It seems the S&W 4006 3rd gen automatic comes in either the polymer coated spurred hammer or the stainless bobbed hammer. I have yet to find a factory stainless spurred hammer for the 4006. Is this true or am I just not seeing the beast in all its configurations? Is it possible to replace the bobbed stainless hammer with a standard spurred stainless hammer and if so, would I be looking for a 5906, 4506, or a 1006 spurred stainless hammer?

I think the 5909 and 4006 hammer are the same .

This question comes up from time to time.
First, a little background.
S&W has made hammers (and triggers) out of only two substances since the very 1st "pre-model 39" in the early 1950s up until the last 3rd gen that has already either come off the line or has yet to:

Forged carbon steel and MIM (Metal Injection Molded).

S&W never made hammers or triggers from stainless steel or "polymer coated".

The forged carbon steel hammers were either blued or "flash chromed" to make them look that way.

Around 1993 S&W began making the hammers and triggers from MIM.
They are all blackened.

Now back to your question re:
"Why are there no flash chromed spurred hammers on 4006 models?"

During early testing of the 4006, S&W engineers discovered cracks forming in the slides.
High speed photography revealed the hammer battering the underside of the slide.
This was found to be caused by the higher slide velocity of the 4006 chambering the 40 s&w cartridge.
This higher slide velocity imparted a higher momentum to the forged hammer and it violently rebounded off the frame and struck the slide in a vulnerable area.
This wasn't good.
A lighter hammer with less mass was the solution.
At first, S&W used the Performance Center lightened hammer (for faster lock times on target pistols), but these were expensive and difficult to produce.
The next "fix" was a blackened, forged hammer with a big hole drilled through it.
Finally, S&W transistioned to the MIM hammer (identifiable by the sunken sides) which was just as strong as a forged hammer but also lighter.

Yes, all the hammers will "swap and fit" but I would not put a forged, spurred hammer (of any color) in a 4006 if I wanted it to last (unless it was the PC or the "Holey" hammer).

John

There's a LOT of 4006 info in this thread: 4006's - information/ history/ tidbits??

John

Well that certainly answers the questions of why I never seen one with a chromed spurred hammer. Thank you for the insight.

You are welcome.

John

That was a great reply . , I enjoyed reading it also I have have Smith auto since the 70s ,and always liked them . some police around here use to carry them like 59s and then 4006 , I had a 4006 that had the hole in the hammer . I just picked up a real nice Clean CHP 4006 Tactical .

Reviving this old thread with a clarification question.

I understand the forged spurred hammer can damage the slide.

Will the non spurred forged hammer also damage the slide or is there enough weight reduction by removing the spur that will allow this to work with no damage to slide?

I like the look of the non spurred hammer and would like to swap it out for the MIM spurred hammer.

The spurless hammers (any material) are light enough for safe use in the 4006.

John

Thank you very much!

FYI, if you change the hammer, you have to change the sear too. Steel with steel and mim with mim

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viking

I would guess that the bobbed hammers are good to go as well?
As in the CHP TSW 4006?

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2 Cor 5:17
John3:16

I thought that prohibition only referred to the DAO models, because of the change from the early style DAO to the later TSW style DAO (the sears and hammers were physically different).

Was there another reason?

John

I have a 4006 purchased new in late 1993. It has the spurred black solid hammer which appears to be carbon steel. It has relatively low round count, something less than a thousand rounds. Should this hammer be replaced with a lighter one such as the MIM?

Before you replace anything, take a closer look at the back and sides of your "solid" hammer.

If your hammer is hollowed out at the rear, under the spur, you have the first alternate hammer, the Performance Center lightened target hammer and is good to go.

If it is not hollowed at the rear, check the sides of your hammer.
If there is a hole through it, it is the second alternate hammer and is good to go.

If it is not hollowed at the rear or have a hole through it, check to see if it is hollowed out on the sides.
If it is, it is a MIM hammer (although not typically seen on 1993 pistols) and is good to go.

If your hammer has none of the lightening measures I mentioned, but yet has a spur, then it is the wrong hammer, and should be replaced with a lightened, MIM, or spurless ("bobbed") hammer.

At the time of discovery of the problem, the convention at S&W was to install chrome plated hammers and triggers on the stainless pistols.

Under pressure to release the pistols to the market, S&W substituted the PC hammers (which were black) with the chrome plated triggers.

This mismatch caused the aesthetically sensitive to recoil in horror, prompting the company to adopt black controls on stainless pistols.

Folks liked the combination and that's how it stayed.

Welcome to the Forum, Bayoupilot!

John

John,

Thank you so much for the advice. It turns out that it was hollowed out from the rear underside. Big relief there.

Glad to hear it!

I figured that's what you would find.

There were a few pre-production models with chrome plated spur hammers that got out for publicity photos, but AFAIK, all the production models had lightened hammers.

John