You can bend the mainspring forward by inserting a wooden wedge into the grip frame just behind the mainspring, and then cock the hammer.....the stirrip catches (or is supposed to catch) on the hooks of the mainspring during this maneuver. (works on forged hammers with pinned stirrip)
I never was able to master this technique, although some of the armorer instructors were pretty good at it. For me, it was always easier to remove the plate.
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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer
Last edited by armorer951; 02-11-2015 at 04:32 PM.
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