centerfire ammo. I would get a hammer with spur. You need the weight. The Mass Driver is only for the newer guns, I think. Check with Apex on that one.

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Protocall Design

[QUOTE=You need the weight. The Mass Driver is only for the newer guns, I think. Check with Apex on that one.[/QUOTE]

Yes they advertise it for 617-3 and above.

Good info about the weight - I was thinking a lighter hammer would accelerate faster and deliver more force.

Lets see a picture of your hammer.
I am in the boat of just filing off the nub, tightening up the spring and see if it goes bang every time. Same some cash.
I have not found that hammers just drop in without work.
Granted the apex totally eliminates the single action though and that greatly simplifies the smithing involved

That's how it works on the centerfire guns. There are upper and lower limits of what works. On the rimfire, you need more of both than on the centerfire.

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Protocall Design

Picture is at this link:
617Hammer.jpg - Google Drive

It is not just that rimfires require more of a whack to set them off. Many holster straps are ineffective without the spur for them to wrap around. Eventually hammers with pivoting firing pins will become hard to find. If you wait that long to restore your 617-1's collector value it'll become an expensive hunt. More important, looking at it now must be like looking at a woman with no nose. It's easier to love a pretty face.

The .22 doesn't have a hammer nose to begin with. The older rimfire hammers are even harder to come by. There are still a few in captivity, though.

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Protocall Design

yes the firing pin is in the frame, not on the hammer.

If you're the original owner, S&W just may replace it for you.

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Ed

I'm not - I bought it used a few weeks ago.

I should have remember that. More modern MIM hammer 617s use centerfire L frame hammers so older rimfire K frames must need older hammers. Since there's less of them it's more important to get started hunting for one unless S&W will replace it for free under warranty. Both S&W and Ruger have done a lot of warranty work without caring if the current owner bought the gun new. They probably won't ask. Both companies value their reputation and customers.

You really can't go wrong by checking with S&W, they might just fix it under the warranty or it just might be your best bet to get it repaired even if you have to pay for it.

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Ed

Most likely if your revolver was made after Smith went to the lifetime warranty they’ll repair it for free and not ask if you’re the original owner. Smith has never asked me for proof of purchase and only charged me for one repair out of the three repairs of used guns that I’ve had.

I bought a 17-4 for a very reasonable price due to a broken hammer spur years ago. Bobbed the remaining spur plumb off and have run it in DA only ever since without any dramas. I have plenty of other K frame .22s, so it hasn't been a limitation.
For Speed Challenge, that spur might as well not be there.
But amassing some spare parts isn't a bad idea.
Which reminds me of of a tag line from one of the regulars on Brian Enos' forums: (Probably paraphrasing here) "Hammer spurs are for midnight cowboys." (Fellow called "carmoney", IIRC.) Not altogether sure what that means, but those run and gun types don't have time for super precision, they just need rounds on target straight away.