Missing Hammer Nose Spring?

[TAROMAN]

Noticed the target hammer's nose on my 66-1 has no spring.
Was it lost?
So, I ordered up a spring.
Punched the rivet only to find that it was apparently made without the spring.
Is this normal?
All my other revolvers have sprung hammer noses.
Should I file the too small slot in that nose so as to accept the spring?
Or just reassemble it as it was?

thanks.

 

[armorer951]

Many were made without them. Either way, with or without the spring will be fine.

I have found that the Dremel cut off wheels make a perfect sized slot in the body of the nose to accomodate the spring if you desire to modify the existing one. If you have one available, you should use a factory slotted hammer nose as a template for determining the placement of the spring cut.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Lots of K frames don't have the spring.....makes no difference.......

 

[TAROMAN]

Thanks, all. Learned something today.
I'll just keep to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy.

 

[OldChief]

You've got it, if it ain't broke don't try to fix it! The gunsmith I go to loves guys who don't live by that, they keep him in business fixing their "ain't broke" fixes.

 

[straightcut]

Being this appears to be essentially resolved, I have a similar/related question. I have a Model 64-5 that I purchased with the NY hammer (dao). I purchased a used K frame hammer (with spur and single action notch) off of eBay that looks like it is hard chrome plated. My original hammer had the nose spring, but the replacement did not. From the above posts, it appears that is of no consequence. Should I just install it (the hammer) or removed the hammer nose rivet, make the spring notch and install a spring and new rivet?

Thanks for the kind help!

 

[StakeOut]

The hammer nose spring is probably the smallest part in a revolver that has the hammer mounted firing pin.

That thing is so tiny;thank goodness you can still buy one for about $3.00

If you're going to replace or add the spring order a new nose rivet also to be safe.

 

[Toolguy]

Why would you need a new hammer nose bushing?

 

[StakeOut]

Why would you need a new hammer nose bushing?

Murphy's Law

 

[Toolguy]

Maybe you mean hammer nose rivet? The bushing is in the frame where the hammer nose pokes through.

 

[StakeOut]

Maybe you mean hammer nose rivet? The bushing is in the frame where the hammer nose pokes through.

Yes sir,you are absolutely correct in naming the part.

And I should have remembered this since I ordered one a short time ago.
Hammer Nose Rivet, Stainless Gun Parts | 316070 | Numrich Gun Parts

 

[straightcut]

My original hammer had the nose spring, but the replacement did not. From the above posts, it appears that is of no consequence. Should I just install it (the hammer) or removed the hammer nose rivet, make the spring notch and install a spring and new rivet?/QUOTE]

No disrespect intended, but could we have another go at this question?

 

[Toolguy]

Normally the spring is not needed. I have seen a few guns that the hammer nose could catch on the frame as the hammer went forward if the hammer nose happened to be in the "up" position. That is why on some frames you will see a notch in the top of the frame to deflect the hammer nose back down. The spring will hold it down all the time, until it gets to the hammer nose bushing, then it can pivot up to go through. If yours can't contact the frame as it goes forward, then it doesn't need a spring. If it catches on the frame, it can break off.

 

[straightcut]

Toolguy, thanks so much for your excellent explanation and advice!

 

[StakeOut]

If you've never seen a hammer nose spring,hammer nose or rivet take a look at the attached photo.In the photo it's above the rivet.

A few times I had thought I lost it but it was right there when I looked closer.

Even though this hammer had a nose spring the nose was so tight it didn't move with finger pressure.

 

[Toolguy]

You're welcome, straightcut.

 

[straightcut]

Stakeout, thank you for that excellent photo! That's far more descriptive than the schematic I was looking at.

Are all of the .38 special K Frame hammer noses from the 1970's - 1980's interchangeable, save for the slot for the spring?

 

[Tired Gunsmith]

The measurements of the K hammers did not vary with the different types of hammer nose.
We used whatever hammer was on hand when doing a replacement and had no worries or malfunctions.

 

[Toolguy]

The hammers remained the same, the length of the hammer nose changed in 1988. Older than that were longer, after 88 were shorter.

 

[straightcut]

The hammers remained the same, the length of the hammer nose changed in 1988. Older than that were longer, after 88 were shorter.

Was that to reduce the chance of puncturing the primer? I ask because my brother has a Model 10-8 with a broken hammer nose. I'm not sure when that would have been manufactured?

 

[Toolguy]

The reason to make them shorter was to try to make them break off less often.