Super Blackhawk hammer in Blackhawk revolver?

Quick question for you tinkerers,

Will a Super Blackhawk hammer "drop in" to a new model Blackhawk without any fitting?

Thanks

It should drop right in.

As Doug says, it should.
Mine did not.
Jeff

Remember, OM to OM & NM to NM.

In general, they do "drop in" in most cases. SOMETIMES it may take a bit of fitting to make it work properly.

Mine dropped in on a 41 magnum Blackhawk. I think it makes a nice addition to a Blackhawk if you don't like that big pointy hammer sticking up.
Be sure to do a safety check afterwords; check your trigger pull and push on the hammer a little when it is cocked to make sure it doesn't slip off the sear.

Mine dropped right in and really liked it. A lot more comfortable to work.

contender said:

Remember, OM to OM & NM to NM.

In general, they do "drop in" in most cases. SOMETIMES it may take a bit of fitting to make it work properly.

Click to expand...

What he said ^^^^ It would seem that some are thinking 'Blackhawk' instead of New Model Blackhawk. Large Frame Old Model Blackhawk will 'probably' be a drop in. On medium frame (OM) it will most likely be necessary to take a bit off the top of the hammer then it will 'probably' drop in.

I fitted Super hammers on both my Blackhawks. As far as operation, they did drop right in.

However, you need to check to ensure they will strike the transfer bar sufficiently to give enough firing pin protrusion. Both of mine needed a little filing on the hammer faces because they struck the frame before the transfer bar.

How to test:
BEFORE swapping hammers:
1. Remove cylinder
2. Slide base pin back to locked position
3. Pull back hammer slightly and pull the trigger
4. While keeping th hammer pulled back, lower the hammer all the way
5. Check the amount the firing pin is protruding from the frame. Remember the amount or measure and record

AFTER swapping hammers:
Repeat steps 1 to 5 above and compare firing pin protrusion to that of the factory hammer.

If protrusion is the same or more, reassemble and function test. All should be good to go

If protrusion is less than with factory then take a fine file or sandpaper and dress the face of the hammer that strikes the frame (just below rear sight). Remove only a little bit at a time

Check protrusion and repeat if required to match that with factory hammer.

Good luck and enjoy!

Aqualung

Aqualung,

Excellent.
Actually any new model hammer swap requires the same test.

Also the safety function of the transfer bar must be checked.

At the range, with hammer cocked, a loaded round under the hammer, hold hammer back pull trigger to release sear, take finger off of trigger, let hammer drop. Round should not fire.

Hondo44, I want to thank you for your post to check the safety transfer bar function when swapping hammers. I prefer the SBH hammer to the standard blackhawk one. I swapped and it a while back and it fired fine. It did not occur to me to check the safety feature of the transfer bar until I read your post. I checked it this morning and it was fine. I try to read every post you make as I learn something every time, even though I've been shooting Ruger revolvers for 50+ years.

Hondo44 said:

Also the safety function of the transfer bar.must be checked.

At the range, with hammer cocked, a loaded round under the hammer, hold hammer back pull trigger to release sear, take finger off of trigger, let hammer drop. Round should not fire.

Click to expand...

I realize that transfer bar safety operation is vital but I believe a hammer installation should also include a check for transfer bar pinch, which can break a transfer bar over time?

http://www.cylindersmith.com/Transferbar.html

shootinfule (cool handle),

Glad there were no complications with you hammer swap.

And thx for the kind remarks! I too learn many things here.

Jimbo,

Not a bad idea! The curious thing is most transfer bar breakage seems to be on new guns with few rounds fired. Indicating to me, it's a bad cast part.

Also if the pinch is severe enough for cumulative damage to the bar until it breaks, the trigger usually does not return properly or returns slower than normal, at least with lightened trigger return spring.

In 44 years of shooting new models, I've never had breakage. We hear about the ones that break here on the forum, but I don't think it's as prevalent as one might be convinced from reading the forum.

But hey, it's so simple to check, why not check, like you say? Good suggestion. Thx.

Jimbo357mag said:

I realize that transfer bar safety operation is vital but I believe a hammer installation should also include a check for transfer bar pinch, which can break a transfer bar over time?

http://www.cylindersmith.com/Transferbar.html

Click to expand...

I needed to do this when I put the new hammer in my 44 Special Flattop. I had also changed the grip frame and there was a bit of light filing on several surfaces that had been machined. Mine seemed to have been in a bit of a pinch with the original grip frame. I could see the pinch as described. Some of the light filing was on the transfer bar. So I just took it in stride and tried to learn something.

You should also check the trigger to hammer sear engagement. Ruger, and most good smiths, use a test fixture to check this engagement. Some folks use the "push-off" method of checking the gap. I like to use a little dykem or grease to double check this engagement as I am doing the initial assembly. It can show whether you have good engagement or not.

Just another suggestion.

Steve