DAO 45 Question

[TravisMartin]

I just disassembled my 4556 to clean it and need some help. The two thin levers either side of the hammer run in grooves milled in the frame and pivot on the same pin as the hammer. There are blind holes drilled in these grooves for small coil springs.The lever on the left, which is the magazine disconnect, had a spring in the hole. I don't believe the right lever had a spring, but I am not 100% sure I didn't inadvertently drop it, though I did look for it.

I also have a 4553TSW so I pulled the slide to look at it to see if it has a spring in that position, but guess what---it has two levers in the (wider) groove to the right of the hammer; not sure why it's different. Since it's different, I can't go by it. I finished cleaning and reassembled the 4556, and it appears to work fine, but I don't have a place to shoot it today to be certain. So...I'd sure appreciate hearing from anyone who knows for sure. I would assume that a 4546 or 4586 would be the same, but then I would've assumed that the 4553TSW was the same too, and it isn't.

Can anyone enlighten me, or point me to a drawing?

Thanks!

Travis

 

[Fastbolt]

In the older 3rd gen DAO guns the frames only had a single lever on the right side of the hammer, being the firing pin safety lever. No spring was used under the firing pin safety lever in those models.

In later 3rd gen DAO production the frames were revised to match the regular Traditional Double Action guns in that spot, meaning the slot was machined to accept 2 levers on the right side of the hammer. The second lever, instead of being a sear release lever like in the TDA guns, is a "spacer" lever in the DAO guns. This spacer lever lacks the bottom foot of the standard sear release lever (since it doesn't have to engage the sear nose to decock a single action/cocked hammer in a DAO gun), and it also has 2 holes punched in the top (to help further identify it as a spacer-only lever).

Later production 3rd gen DAO frames which have room for 2 levers on the right side of the hammer must have a spring under the levers on each side of the hammer, just as in the regular TDA models.

S&W calls this their "Spring Rule" when talking about DAO guns. Simply put, with the words "left" & "right" meaning the frame to that respective side of the hammer:

Left side of frame - Ejector lever must always have a spring in the hole.

Right side of frame - If the frame has space for two levers, a spring must be used. If the frame has space for one lever only, a spring must not be used.

Now, I don't have an older DAO frame at hand for a picture, but it sounds like you have a DAO model of each frame design.

If your older (pre-TSW) gun has room for only one lever on the right of the hammer ... and not two levers like your TSW ... then it didn't have a spring under the firing pin safety lever on the right side. Your TSW does.

These pictures are of a .40 TSW frame. You can see the difference in the width of the frame slots since this model has two levers on the right side of the hammer.

Hope this info helps.

 

[TravisMartin]

What a terrific resource this forum is! I can't thank you enough; you answered my question and more. I was pretty sure there hadn't been a spring there, as I'm careful. But that second hole sure implies a spring should be there, so it is quite comforting to know.

As you surmised, I have one of each. My 4556 would be early production; it has forged hammer and trigger, and I understand the 4556 was only made for one or maybe two years in the very early '90's. The other pistol I was looking at for comparison is a 4553TSW with MIM hammer & trigger. It, too, is early---for a 4553 that is; it has the cut out grip with the 6 round magazine, but I understand that makes it about 1998 production. In any event, they are different in that regard, so I was really needing some guidance and I very much appreciate your helping.

 

[Fastbolt]

De nada.