I have an older friend who is a very sharp and spry 95 year old. He has a beautiful pre model 36 flat latch .38 Special that he bought new in the 1950's. Sometime, decades ago it was dropped and broke the spur off of the hammer. I'm not sure if it had a wide or narrow hammer spur. When looking at Numrich I see they show a hammer that says "Hammer Recessed For Ball" I have not had the sideplate off of his revolver but will a newer model 36 hammer fit it?. I have some more modern J frame hammers but I wasn't certain of a design change and when it occurred.

I think any J frame hammer with the nose will fit. The earliest versions had a more curved spur with shallower checkering than the later type, but I don't know when the change occurred - perhaps 1955?

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

It had the early fine knurled hammer spur, same width as the post 1953 course checkered hammer spur.

Earliest coarse checkered hammers still had the ball seat for the main spring strut with ball tip.

However, later coarse checkered hammers use the pin that's in the hammer base with the "forked" style main spring strut.

The forked strut is easy to find and install in your gun if you must use a pin/fork design later hammer.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I do believe the later hammers for the M36 will fit, although they won't have the same exact look. I do have a spare one that I picked up at a show 30+ years ago (sorry - not for sale) realizing they were getting hard to find. I suggest that the only place you will find one from the early 1950's is at a gun show in one of the "parts guy's" parts boxes. You might luck out of you have an old time LGS that has been around for many many years, but most likely at a show or maybe on ebay.

It looks like if I change it for him I will probably have to use the newer style hammer and hammer spring as I haven't found any of the ball type hammers yet. I have not got to to remove the side plate but the last I saw it I noted it was a flat latch and did not have a model number 36 on the frame so I'm certain it has the ball type hammer and spring since he is the original owner. Looking on Ebay I was amazed at the number of J frame hammers with broken spurs. I'd say either the metal was brittle, the little J frames were dropped a lot, or both.

More detail to my post #3:

The hammer to spring strut junction was changed from ball/socket to the fork/pin in c. 1962 ~ #295,000 Chiefs Spl. thru 1997-8 and continued when the firing pin was removed from the hammer nose and mounted in the frame; Kit Gun rim fire hammers thru discontinuance in 1991.


Ball socket hammer:


Photo credit: what


Ball tipped spring strut assembly:


Photo credit: Gunparts


Available here for $6.00: Smith & Wesson Model 32 Parts | Numrich Gun Parts

The hammer to spring strut junction changed from ball/socket to the stirrup/pin c. 1962.
Early forked ‘Mainspring stirrup’ was a round rod. Later flat rod is just called a ‘stirrup’ in 1977 parts list (shown w/o spring & retainer):

Hammer with pin for stirrup spring strut:


Photo credit: Gunparts



Early Round rod stirrup assembly:


Photo credit: Gunparts



2nd version flat stamped stirrup:


Photo credit: Gunparts

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Thank you.

Any insight on how much earlier than 1977 the flat stirrup was used in production?

I have a 36-1 #J306xxx with a blued flat stirrup - but do not know if its original to the gun.