[Colby]

Trying to find light hammer pull revolvers. Some hammers are kinda tough to pull back. Put this in the context of an older person with arthritic fingers.
I have found - for example - that Ruger's SP101 has a tougher hammer pull back than their GP100. this surprised me - but it is true.
Does anyone have recommendations for an easy hammer pull - or a favorite that they have encountered over the years?
44 magnums are probably out of consideration for this person...

 

[danf_fl]

Going too light and you have inconsistent hits on the primer.

I like the old 2 digit model number S&Ws. Smooth the action out, replace springs with new ones, and the trigger pull seems to be easier.

I do not recommend cutting springs as a way to lighten the trigger pull.

 

[hardluk1]

You can replace hammer spring with Wolff RP springs and they work just great in most handgus and do it your self at home most times. Or pay to have a smithto look it over , smooth and polish the trigger group up and change the spring for you. It is some what trial and error as to how well it works for you and has to be fired enought to know. I have a old CC revolver , taurus 85 SS that when it was retired after 20 years of carry i change the hammer spring only in it so my at the time young girls could learn to step and shot centerfire handguns with and its trigger has been very reliable for 6 or 7 years so far and has a 4 1/2lb DA pull and 2lb sa pull weight. Cocking it is very very easy even for my 83 year old mom with a bit of arthritis. 357 mags and larger can be a handfull if you can't keep a tight grip on the handgun regaurdless of how hard it is to cock also

 

[John_Deer]

I am getting older myself. Arthritis and old injuries have weakened my hands. Guns that could easily cock just a few years ago I need both hands in cold weather. You can get reduced trigger springs but they only do so much. I don't like the notion of not shooting large caliber handguns. I practice cocking my weapons with both hands. Yes, it has slowed the speed that I can level a gun. But the change in technique has improved my form. I can draw the weapon and assume a proper weaver stance much quicker than I could as a young man. Maybe in the end, we might be better off with the changes aging has brought to us.

I plan to start shooting IDPA this weekend. I will find out how my changes in technique have worked. I am not concerned about the accuracy portion of the match, shooting while moving or shooting from cover. I just hope I can hobble fast enough to beat a few people. Maybe I will run into people who are facing the same challenges. Perhaps, they have a better way of dealing with aging.

 

[Bob Wright]

These are Uberti single actions, a .22, .44 Spec. and a .45 Colt. They have flat mainsprings, so when the hammer is at rest there is little tension on the hammer, making it easier to start cocking. Because you gain momentum as the hammer comes back, cocking is easier even though tension increases.

This, as opposed to the coil spring of a Ruger, where tension is constant.

And, the longer hammer of the SA provides greater leverage.

Bob Wright

 

[robocop10mm]

A Smith and Wesson revolver K,L,N frame, pre lock, pre-MIM is easy to thumb cock. If you are shooting non-Magnum calibers you need 3.5 lbs of hammer tension to reliably set them off. The Magnums require 3.75 lbs. A Smith M 66 can be safely modified to shoot .38's with the lighter mainspring. I did this to several agency guns that were used by our Explorers in competition. I converted them back to Mag specs after the team won the State competition. Yeah I gave them an "unfair" advantage, so sue me

 

[Colby]

Yeah, the required striking force on the primer is fixed. But different hammers have different cocking forces due to the geometry of the hammer - distance from pivot point to thumb pull - distance between pivot point and spring application point.
So ... different guns with different hammer configurations will pull differently.
I am looking for stock light pull hammered guns. Not really interested in modifying any guns internally.
I guess you need a collection of guns to be able to tell the difference. But there is a difference between different gun designs.

 

[robocop10mm]

Changing a mainspring is REALLY easy. You don't even have to remove the side plate

 

[phildenton]

Trying to find light hammer pull revolvers. Some hammers are kinda tough to pull back. Put this in the context of an older person with arthritic fingers.
I have found - for example - that Ruger's SP101 has a tougher hammer pull back than their GP100. this surprised me - but it is true.
Does anyone have recommendations for an easy hammer pull - or a favorite that they have encountered over the years?
44 magnums are probably out of consideration for this person...

Reduced power trigger spring and main (hammer) spring, called shooters pack i think, from wolff springs. Its less than $20 after shipping. I got the set for my ruger police service six, made a world of difference.

 

[Doc3402]

Trying to find light hammer pull revolvers. Some hammers are kinda tough to pull back. Put this in the context of an older person with arthritic fingers.
I have found - for example - that Ruger's SP101 has a tougher hammer pull back than their GP100. this surprised me - but it is true.
Does anyone have recommendations for an easy hammer pull - or a favorite that they have encountered over the years?
44 magnums are probably out of consideration for this person...

If Wilson makes a spring kit for it you can lighten the hammer pull on it. I know they make kits for S&W and Ruger.

One thing, it is a very bad idea to cut springs to reduce weight. The most important factor in getting consistent primer strikes is not the spring weight, but spring geometry. Get a lighter spring, but don't buy or make a shorter spring.

 

[Colby]

Reduced power trigger spring and main (hammer) spring, called shooters pack i think, from wolff springs. Its less than $20 after shipping. I got the set for my ruger police service six, made a world of difference.

When you go this route - how do you know that you haven't gone to light -- and then have primer discharge troubles?

 

[Bob Wright]

When you go this route - how do you know that you haven't gone to light -- and then have primer discharge troubles?

Well, I'd think a few range sessions would tell the story.

Bob Wright