Had an interesting experience yesterday after concluding my bidness at the FedEx outlet. As I am prone to do, whenever in the vicinity of a gun shop... make that within 20 miles, give or take. (Hey... I'm already out and about... right?)
Stopped in to see if there was any little glitch that I could handle and pick up some lunch money. Walked in right behind a guy carryin' a stainless Mil- Spec from Geneseo... he opened up the box and cleared it like a good gun- handler, and handed it to the recently-hired counterman.
The conversation went sorta like this:
"Man, this trigger's rough as a cob! Anything can be done short of sendin' it back?" ...and hands it to the new boy on the block.
I'm still at the observation stage at this point... half payin' attention while the future employee of the month dry-fires the gun a time or three. A fairly well beat-up ORM Colt Commander catches my attention, and I sorta didn't see it comin' until it was too late.
"Sure... I can make it a lot better."
He sticks a screwdriver under the hammer, levers it upward and starts yankin' on the trigger.
Customer's voice reflects a little concern... which drew me back to the interchange.
"What are you doing??"
"Boosting the hammer. It really smooths'em out."
Me---> "Uh... ya might wanna be kinda ea... (and I heard a sound sorta like I get when I eat Crispix before the milk has had time to soften it up a little)...sy"
Mr. Booster, cocks the hammer and pulls the trigger...
"Wow! How's that for a sweet trigger?"
Customer tries it and a look of concern lightens his face a shade or two above dead pale. I ask for a try. The trigger felt like it might have hit 2 pounds and there was a very short travel. I overcocked it and turned it loose. Yup. You guessed it... Fell right to half-cock. Cocked it slow and easy... and the trigger pull had dropped another notch... down to maybe a pound. The third time was the charm. It wouldn't hold full cock.
A quick detail-strip reveals the ugly truth... Wiped about 90% of the hooks slap off the hammer. Customer's color goes from off-white to beet red. Counterman's color goes in the opposite direction, all the way to deathly pale.
If ya'll remember, I upgraded that GI Mil-Spec with a Colt hammer... and I still had the original Springfield hammer in the drawer. Mr. Trigger Job desparately offered me 50 bucks for the hammer and installation before I could tell him I'd do it for15 dollars less than that... so I accepted. He forked over the cash and I came up here to get it. The customer was a little hesitant to put a parked hammer into a stainless pistol, but he kinda liked the contrast when he saw it, and the deal was struck. We got the job done before the bossman came in... and even had time to do The Poor Man's Trigger Job for the guy... for which he flipped me a 20 as he glared at the Tyro Triggersmith. The newbie tipped me an extra 10 for my gas, and everybody went home as happy as a duck.
Yikes! He musta put a lot of pressure on that screwdriver to smooth out the hammer hooks. I didn't use a screwdriver on mine, just my left thumb. Haven't inspected the hammer hooks, but the trigger pull is +-5 lbs, and remains constant. I hope it's ok.
Wonder just how much it takes to ruin a hammer. Hmmmm....I may have to see if I have any hammers and sears that I am willing to... uuuuuuuhhhh... test to destruction.
One thing ya best check before your boosting is to make sure the sear is engaging the hammer hooks evenly. A quick telltale will be it won't boost easy, but it's best to check them with layout fluid/marker first. Get the inside right before you try to 'wear' it in.
quote:
One thing ya best check before your boosting is to make sure the sear is
engaging the hammer hooks evenly. A quick telltale will be it won't boost
easy...
Yeppers... For sure. If light boosting makes it feel like the hammer is locked into full-cock, and won't fall with about a 10-pound pull on the trigger... the hooks ain't sittin' right on the sear.
Just as a FYI... I WILL use a screwdriver to boost the hammer, but there's a technique that I use to keep from damaging the hooks.
I get it between the hammer and grip safety, and sort of balance the screwdriver on one finger. I lift it just as much as it takes to depress the grip safety into the firing position while pulling the trigger. if the hammer won't fall with a 10-pound pull on the trigger, it's WHOA NELLIE! I'll then thumb-boost it a couple of times and try again. If it still won't fall, it's time to take'er down and see what's goin' on. Sometimes, it's as simple as a slightly undersized hammer and sear pin... or oversized holes in the frame, sear, or hammer... or all of the above. Sometimes it's a little more involved.
Boost EEEEEEEEEEEAZY!
EDIT TO ADD:
Oh yeah... Before ya boost... Cock the hammer and dribble a little oil between the hammer and frame. Dry-fire the gun a few times to spread it out. That was another thing our boy neglected to do. It probably wouldn't have made a difference in this case, though.
Give some folks a lever, they can move the world. Give other ones a rubber hammer, they can bust an anvil!
How do you bust the world with an anvil?
For Jammer: Ask any U.S. Marine LCpl, they are quite experienced.
Once I worked for Dr. Dremel, The Gun Butcher.
Whenever folks brought guns in to be worked on there was a piercing shriek from the tortured metal as he "fixed" them. Oh, the horror!
I am mostly recovered now, as ammo IS cheaper than therapy.
Some people and power tools...