Where to get a Bobbed Hammer for S&W M60

[Musketeer]

I have an older (late 70s) S&W Model 60 that I had inherited from my father. I have used it for several years but would like to pick up a bobbed hammer for it to drop in place of the existing one. I do not want to chop the existing one since it is how my father left it to me.

Where can I get a bobbed hammer for a stainless J frame Chief's Special from the late 70s?

 

[James K]

I don't know of anyone selling bobbed hammers, most of the folks who want one do the work themselves.

It might be best to simply buy a new hammer from S&W or from Gun Parts Corp. (www.gunpartscorp.com) and then bob it; if the job turns out wrong, you won't have ruined the original hammer. It is not hard to do, just don't get the hammer too hot when grinding down the spur. When you have the hammer bobbed, you might want to cut some crossways lines across the top. That way you can partly cock the hammer with the trigger, then thumb it back the rest of the way for single action.

Jim

 

[Musketeer]

Thank you.

I am not a Smith but thanks to an engineering background am somewhat mechanically inclined. There actually is a bobbed hammer indicated but it is not currently available.
http://www.e-gunparts.com/productschem.asp?chrMasterModel=1980z60

46 298500 Hammer Assembly, .240
46 298550 Hammer Assembly, .375 CR
46 298470 Hammer Assembly, Bobbed, NYCPD* SP

Only the .240 is in stock but what are they referring to? Is that the thickness of the hammer?

 

[Tom2]

I did that on a stainless SP101 when they first came out, but I did not go the full route to remove the SA notch or whatever you do to make it DAO. That makes it tempting to try to cock the spurless hammer in some situations, which is a sorta dangerous action. I think smiths convert the guns to DAO when they bob the hammers due to liability. "I was trying to cock the little hammer and my thumb slipped" is all it would take to get some smith a nice civil lawsuit, I would think. If I were you and had a little money socked back, I would not alter that gun, I would buy an additional bodyguard model, if SA cocking was required, or a hammerless model. Two is better than one! And I am not so sure that a new hammer would just drop in and work perfectly in a gun it was not fit to at the factory. I tried that with putting a wide trigger in place of narrow on a K frame, it would function, but pretty horribly. Smith revolvers are not exactly like a 1911 or some other guns that parts can often just drop in easily, there is more hand fitting and trying in the older Smiths than you might expect. The new ones that are CNC machined might have more interchangeability these days, I don't know.

 

[Dfariswheel]

.240 refers to the width of the hammer spur, not the hammer body.

Note that you'll need to make sure you get a hammer compatible with your earlier model. S&W usually stamps the "dash" or revision number on the frame inside where the cylinder yoke seats.

This would look like 60-1, or 60-2, etc.
Note also, that hammers often need at least some fitting and adjusting to work properly.

When I cut hammer spurs, in order to not over heat the hammer, I used a small diamond saw blade made for cutting extremely hard metals.

Due to the profile of the hammer on S&W revolvers, attempting to single action cock a de-spurred S&W hammer is very dangerous and often causes accidental firing.

 

[James K]

Concerning cocking a bobbed hammer, I should have said that it can be dangerous and should not be done unless absolutely necessary. If you learn to shoot DA, you won't need to worry, because you can shoot DA as well (maybe better) than you can shoot SA. FWIW, I have used a bobbed hammer Model 36 that was cut on the top just like the hammer spur; I had no problem cocking the gun for SA, but then I had a lot of practice.

Jim