DA has no SA - Can it be fixed ?

[mmcalc]

Just bought a sweet S&W .38 DA 2nd Model 4" with the Box.

DA works fine; Barrel like new; Super tight Lockup; Perfect Indexing; All matching numbers; Very little wear overall.

BUT - NO HALF-COCK and NO FULL-COCK. I feel nothing at Half-Cock. At Full-Cock it ALMOST locks - I can feel it trying to.

I figure the Spring right under the Hammer is weak or cracked. Does it have a NAME ?

Is this a difficult or expensive fix ? Can anyone recommend a Smith who has experience, preferably in New England, but anywhere is ok.

Were you able to fix this? I just got a 2nd model fixer upper and it has the same problem. I suspect that the single action sear is probably part, if not all of the problem. Neither the half cock or full cock work on mine either.

The 3rd and 4th models I have have a small fly in the hammer that flips out as the hammer falls and blocks the sear from dropping into the half cock notch. The 1st and 2nd models did not have a fly in the hammer. So, if the trigger is released too fast, the sear can snap up and bash into the half cock notch. This is actually a design defect that was corrected in the third and later models with the addition of the fly.

The face of the sear on my 2nd model is rounded, so it does not catch the notches in the hammer. I am going to try and clean it up, if that doesn't work, I may replace it. The 3rd model hammer sort of works in the 2nd model, but the double action sear has to be adjusted.

Here are some photos of the two hammers

3rd model on left, 2nd model on right

3rd model on left, 2nd model on right

2nd model on top, 3rd lower

Your pistol is a very nice example. Would you mind sending or posting some more detailed photos and measurements of the box. I would like to make a box for mine.

Mike