bobbing a hammer

[freekforge]

I have a taurus 85 that im thinking about bobbing the hammer on. Does anyone have concrete proof that it will effect reliability? Several folks are saying not to because the reduced mass with lead to light primer strikes. However i have worked on countless BP guns were i would lighten the hammer to get the caps to pop. So has anyone done this and knows for sure?

 

[Cameramonkey]

Not to derail but I read the title as "bobbing for hammers" and thought "what kind of sick games is Freek planning for his Halloween party? At least its not bobbing for french fries.

/derail

 

[BogWalker]

If it results in weak strikes that could be remedied with a stronger spring, correct?

If that's the case I'd go ahead and bob it and try it. If it doesn't work it can be made to work.

 

[Hookeye]

I bobbed my Model 60 Smith no dash.........was flawless.
Took my time and it looked factory done.
Old cop that bought it from me loves (and won't part with) it.

 

[Bosshoss]

Bobbing the hammer will effect the reliability but not how you think. It will INCREASE the reliability.
Velocity not mass sets off primers. The faster the hammer hits the primer the more likely it is going to go off.
Usually when someone bobs the hammer they also change springs or make other modifications and then have reliability problems. They then blame the bobbing of the hammer as the reason for the misfires.
Lightening the hammer does make it possible to run a lighter trigger pull while maintaining reliability.
Some guns really respond to lighter hammers like S&W K,L,N frames. Ruger's not quite as much.

 

[Slow Hand]

I've done it to multiple revolvers with no ill effects. Also, Taurus offers (or at least used to) an 85CH, with a bobbed hammer from the factory.

 

[freekforge]

Might go ahead and do it then just need to figure out how im going to finish the hammer since the gun is parkerized. I figured it wouldn't cause any problems since like i said i would remove weight from the hammer of a bp gun to get it to pop caps but figured i would check first.

 

[freekforge]

Well i did it. It took 6 minutes and 32 seconds (i had music playing and know how long the songs are) i wouldn't recommend doing it this way but since i ran an angle grinder all day everyday for over a year im extremely comfortable using them. I didnt even take the hammer out of the gun, i just masked everything off. I used a 40 grit cutting wheel, 60 grit sanding pad and then a brown then blue scotch bright grinding pad. All that i need to do now is finish the metal with something i'll probably use several coats of cold blue. I'll post pics when i get a chance.

 

[Lelliott8]

I would agree with BogWalker that even if you do get light primer strikes, a stronger spring would remedy that, and being a revolver that would be the end of it. BUT I have a feeling that a stronger hammer spring could have a negative affect on cycling if it were a semi-auto. A little off-topic, but just my thoughts.

 

[Alpo]

Bobbing the hammer will effect the reliability but not how you think. It will INCREASE the reliability.
Velocity not mass sets off primers. The faster the hammer hits the primer the more likely it is going to go off.
Usually when someone bobs the hammer they also change springs or make other modifications and then have reliability problems. They then blame the bobbing of the hammer as the reason for the misfires.
Lightening the hammer does make it possible to run a lighter trigger pull while maintaining reliability.
Some guns really respond to lighter hammers like S&W K,L,N frames. Ruger's not quite as much.

Ummm. Not really. The formula is 1/2 mv(squared). A massless hammer could reach the speed of light and not set off a primer.

That being said, I've bobbed a lot of stock hammers with no ill effect.

 

[throttletony]

I'm not a physicist.... but...
it will have decreased mass, but that will INCREASE its speed! I would bet that it will work just fine. In the off chance that it leads to light strikes, then go for a slightly heavier spring.

 

[BogWalker]

Question for people who paid attention in physics: what part does momentum play in all of this? How does the weight affect momentum?

 

[Gunsmiff12B]

Agreed, go ahead and do it, it should not affect the strikes whatsoever, and even if it some how did, a new mainspring is all that would need to be added

 

[Bosshoss]

Ummm. Not really. The formula is 1/2 mv(squared). A massless hammer could reach the speed of light and not set off a primer.

That being said, I've bobbed a lot of stock hammers with no ill effect.

OK when you bob a hammer you reduce the mass BUT you also increase the velocity(by reducing the mass) if as in this case you don't change the springs. In the equation Velocity is squared while mass is not so velocity is a lot more important than mass. Which is what I said.
This is not just revolvers EVERY manufacture I know of that makes Hi-Performance fire control parts for guns be it rifles, shotguns, pistols, or revolvers reduces the weight of the moving parts. A side benefit is reduced lock time.

I know that almost all the competition revolvers that I have ever seen that have reduced trigger pulls have a lightened hammer.
All the competition revolvers I build have severely lightened hammers.

BTW my massless hammer at the speed of light works 100% but only with BS primers

 

[freekforge]

well here she is touched it up with a cratex wheel and let some cold blue sit on it for a while and its a nice matte black.