SP101 hammer vs hammer-less for CC?

[barronbw]

I am thinking about buying a SP101 2.25in 357 mag. for cc. does anyone have an opinion as to whether i should go hammer-less or not?

 

[clayflingythingy]

If you carry in a belt holster it doesn't matter. Carry a revolver in your pocket and it needs to have a spurless hammer (SP101) or an enclosed hammer (S&W Centennial).

The SP101 is too big and heavy for me to pocket carry.

 

[Dueeast]

FWIW I just got the same gun in the hammerless version. In a cc situation, the hammer will not be needed. I figured it's just something that could get in the way. 8)

 

[ncspeedsix]

Not to mention, in a defense situation (let's say in your home for instance), it's a bad idea to have the hammer cocked back because the situation will be tense and the slightest amount of trigger pressure will send the bullet flying before you intend for it to do so. DAO is probably your best bet.

 

[ShortBBL]

Not to mention, in a defense situation (let's say in your home for instance), it's a bad idea to have the hammer cocked back because the situation will be tense and the slightest amount of trigger pressure will send the bullet flying before you intend for it to do so. DAO is probably your best bet.

BUT.... on the other hand, IF you had a need for a real accurate longer range shot (I know, I know) then having the option to go single action would give much better results I'd think.

For a Belt Holstered gun, I'd take the hammer, for pocket carry NO hammer. (SW 642 or 340PD come to mind).

 

[Knuckles]

Not to mention, in a defense situation (let's say in your home for instance), it's a bad idea to have the hammer cocked back because the situation will be tense and the slightest amount of trigger pressure will send the bullet flying before you intend for it to do so. DAO is probably your best bet.

BUT.... on the other hand, IF you had a need for a real accurate longer range shot (I know, I know) then having the option to go single action would give much better results I'd think.

For a Belt Holstered gun, I'd take the hammer, for pocket carry NO hammer. (SW 642 or 340PD come to mind).

You can stage the hammer on the DAO SP101 if you don't do it too fast. :wink:

 

[ronto]

The vast majority of SD situations will be in DA and it's a good idea to get used to it.
As far as long range shots with a snubby, there are people that are accurate at 25 yards, but I'm not one of them. Futhermore, if you shoot a BG at 25 yards you'd better have a good lawyer to prove your life was in immediate danger and you had no other alternative.
I carry the DAO in a Mika pocket holster with no weight problem encountered.
In the winter, I carry in my coat pocket with no holster and have the option to shoot through the coat without drawing if need be.
The old SD saying of "3 rounds in 3 seconds at 3 yards and it's over" is true in the vast majority of cases and a spur just gets in the way.

 

[bub]

It all depends, like was said above, on your method of carry. When I bought mine, I got the spurred hammer. While practicing drawing it, I noticed that, even with an IWB holster, I occasionally got the spur caught on clothing. It got caught regularly on my uniform short when I carried it in my prefered place on duty, in a weak side body armor holster. So, I lopped mine off and made it spurless.

Like was said above, for belt/IWB carry, spurred may make more sense. If pocket carried or anything like that (including some unconventional carries, like my body armor holster), spurless makes more sense.

Like was also said, spurless may make more sense for a dedicated SD gun, anyway. Except for some really unlikely scenarios (long distance shots and the like), you should be shooting DAO anyway. A spurless hammer only reinforces this. Most likely, the threat will be up close and personal, so DAO really isn't any big deal. Even for longer-distance threats, with practice, DAO really isn't a disadvantage. I can routinely keep 5 shots in 6-8" at 25 yds DAO, which would put all shots in the preferred area of a target. All it takes is practice and you won't get dinged by an overzealous prosecutor or by a slimy civil attorney for the "cocked hammer" thing if you are ever involved in a SD shooting. It's your choice to make.

Bub

 

[bjec1248]

mine has a hammer (buddy gave it to me to settle a debt) but if I were buying new I would go hammerless. My LCRs are that way & they are awesome....

 

[Rob1109]

I am thinking about buying a SP101 2.25in 357 mag. for cc. does anyone have an opinion as to whether i should go hammer-less or not?

Since my Sp101 is too heavy for pocket carry I solved the problem with a LCR and Federal 158Gr. SWC HP +P NYCLAD. Now try and find THAT round anywhere....

 

[maxpress]

ive got a 3" with a hammer and carry it hip pocket with a tshirt over it. for deep concealment i would get a hammerless something else. not an sp101.
besides thinking the hammerless sp is ugly it has never got in my way.

 

[piratedude]

Get an LCR but if not, get rid of the hammer. It will catch on your shirt even if you have it in your shirt.

 

[Sassi]

Someone here said "Carry a revolver in your pocket and it needs to have a spurless hammer (SP101) or an enclosed hammer (S&W Centennial)." Everyone is different. I for one have never had a hammer hang on anything. I carry a SP101 in my front pocket everyday. It is all in how you remove the gun from your pocket. Everyone is different, and if spurless suits you more power to it. personally I will stick with the way the gun was originally made.

 

[Tommy Kelly]

I have a 101 with the hammer spur. If I want to pocket carry it in a coat or whatever when I get it out my thumb is on top of the hammer when I remove it. It never hangs and if I want to hit what I shoot at at any distance I shoot it single action and do fine where if dao it's a lot harder to shoot accurately at anything but close range. if the pressure is on I have the option of shooting either way. I prefer the hammer spur on all my guns.

 

[wildturk]

I prefer a spurred hammer regardless of whether it's my CCW or not. I like being able to safely lower the hammer and being able to fire in SA. I've replaced any spurless hammer that came on any of my revolvers.

 

[patcannon]

Snubbies, to me, are self defense guns. Single action is for target guns, or for hunting — not for defense.

So I say: spurless DAO all the way.

Main reason: DA is the way you'll shoot it in an emergency, so that's the way you should practice. So you want a true DAO gun (i.e. no SA notch), not just a bobbed hammer. If you can't thumb-cock the hammer, you won't succumb to the temptation to shoot SA, so you'll practice the right way. That's regardless of carry method; I carry my SP101 in an IWB holster.

(Also, you'll never have to deal with the issue of how to lower the hammer.)

For myself, I decided to take this to its logical conclusion, which is that I should not even own a gun with a single action capability. So, since my SP101 wasn't practical for IDPA competition, I got a DAO GP100.

Hammer spur fans say they like the option of SA. But I say, having another option is not better — it's just another decision to try to make in a crisis. Yes, accuracy is good, but if you only shoot DA, you get accurate in DA.

And finally, spurless is not ugly, how could anybody say that!