why light hammers?

[moredes]

What advantage does a lighter hammer offer? If lighter is better, why not shave the entire hammer except for the "striking post", and then thin it down also so there's only enough strut width to strike the firing pin?

Edited September 17, 2007 by moredes

[yoshidaex]

one of the resident gunsmiths can explain it better but i'll give it a shot. anyone correct me if i'm wrong. all things being equal (ignition components except the hammer) a lighter hammer will accelerate and impart greater force on a firing pin compared to a heavier hammer going slower. also the hammer needs mass to impart some force via mass and be able to withstand the numerous times it will cocked and dropped.

[mike cyrwus]

dont forget that the firing pin has a spring; the hammer has to get the pin to overcome the spring and sufficiently dent a primer.

[markcic]

one of the resident gunsmiths can explain it better but i'll give it a shot. anyone correct me if i'm wrong. all things being equal (ignition components except the hammer) a lighter hammer will accelerate and impart greater force on a firing pin compared to a heavier hammer going slower. also the hammer needs mass to impart some force via mass and be able to withstand the numerous times it will cocked and dropped.

Another way to put it is kinetic energy. E=1/2mv^2 You get more bang for your buck by increasing velocity since force grows at the square of velocity.

Edited because I haven't had physics is so long I forgot the correct formulas.

Edited September 18, 2007 by markcic

[G-ManBart]

A lighter hammer accelerates quicker than a heavy hammer so that you have a shorter lock time (time from trigger press to primer detonation). Faster lock times help you shoot more accurately as there is less time for you to disrupt the sight alignment.

Since the force the hammer applies isn't a simple energy function (it's an impulse) I'm not sure that the lighter weight/faster hammer spped/higher energy concept works...any physics experts out there?

[Scooter]

Kinetic energy is KE=.5 * mv^2. While force is F=ma.

The spring will supply an equal force regardless of the mass of the hammer. When you decrease mass, acceleration increases. Faster acceleration results in faster hammer velocity which cuts down lock time.

[Joe4d]

I thought they just look cool

[boz1911]

Not a gunsmith, but I feel like all things, there is fine balance involved with not only the hammer but all firing components. That's why people like Bob, Dan, and Benny are always many months behind.

[Carlos]

why not shave the entire hammer except for the "striking post", and then thin it down also so there's only enough strut width to strike the firing pin?

No reason why not. Look at the "Warp Speed" 1911 hammer here:

LINK to C&S 1911 parts

www.cylinder-slide.com

[BSeevers]

Lock time is where its at, although you can only go so light. Hammers used to break a lot until we figured this out.

I would like to see if that warp speed hammer could last 100K Super rds and set off every primer. Don't know just wondering. I don't think a homemade "sliver" would work.

[cking]

Any weapon that uses a falling hammer has slow lock times. Rifles can have fast lock times because the firing pin is already under tension and is released by the sear. Glocks should have a fast lock time also, because the sear drops away from a tension firing pin.

So idea of Ti, mainspring cap and strut arm and light hammer are to shorten the lock time by decreasing the mass.

AR's have slow lock times

[Kingman]

If you get a faster lock time it helps with minute adjustments that may be made during the firing process.

The look cool, most of them

honestly most of the light ones are also made to very tight tolerances and hence can do a nice trigger job a bit easier.

[Radical Precision Designs]

Lock time is where its at, although you can only go so light. Hammers used to break a lot until we figured this out.

I would like to see if that warp speed hammer could last 100K Super rds and set off every primer. Don't know just wondering. I don't think a homemade "sliver" would work.

I am shooting a Major 9 with a C&S Warp-Speed hammer/sear/disconnector set for way over 60,000 rounds, and a trigger pull of 3/4 lb. It uses a 21 lb mainspring hammer and Limcat XL firing pin. (not one of those "wimpy" 15 lb mainsprings ) I also use a SVI titanium leaf spring. So my "lock time" is FAST. Calling shots with this set-up and "cadence" is truly sweet.

No signs of wear. Not even on the titanium leaf spring.

[MasterLefty]

Lock time is where its at, although you can only go so light. Hammers used to break a lot until we figured this out.

I would like to see if that warp speed hammer could last 100K Super rds and set off every primer. Don't know just wondering. I don't think a homemade "sliver" would work.

B,

I've been running the Extreme Warp Speed hammers since moving to the STI platform in 2002. I have them in four pistols, 2 Open, 1 Modified, and 1 Standard; the oldest has at least 100K and it still breaks crisp and clean at 550g.

It not just about being light weight, you need to also consider the moment of inertia. I went with the Warp Speed because it was to the closest in speed and inertia to my own design Tanfoglio hammer. (I built that hammer long before there was a Warp.) There are other "low mass" hammers out there, but for me they are too slow.

M2c,

Kenny