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

My first shotgun (around 11 years old) that was "mine" was a break open, single shot, Stevens 20 gauge. Side lever opening with a hammer that needed to be cocked. Still have it. Shot everything from doves, squirrel, groundhogs and a lot in-between.

You gotta teach'em about how to un-cock a hammer. They'll learn that quicker than your grandkid can teach you how to photoshop a picture...Geo

Seems to me that what we're discussing here is the safety of a hammer gun (whether a single shot or a sxs) relative to the safety of a hammerless. Funny thing is that when hammerless guns came into being, the resistance to them was on the safety issue...Geo

You guys have got me thinking about how hammer-guns work and how we learn to handle them safely. Now that I've thought about it I can remember what my Dad said when my question was: "How do I un-cock this thing?"

The gun in question was a single shot .410 with a hammer. Dad said to push over the lever and unload the gun; then just pull the trigger. It didn't take me long to figure out that I could un-cock the gun by releasing the trigger and lowering the hammer with my thumb. I don't think I knew until I grew up that as long and I'd released the trigger the gun couldn't shoot.

Doubles work the same way, except that on some of them the hammers block the top lever when cocked. Still though, when the trigger is released the half cock detent (on a non-rebounder) will prevent firing. Same thing on a rebounding hammer except there's no half cock position...Geo

pull one out of your safe and try it.