Author Topic: Hammer down on pin versus hammer at half cock, spring tension?  (Read 756 times)

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Offline His lordship.

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Hammer down on pin versus hammer at half cock, spring tension?
« on: November 15, 2007, 11:13:54 AM »
Looking at my RIA 1911 last night, I keep it unloaded and noticed that I have two options on preserving the spring tension.  Keep the hammer down which relieves the hammer spring, but pushes down on the firing pin spring, or put it at half-cock and relieve the pin spring, but puts pressure on the hammer spring.

Which position is best to keep the springs from getting fatigue?

Offline KN

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Re: Hammer down on pin versus hammer at half cock, spring tension?
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2007, 01:43:34 PM »
I don't believe either one of those scenarios wound weaken the springs in a life time. Mine stays cocked and locked.

Offline Savage

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Re: Hammer down on pin versus hammer at half cock, spring tension?
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2007, 02:10:37 PM »
With the1911 design, the firing pin spring would not be under load anyway with the hammer down. The 1911 firing pin relies on centrifugal force overcoming the firing pin spring to fire the pistol. Either way is not a worry, those springs will last a lifetime. I usually change the firing pin spring when I replace the recoil spring anyway on 1911s without the firing pin safety.
Savage
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Offline Mikey

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Re: Hammer down on pin versus hammer at half cock, spring tension?
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2007, 02:10:49 AM »
What Savage said.  Mikey.

Offline S.B.

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Re: Hammer down on pin versus hammer at half cock, spring tension?
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2007, 12:44:14 AM »
In this day and age, I see no reason to worry about springs going bad, in the middle of the night senario? Buy quality. If your going to worry about that, you'ld better not leave rounds in your magazine, either? That's powered by spings, also
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Offline jjamna

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Re: Hammer down on pin versus hammer at half cock, spring tension?
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2007, 06:21:50 PM »
Mine stays cocked and locked