Saxon,

You didn't ask me, but if you had, I would rather have that modified HP hammer back in the gun. That is one of the things that I would classify as an "acceptable user modification"...at least until an unmodified original one came along.

Just as the humpback was designed to ease the action of thumb cocking the gun, I'd guess that the original user thought that shortening the spur helped him with that function.

Of course, it is altogether possible that the spur was accidentally broken and just smoothed off. But, even if that was the case, it was acceptable to the officer who carried it.

Bob