Cutting hammer for DAO = smoother trigger pull?

[Hapworth]

Far as I know, for a proper double-action-only, the single action sear is ground off on the hammer assembly. Some report this improving double action pull. Correct? If so, why?

 

[tomcatt51]

On most of my revolvers I have bobbed (or more radically lightened) hammers and the hammer notches are ground off making them DAO.

Just grinding off the hammer notch will have no effect on your DA pull.

The only thing it can do in some situations (like a tightly fitted trigger stop) is prevent the hammer notch and trigger hook from hitting each other "in passing" after the hammer release.

 

[chief38]

I'm not criticizing DAO here, I am just so curious as to why one would want a DAO revolver? If one wanted to only shoot DA then just pull the trigger but by leaving the revolver as is, would at least give the user the OPTION of a distant aimed shot if needed. Again, I am only curious and want to understand why people do this. I do not own a DAO revolver so maybe there is something I'm missing here. Please enlighten me.

 

[Ben_hutcherson]

This is anecdotal and only one data point, but I have a model 64 with a factory bobbed hammer and no SA notch.

I notice no real difference between the trigger on it and on my other K frames. It certainly is good(as I would expect from a K frame) but I don't really notice anything special on it.

 

[tomcatt51]

I am just so curious as to why one would want a DAO revolver?

Fair question.

Because of having to drop the hammer manually after cocking it and deciding NOT to fire it. Many of my cut hammers don't have much surface to grab hold of to ease the hammer down without your fingers slipping off...

 

[gunblade]

I'm not criticizing DAO here, I am just so curious as to why one would want a DAO revolver? If one wanted to only shoot DA then just pull the trigger but by leaving the revolver as is, would at least give the user the OPTION of a distant aimed shot if needed. Again, I am only curious and want to understand why people do this. I do not own a DAO revolver so maybe there is something I'm missing here. Please enlighten me.

Single action is not required to make a distant aimed shot if one uses proper sight alignment and trigger control.

 

[chief38]

Single action is not required to make a distant aimed shot if one uses proper sight alignment and trigger control.

I would agree with you up until a certain point. I do have two fellow Club Members that do shoot better double action than they do single action, but that's at paper targets. I would not want to find out the hard way if that was still true with my adrenaline pumping and someone shooting back at me. I suppose that if you are truly dedicated to DAO then you become absolutely proficient with it - like the man who owns only one gun. I do practice DA each time I visit the Range but I admittedly shoot SA 90% of the time I shoot revolvers. I do like the CHOICE though..........

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I strongly agree with both tomcatt51 and gunblade. Some folks have learned DA shooting well enough that retaining a SA capability is not a significant advantage. I feel that way, and would prefer not to leave a SA notch on a bobbed-hammer revolver so that someone else can screw up. However, at present, my revolvers are only for me, and I honestly can not tell you for sure which few of my bobbed-hammer revolvers have a single-action notch, because I don't actually care. I already know that I will not use them that way.

The original reason for removing the notch, AFAIK, was to avoid bogus charges like those levelled against a policeman who righteously shot a perp in a video arcade in Miami, I believe in 1985. He was wrongfully accused of having cocked his revolver and then accidentally discharging it, when, in fact, he intentionally shot the perp in necessary defense of his own life. After that, many PDs went DAO so that there was simple physical proof against such bogus charges.

 

[WR Moore]

That's pretty much a stock charge in either a criminal or civil proceeding since there's no way to prove otherwise if the firearm has SA capability.

This opens the door for a manslaughter charge or negligence.

 

[chief38]

Well I suppose you guys have made some good points FOR DAO on a gun with a bobbed hammer.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Bobbed hammer

I thought the main reason for having a bobbed hammer was so it (hammer) wouldn't snag on your clothes/pocket, when concealed? Once it's bobbed, it's effectively DAO.

 

[Falguy]

You're right. A bobbed hammer is to make it snag proof.

There is no accuracy advantage to single action and, more than likely, much less accuracy with single action fire in a defense scenario.

In a defense situation everything is moving, lighting might be bad, adrenaline is pumping and, hopefully, you're trying to resolve the conflict without gunfire. You aren't relaxed in a comfortable environment shooting for group size in an indoor range.

 

[tomcatt51]

For me, snag proof is secondary. A bobbed, or more radically cut hammer is lighter and will let you run lighter springs and a lighter DA pull.

Once it's bobbed, it's effectively DAO.

Not really. I'll have club members ask to shoot my guns. Usually the first thing they do is try to cock a bobbed hammer DAO gun to shoot it SA. I need some of Bill Engvalls' signs to hand out...