Posted on 12/04/2021 2:54:09 AM PST by Ahithophel
However, there are three notches and four clicks that occur when cocking these SAA models and their non-transferbar clones.
The first click is a quarter-notch safety that happens at nearly the same moment you begin pulling back on the hammer. This safety was incorporated to hold the hammer (with firing pin) back far enough to not rest on the primer of a live round when the cylinder is loaded with six live rounds. It must be utilized manually by the user and should protect against an unintended strike against the hammer which might ignite the primer of the cartridge — firing the gun. It also acts as a last level of protection if you fumble thumb the hammer while cocking and let the hammer unexpectedly drop back towards a live round. This safety is active only if the trigger remains forward. It is not a robust safety and in all cases it is recommended you treat the gun as if it does not exist and never park the hammer on a live round by leaving that chamber empty. This is where a transfer bar safety mechanism could be considered superior as it is protecting that firing pin from being struck by the hammer at all times, unless the trigger is pulled.
Second click at half-notch comes up next as you pull the hammer back. This is the notch the hammer is held in that also allows the side loading gate to be released and is where you can load/unload the pistol. Again, trigger remains forward and the quarter-notch safety is still in play if the half-notch safety were to not be engaged properly or was faulty. This is also the point where the cylinder engagement lock is released and the cylinder is allowed to rotate freely.
As you pull back to the approximate three quarter mark the cylinder rotates to line up the next round to be fired and you hear the cylinder lock mechanism click into the cylinder notch to prevent it from rotating (located in an area on the frame above the trigger). This is not a hammer related component and produces a noise, but does not affect hammer retention. The half and quarter-notch safeties are still in play though, should the hammer be released unintentionally and the trigger is not pulled then the hammer should still be prevented from falling on a live round in the cylinder.
Last click and third hammer notch is the fully cocked position. Here the trigger is moved back slightly to engage with the hammer and trigger sear to retain the hammer in a ready to fire position. Depending on the hammer and sear geometry, the final pull of the trigger may be heavy to light. Heavy might be 5-10 ft lbs of force and light might be as little as a pound (often called a hair-trigger). No idea if the gun in question ever had its trigger altered, but I would think the pull from the factory may be in the four to eight range. Higher grade firearms will typically try to get that pull down to around two or three lbs to keep it light and still be positive (meaning that the hammer will still move minutely backwards when pulling the trigger to fire). Typically, the hand work involved to get the trigger geometry and engagement correct is what makes the higher grade pistols more expensive. Again, the half and quarter-notches are still in play if you fumble the hammer while attempting to fully cock the pistol.
All of these safeties are defeated the moment you pull the trigger. Unless there were failed components in the gun that allowed the hammer to drop unhindered when the trigger was still forward, then AB is a trouser arsonist!
Ok Alec, you didn’t “pull the trigger”. Did you squeeze the trigger instead? Did you have your finger touching the trigger as you cocked it? I expect the gun to be found to having a “broken sear” after the FBI lab gets thru screwing with it.
I see she wore her driving shoes.
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