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I have a 1993 P220 (sn G216xxx) which I acquired a while back and put in the safe after a brief inspection. More recently I acquired a 1994 P220 (sn G227xxx), so I decided to dig into the safe and compare it to the 93. While dry firing the '93 in DA mode I heard and felt a click about 1/16" into the pull. It did not happen in the '94. The click seemed to set the hammer in the safety intercept notch (half cocked) if I stopped the trigger pull where it happens. Otherwise the hammer seems to rest on the firing pin unless the decocker is used in which case the hammer stops at the notch. I did some research and found out that P220s prior to sn G219xxx were not equipped with a hammer reset spring which automatically pull the hammer back to the safety intercept notch. My questions are as follows: -Does this explain the "click" in the trigger pull? -If this is proper function, does it create any safety concerns? Thanks ______________________ Live free or die... Don't tread on me... Molon Labe... Take your pick. | ||
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Yes, you are pulling the hammer back to where the sear engages the safety intercept notch. No issues as long as the fp safety functions normally. __________________ "Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician." -Jeff Cooper | |||
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Thank you sir. I thought so but wanted to be sure. ______________________ Live free or die... Don't tread on me... Molon Labe... Take your pick. | |||
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Moderator |
And the only time the hammer will rest against the fp is when dry firing. __________________ "Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician." -Jeff Cooper | |||
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That appears to be the case. I have only dry fired it at this point. I'll bring it with me to the range next time I go to make sure all is well. When I use the decocker the hammer stops at the safety intercept notch. I checked the firing pin safety and it is functioning as it should. ______________________ Live free or die... Don't tread on me... Molon Labe... Take your pick. | |||
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. Short answer to your question is Yes the click is because your P220 does not have a Hammer Reset Spring, but I think the why needs to be explained. When you dry fire a P220 without a Hammer Reset Spring: 1) The Trigger is pulled 2) The Hammer falls impacting the Firing Pin 3) If you release the Trigger it resets to Double Action <--- This is only because you are dry firing the pistol. In live fire, the discharging round moves the Slide to the rear which resets the Hammer and the Trigger to their Single Action positions. The click you hear is because you have not racked the Slide resetting the Hammer to SA before you release the Trigger. As you pull the Trigger for another dry fire without the Hammer being reset, it clicks as you hear the Hammer fall into the Safety Intercept Notch (half-cock position) which in live fire will not happen. In live fire, DA is always followed up with SA. Do your dry fire again but this time, mimic the Slide travel after the discharge and before you release the Trigger. The click is now gone because the Trigger does not move the Hammer into the Safety Intercept Notch (half-cock position) due to the Slide travel having placed the Hammer in the SA position for the follow up shot. When you dry fire a P220 with a Hammer Reset Spring: 1) The Trigger is pulled 2) The Hammer falls impacting the Firing Pin and the Hammer Reset Springs pulls the Hammer into the Safety Intercept Notch (half-cock position) 3) If you release the Trigger it resets to Double Action and the Hammer is already in the Safety Intercept Notch (half-cock position) due to the Hammer Reset Spring. <-- As you pull the Trigger for the next dry-fire, the Hammer does not click as it falls into the Safety Intercept Notch (half-cock position) because the Hammer Reset Spring already placed it there. Regarding your Safety Concern of a P220 without a Hammer Reset Spring: Anytime you thumb down the Hammer without pulling the Hammer rearward into the Safety Intercept Notch (half-cock position), it is possible for the Hammer to strike the Firing Pin resulting in a loaded P220 to discharge a round in the chamber. Could you leave your P220 in an unsafe condition at the end of dry-fire? Not likely because to prepare the Pistol for live fire you need to insert a fully loaded magazine then rack the slide to chamber a round. The racking moves the free-moving Hammer away from the Firing Pin and places the Hammer in the SA firing position. Use the Decocking Lever on a properly functioning Pistol and the Hammer is lowered into the Safety Intercept Notch and locked away from striking the Firing Pin. The material below is from another post I wrote. I'm reposting it for anyone not aware that the early P220s did not have a Hammer Reset Spring and why it was added to the P-Series line. ===== Older P220s, including the Browning BDA never had a Hammer Reset Spring. This is an important difference in the safe handling of older P220 pistols manufactured in/before 1994-ish. If the Decocking Lever is not used and the Hammer is lowered incorrectly using the thumb and trigger method ~ the Hammer is free to move and will discharge the weapon if it strikes the Firing Pin. This unsafe configuration was determined to be the cause of a negligent discharge in 2002 when a San Fernando, CA SWAT officer dropped his duty belt. The P220, while still holstered hit the concrete causing the hammer to impact the chambered round. The officer was killed from a single gunshot wound through the head in the station's parking lot. https://catonews.org/we-rememb...ficer-jesse-paderez/ ===== Perhaps the least commonly understood safety feature employed by P220s manufactured during after 1994-ish (as well as all P225, P226, P227, P228, P229, and P239) models is the Hammer Reset Spring. The Hammer Reset Spring is a small spring attached to rear of the Hammer and concealed by the plastic Hammer Stop. If the Decocking Lever is not used and the Hammer is instead lowered incorrectly by using the thumb and trigger method ~ Once the operator releases the Hammer, the Hammer Reset Spring pulls the Hammer away from the Firing Pin and into the Safety Intercept Notch. I can usually identify Sig users that grew up firing 1911 pistols because they will thumb down the Hammer. Back in the 1970s and 80's, only a few pistols previously had a Decocking Lever. Up until that point in time, thumbing down the hammer was the norm and for many it was a hard habit to break. I think it was also a trust issue on a new technology called a Decocker that released the Hammer and sent it towards the Firing Pin. ===== There is a simple test to determine if your pistol has a Hammer Reset Spring without having to disassemble you pistol. This test can also be used to verify the Hammer Reset Spring is functioning correctly on pistols made after the design change. With a CONFIRMED UNLOADED P220, rack the Slide and with the pistol pointed in a safe direction pull the Trigger while thumbing down the Hammer. Keep the Trigger pulled all the way to the rear ~ until the Hammer is in the down position then gently push the Hammer forward to see how far it travels to impact the Firing Pin. This is the normal firing sequence of your P220 pistol. Release the Trigger and Hammer, then rack the Slide again. Use the Decocking Lever to return the Hammer to the ready position. The Hammer will rest in the Safety Intercept Notch and will not move forward when you apply forward pressure with your thumb on the Hammer. Use of the Decocking Lever is a hard and fast rule with all of my Sigs. Rack the Slide for a third time and using the Trigger and thumb method, return the Hammer to its resting position. After you release the Trigger, gently use your thumb to push the Hammer forward. If the Hammer moves forward and touches the Firing Pin you have an early P220 without a Hammer Reset Spring. If the Hammer does not move, then your P220 was produced after Sig made the change or you have a bad Hammer Reset Spring in a newer model Sig. If you own an older P220, you have a simple procedure to safety operate it ~ Always use the Decocking Lever and never thumb down the Hammer. .This message has been edited. Last edited by: sleepla8er, | |||
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Thank you for the detailed explanation sleepla8ter. I had found part of your writing in my research of the issue on another site, but the complete text was very helpful. I appreciate your time and knowledg. Take care. ______________________ Live free or die... Don't tread on me... Molon Labe... Take your pick. | |||
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