Smoothness of hammer cocking motion

[guitar1580]

Hey all. New member here. I'd like to post a question that I posted on the Firing Line forum, concerning my S&W revolvers.

I have 2 older S&W revolvers, with firing pin on hammer... and a newer style 80's Dan Wesson. Other than them, I've not had the chance to try out alot of different brands and styles of guns. I'm wondering if anyone else notices what I'm about to describe.

When cocking the hammer on the S&W's, single action style, the cylinder rotates during the first part of the motion. After the cyl stops, there is still about another approx 1/8 inch of hammer travel before the hammer "clicks" into the cocked mode.

During that last 1/8" of hammer travel, after the cyl stops, I can feel a bit of "friction", or scraping, in the hammer mechanism just before it clicks into place ... whereas on the Dan Wesson, it feels like a more free motion... a much smoother cocking motion during that last segment of hammer travel. I notice this friction more on the .32, and a little on the .45.

I'm not sure if the DW feels smoother because it's newer, or a different setup than the SW, or if something needs adjusted on the SW's ... or just the feel of a SW. Anyone else notice this "feel" of a hammer in different guns?

I'm talking strictly about the motion of cocking the hammer, not about pulling the trigger.

Some folks on the other forum advised that it could merely be that the "strain screw" or "tension screw" has backed out. The previous owner of the .32 did install a Wolf spring, but said he did not change anything else. He, however, is not a gunsmith.

I'm not experienced in working on guns, and I considered sending it in for a factory trigger setup, but $145 is not always easy to come by. Any suggestions from someone who knows S&W's would be appreciated.

Josh P

 

[GLV]

Do they all work

If there are no problems with the guns working, I would not worry about the difference. I do not recommend removing the side plate on teh DW, but some of the mechanics are different than a S&W.

I shoot all revolvers DA, and yes there is a difference in feel between the two manufacturers. As to SA, I do not know, but would be surprised if they felt the same.