Releasing hammer pressure dry fire De-Cock
I was raised by an engineer, so I think about things like this.
First off I am referring to a few specific firearms:
PISTOLS:
Kel-tec P3AT DAO
Cobra Enterprises Patriot .45 DAO
Hi-point JP40 S&W .40 SAO
Raven .25 SAO
Pump shotguns:
My theory is that:
Always pull the trigger, then release the pump mechanism before you store.
Do you release the hammer (dry fire) these firearms before you store (put them away)?
Meanings, on these pistols do you pull the slide back, loading a snap cap into the round, and then pull the trigger before you store the pistol?
My theory is that you are then releasing the hammer spring tension by allowing the hammer to move forward, henceforth preserving the spring strength.
On the SAO, the slide gong back itself re-cocks the hammer, therefore my idea is that the hammer spring is under pressure all of the time and them it will prematurely wear out.
Even though the Kel-Tec indicates it is a DAO it has a sort of -reset to it that the slide re-sets the hammer to a middle type of "floating" position.
P.S. - none of these arms have "De-cockers."
First off I am referring to a few specific firearms:
PISTOLS:
Kel-tec P3AT DAO
Cobra Enterprises Patriot .45 DAO
Hi-point JP40 S&W .40 SAO
Raven .25 SAO
Pump shotguns:
My theory is that:
Always pull the trigger, then release the pump mechanism before you store.
Do you release the hammer (dry fire) these firearms before you store (put them away)?
Meanings, on these pistols do you pull the slide back, loading a snap cap into the round, and then pull the trigger before you store the pistol?
My theory is that you are then releasing the hammer spring tension by allowing the hammer to move forward, henceforth preserving the spring strength.
On the SAO, the slide gong back itself re-cocks the hammer, therefore my idea is that the hammer spring is under pressure all of the time and them it will prematurely wear out.
Even though the Kel-Tec indicates it is a DAO it has a sort of -reset to it that the slide re-sets the hammer to a middle type of "floating" position.
P.S. - none of these arms have "De-cockers."
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{toothless geezer voice}
Well sonny, back when all we had were flat and V springs, it kept the springs from breaking/taking a set as soon. These springs were under almost no load when the hammer was down.
With coil springs, it realy dosn't matter, as they are under a fairly large preload and arn't compressed that much more load when the hammer is cocked.
IOW, there is no need to "de-cock" with coil springs.
BTW, what wears out a spring is going from loaded to unloaded position (flexing), not staying in one position to long.0 -
Springs do not wear out from being compressed. They wear from flexing (metal fatigue) and are bent from being over-extended (stress) If springs wore out from being under load, the 85 Ford sitting in the driveway would have worn out its springs (under load from the day it left factory) long ago. 0 -
Do you jack your car up each night and set on jack stands to relieve the pressure on the springs?? 0 -
Well, if jacking up a car were as easy as placing a snap cap in and pulling the trigger, yes.
Let's all be civil. This is a serious question.0 -
P.S. If you were hanging from your arms wouldn't they eventually get tired and you'd fall?
If you had a weight hanging on a rope, would the rope eventually snap?0 -
Sorry, Bro- did not mean to sound flip. MOST springs are under SOME tension/ torsion when they are installed. If I hang from my arms, muscles being in a state of contraction for an extended time produce lactic acid, lose their ability to contract, and yes, you fall. The 2x4s in the wall of your house are held up by nails- which (within limits) don't get tired, and fall down. Not the same thing.
As I said- springs do not wear out from being compressed- they wear out from flexing, and are destroyed by overstressing. In the days of the wind-up watch, folks did not worry about un-winding their watch at night (springs), unloading the weight of a mattress (box springs), or relieving the tension on the flat spring that holds your pocket knife open/closed.0 -
For the reasons stated, with modern manufacture coil springs you're gaining nothing by relieving pressure this way.
Magazines are an example. They can be left loaded indefinitely because this amount of compression is well within their designed range.0 -
The arm hanging is a bad example. That is extension not compression. I am sorry for the bad example.
Whether or not anyone agrees something compressed for a long period of time will lose its elasticity. FACT.
Whether or not that is important to you or not is personal choice.
Every person has their preference of life insurance, (locked, cocked, round in chamber, hammer up, and pointed in their hand , under their pillow...) Hell my life is worth a $3 spring that may be extended by 1 week in its whole life.
My life versus 1 week of life on a spring.
So, all of our firearms will probably outlast us anyways, so this is moot.
But, it is a fact leaving a load on a spring wears it out faster than no load.
And it is definitely a fact that back and forth use fatigues it even faster.
So, to each his own on what is important to them.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Nickmotodc
PISTOLS:
Kel-tec P3AT DAO
Cobra Enterprises Patriot .45 DAO
Hi-point JP40 S&W .40 SAO
Raven .25 SAO
Do you release the hammer (dry fire) these firearms before you store (put them away)?
Well, to be clear, the Kel-Tec p3AT uses a double-action mechanism to fire. So there is no internally cocked part TO decock even if you wanted to do that! The gun only gets cocked when you pull the trigger. When you stop pulling the trigger, its automatically decocked.
I'm pretty sure the Cobra patriot is the same. The only time the gun is cocked is during the middle of your trigger stroke. It can't really stay cocked, so you can't "decock" it!
As to the Raven, who cares? Personally, I'd "decock" that pistol by throwing the entire gun away, but more realistically, in that particular gun there are probably other parts *LESS* durable than the spring to worry about. Replacement springs are cheap, should this pistol actually manage to cycle enough rounds to wear one out.
Ditto for the Hi-point.0 -
These FACTS are not correct!
I make more springs in a month than most people make in a lifetime. Quality springs DO NOT lose strength from being left compressed. Springs lose strength if they are: flexed past their elastic limit or improperly made. Constant flexing of a spring will work-harden it, leading to fracture, not loss of strength.
Properly made vehicle springs will last indefinitely. Overload the vehicle,and the springs will fail.
I have seen quite a few 100+ year old springs that work just fine.
Cocked and locked 1911 pistols don't seem to need to have their mainsprings replaced, do they?0 -
My matress only lasted 6 years. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by cartod
My matress only lasted 6 years.
What you do in the privacy of your own home with other consenting adults is your own business. [;)][;)][:p]0
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