3913 color differance

[Joel8080]

I noticed some 3913 have black trigger and hammer and some chrome iis there a difference in the 2 colors?.

[BAM-BAM]

When they were built..... early guns were IIRC flashed chromed( mine are).... later guns not so much ........ I imagine it saved S&W a couple of bucks.

[Fastbolt]

Before the introduction of MIM, S&W used machined carbon steel hammers.

Blued/black guns usually ended up with machined carbon steel hammers that were blued, and the stainless guns usually got machined carbon steel hammers and triggers that were flash-chromed.

I was told that there came a point when flash-chroming caused them some EPA headaches.

Once S&W was able to use stainless MIM, they blackened the parts. Hence, new stainless TSW's ended up with blackened hammers, triggers, slide stop and manual safety assemblies. This gave the guns some contrasting colors.

[Joel8080]

Fastbolt, Bam-Bam
Thank you for the information.

Joel8080

[lhump1961]

I actually prefer the MIM trigger and hammer as I think they are a bit smoother. Both are fine and I wouldn't base a buying decision either way but don't shy away from the "dreaded" MIM parts...they are just fine.

[stormyone]

Originally Posted by Fastbolt

Blued/black guns usually ended up with machined carbon steel hammers that were blued, and the stainless guns usually got machined carbon steel hammers and triggers that were flash-chromed.

I’ve wondered about the blued guns (which I prefer). Is it easy to tell the difference between the machined carbon steel and the blued guns that had the blued MIM parts?

[Fastbolt]

Originally Posted by stormyone

I’ve wondered about the blued guns (which I prefer). Is it easy to tell the difference between the machined carbon steel and the blued guns that had the blued MIM parts?

Here are some different hammers from 3rd gen guns. (Spares from my parts collection.)

The 2 on the left with the flat, smooth sides are machined carbon steel. The flash-chromed one, with the serrations on the top, is from an early 6906. The blued one was ordered from the parts list of the 457, if I recall right, after they stopped cutting serrations on top of the spur.

The 2 on the right are MIM, and have both round and tub-shaped indentations on the sides. One is spurless and one spurred, and the spurred one has an additional indentation in the sides of the spur.



The machined carbon steel hammers varied in the smoothness, depending on the sharpness of the cutters at the time each hammer was cut. Some were nice, and some had spots on the bearing surfaces (over which the sear nose and drawbar tail rubbed) that looked like the face of an uneven shale out-cropping. The MIM hammers were uniformly smooth and more precise in tolerances.

[stormyone]

Thank you, Fastbolt. I am always learning from you.