Best way to manually decock hammer?

[slavex]

I think I should be able to make a film of it Friday night, will post. Smack on the thumb is all you get.

[vinceislander]

Pinch or roll, I was taught to release the trigger once the hammer starts to fall. Doing so will re-engage the firing pin block to prevent the firing pin from striking the cartridge IF the hammer slips from your grip. Also, the hammer stops at half cock. This is different than what was shown in the video, where the guy releases the trigger after the hammer is fully down.

I went decocker on all my CZs but manually decocking is still a good skill to have. Probably something I should add to my practice repertoire.

[tcazes]

Vince the hammer has to be fully down for Idpa or uspsa/ipsc so while it is a good idea for daily situations, the suggested meathod wouldn't fly for competition

[slavex]

Shadows don't have a firing pin block. You need to keep the trigger pressed to the rear the whole time or it will land at half cock

[BMaus]

I use the pinch method;

I pinch then pull the hammer to the rear. If I have a problem then this is when it will occur.

If this is successful then I put my finger in and pull the trigger as I lower.

I deliberately do this slowly and in stages.

No problems so far (touch wood) but I only have 6000 rounds and maybe 250 starts.

[IronArcher]

This is why I brought up earlier (on multiple forums) the suggestion that pistols be lowered to 1/2 cock instead of fully down.
Decker guns are at 1/2 cock, no real advantage to starting there for the non-decocker guys vs, decocker guns/Safe action guns.
I know it is MUCH safer going to 1/2 cock on my gun. Stuff your thumb between the hammer and pin, pull trigger, as SOON as the hammer moves the littlest bit, pull your booger picker off the bang switch (Engaging firing pin block on guns that have them) roll thumb out. Done. WAY safer than holding the trigger back until PASSED 1/2 cock and eventually dropping the hammer on the firing pin (however light you can), or as most do it, holding the trigger back (disengaging FPB) until the hammer is all the way down on the FP, then release trigger.
There is zero competitive advantage gained (first shot is STILL just as heavy, and nearly a long of a pull.....or exactly like the decocker guns), but MUCH safety to be gained. Why this is still done this way baffles me. Unneeded hazard for zero benefit.

[Hallz]

Tried the thumb roll Yesterday, I will probably use that most of the time from now on.

[69bowty]

Why this is still done this way baffles me. Unneeded hazard for zero benefit.

The benefit is you don't get bumped to open. The hammer must be all the way down.

[slavex]

Ironarcher, we are required to drop the hammer all the way down, and CZ Shadows don't have a firing pin block.

here is me doing it wrong, on purpose

https://youtu.be/OvEQFu4n7us

Edited April 18, 2016 by slavex

[S&W686]

I currently just pinch the hammer, pull trigger, and slowly lower it down. I'm wondering if there's a better and safer way of doing it

The way you are doing it is the same way I do.

[thompsoncustom]

I dont know if its the best way but ive been doing it this way for the last 6-8 years.

I grip the slide/frame with my left hand and pull the trigger and lower the trigger with my strong hand

[IronArcher]

Firing pin block or not, safer to go to 1/2 cock

69bowty, yes, that IS the rule... a stupid and dangerous rule, but the rule none the less.

[slavex]

how exactly is it safer to go to half cock? You are the only person I have ever heard of that thinks this way. Lowering the hammer manually to full decock or half cock requires exactly the same series of events to take place.

[andyroth]

how exactly is it safer to go to half cock? You are the only person I have ever heard of that thinks this way. Lowering the hammer manually to full decock or half cock requires exactly the same series of events to take place.

Nope, lowering to half cock allows you to release the trigger after the hammer has moved only a little bit. If the trigger isn't pulled and your grip slips on the hammer it will fall to half cock, not all the way.

Edit: that's how it works on my cz. Ymmv.

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Edited April 18, 2016 by andyroth

[teros135]

I know a lot of folks who "roll" the hammer down with their weak-side forefinger. It's safe, easy, and reliable. Hard to make a slip, even with sweaty hands, because the hammer is prevented from falling by the presence of the finger. And that last little bit of motion at the end isn't nearly enough to set off a round. I've done it for thousands of rounds, no problem.

(Yeah, I know, maybe somebody screwed it up sometime, somewhere, but that doesn't make it unsafe. Any more than one guy saying that Titegroup melted his front sight fiber makes it a trend. Hasn't melted one of mine yet in Prod and Lim.)

Edited April 18, 2016 by teros135

[SubOrbital]

This is why I brought up earlier (on multiple forums) the suggestion that pistols be lowered to 1/2 cock instead of fully down.

Decker guns are at 1/2 cock, no real advantage to starting there for the non-decocker guys vs, decocker guns/Safe action guns.

I know it is MUCH safer going to 1/2 cock on my gun. Stuff your thumb between the hammer and pin, pull trigger, as SOON as the hammer moves the littlest bit, pull your booger picker off the bang switch (Engaging firing pin block on guns that have them) roll thumb out. Done. WAY safer than holding the trigger back until PASSED 1/2 cock and eventually dropping the hammer on the firing pin (however light you can), or as most do it, holding the trigger back (disengaging FPB) until the hammer is all the way down on the FP, then release trigger.

There is zero competitive advantage gained (first shot is STILL just as heavy, and nearly a long of a pull.....or exactly like the decocker guns), but MUCH safety to be gained. Why this is still done this way baffles me. Unneeded hazard for zero benefit.

That's why I originally got an SP-01 Tactical over the safety model. It seems like an antiquated rule and mode of thought.

[andyroth]

Decocker models are pretty great. Most decock to half cock, and it's still entirely production legal. You only have to go fully hammer down if you don't have a decocker.

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[Gooldylocks]

Decocker models are pretty great. Most decock to half cock, and it's still entirely production legal. You only have to go fully hammer down if you don't have a decocker.

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The only disadvantage is that the trigger won't be as nice (emphasis added because it will still be great) as a no FPB, safety only gun.

[andyroth]

I just made production B, and I'm kinda feeling like even if I spent hundreds of dollars on a professional trigger job for my sp01 tactical, I wouldn't see a big performance difference at my skill level.

My glock on the other hand, I saw a huge difference from shooting a lightened trigger instead of a stock trigger.

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[Gooldylocks]

Don't shoot a well tuned up DA/SA gun until you are ready to throw some money at a trigger job. Because as soon as you do you are gonna want one, even if it doesn't matter! You can just stand at the safety table dry firing your gun and wiping the drool off. I think the biggest gains (I don't shoot production or a DA gun, but I have shot them not in matches from time to time) are on long range targets with the really light trigger break, and how accurately you can quickly shoot the DA shot off the draw. All the midrange stuff that we normally see in USPSA, probably not that big of a deal.

[teros135]

No, say it ain't so! Spending more money and buying better parts (or better yet, a better gun) will launch you straight to GM in no time!

Seriously, though, confidence in the gun (and lots of practice and familiarity with it) seems to make a lot of us shoot better. The confidence kind of pulls us forward, into the gun's capabilities.

I also like to tinker, so things naturally improve over time. Well, mostly...

[Nightops]

Manually decocking any gun is a somewhat unsafe action, whether you intend for it to go to half cock, or all the way down. You are still pulling the trigger with a live round in the chamber, and the hammer could slip from your fingers at any point.

[teros135]

Manually decocking any gun is a somewhat unsafe action, whether you intend for it to go to half cock, or all the way down. You are still pulling the trigger with a live round in the chamber, and the hammer could slip from your fingers at any point.

No, I wouldn't call it "somewhat unsafe", or unsafe at all.

Manually decocking a CZ 75 isn't unsafe if done properly, any more than anything else we do with a gun or a trigger. Ask the thousands of shooters who have done thousands of decocks, in practice and at matches. Again - if done properly. And it isn't hard to do it properly.

[MarilynMonbro]

I've been practicing the slavex method when I dry fire. I like it a lot

[andyroth]

It's not unsafe if you have the gun pointed in a safe Direction when you do it. You might get disqualified for a negligent discharge but you'd still be practicing safe gun handling

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