doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hammer gun locks

Hammer guns today are in a sort of class of their own because they are liked or disliked for all sorts of reasons, some of them are true and others are total nonsense because at the end of the day all a matter of personal opinion.
For myself some of the following seem to make sense.
The one remark you do hear often is hammer gun is an extremely reliable side lock by virtue of fewer moving parts because of the hammers being external. Closely followed by being far easier to effect repairs by not requiring a highly skilled gunmaker to undertake the work, simpler to strip and clean therefore cheaper servicing costs. This I feel may have held true some forty years a go but not today.
No safety mechanism needed you can tell at a glance that that the hammers are down in the safe position.
The one remark I do here regularly is it is easy to accidently hit a hammer whilst in the full cock position and cause the gun to discharge also the same is true if the hammer is in the down position. I HAVE NOT MANAGED TO DO EITHER IN SOME FORTY PLUS YEARS!!!!!
I am sure there are other opinions?

I believe that folks lie about hitting a trigger accidentally and say they knocked the hammer. In the field it can be nerve wracking to relieve a cocked hammer when your hands are sweaty or cold.
No one wants to admit they've been a clod.

Though I did omit to say in my post that I have dropped a hammer while cocking a gun more times than I care to remember, and in doing so I have a good size ridge in the bone just below my right thumb nail from the hammer tail caused by the guns recoil. As a permanent reminder of how not to do things.

My Joseph Lang is a "peninsula" lock because the back lock plate touches the action bar. This gun was built in 1866 before Stanton patented the rebounding hammer in 1867 but I really like the non-rebounding hammers because they can be easily cocked in a single sweep of my right thumb when hunting quail over pointing dogs or shooting clays. Non-rebounding hammers require special handling but I've shot over 5,000 nitro loads through this gun in 5 1/2 years without any issue.

The last few posts bring up another question. Is it uncommon to be able to open the action when the hammers are in the cocked position ?
Thanks again, terc

terc, some top lever guns cannot be opened when at full cock but many or even most can open.

My gun above is a Jones underlever and they can always be opened at full cock because the hammers are opposite and cannot interfere with turning the lever.

Terc, the legitimate question you have posed is one that has never been settled. It has certainly been hotly discussed for over a hundred and fifty years. The proponents of back action locks insist that not having to make cut outs in the action for the lock results in a stronger action. Those who promote the bar action lock point out that wood hasn't been removed in the weakest area of the stock, the wrist. There are also lesser arguments over the merits of the spring being forward or behind the tumbler. Personally I think the debates are nothing more than attempts to support the particular design adopted by the maker and traditions that go back centuries. The bar action predates the back action by a couple hundred years. Great food for thought though.

PS: I think island locks are just downright sexy!

I'm lost....

I think that "Front Action" locks did not become "Bar Action" until the advent of the breech loader as Muzzle loaders did not have Bars. The Front action of course extends back through out the flint era at least. Not sure if a back action pre-dates the Percussion era or not but it was certainly well established in that era.

Terc, in my experience the cheaper the hammer gun the less likely it is to open with the right hammer cocked. But that may be just coincidence involving the guns I came across.

It is importan to be able to open the gun when cocked because once open then lowering the hammers, in the cold, with gloves, etc, is a totally safe manouver.

Even those that cannot open can be regulated by a smith who understands hammer guns to open.

Re accidental discharges. The rebounding hammergun has a built in passive safety, the notch that hits the sear if the trigger is not pressed, thus preventing accidental discharge. Unless worn or broken, this simple device prevents contact between hammer and pin.