If you look carefully, you’ll see drag marks on the hammer. Generally, hammer drag can be easily corrected.

I love revolvers. I guess it may be my age, or then again, it could be the problems I’ve seen over the years with auto pistols. Sure, you can’t beat a semiautomatic in a combat situation, but at my age, I doubt seriously I’ll ever again be in a place where that’s very likely. Nope, revolvers are more than adequate for my needs and the needs of most folks. Of course, I still own and shoot a bunch of auto pistols, but they just don’t have the same appeal to me as a good revolver.

That’s not to say revolvers are the ultimate handguns and are absolutely reliable and trouble free. Heck no! I can’t imagine anyone who’s worked as a gunsmith would ever say that about any firearm. After all, a revolver is just a machine--a mechanical tool--and it will wear out and break given enough time and use. But like me, the average gun owner will seldom wear out a new revolver in his lifetime. Generally, it’ll take several life times.

For many of us, that’s the catch. Most gun owners I know who have multiple handguns have more that were previously owned than they do new ones. Like mine, some of those revolvers go back quite a few years and probably have been owned and fired by a lot of folks. The natural consequences of age, use, and wear will often show up on these older handguns.

One of the most noticeable points of wear relates to the hammer. When a revolver cycles--either double- or single-action--the hammer must move through an arc as it pivots on a pin inside the frame. Generally, the friction between the hammer and the pin is absolutely minimal and has very little significant effect on the operation of the firearm.

On the other hand, there can be contact between the side of the hammer and the interior of the frame. If there is, this can lead to serious consequences. Primarily, it can slow the hammer down as it falls forward when it is released from the trigger sear. If there is enough pressure between the frame and the hammer, it can actually cause a light strike on the primer and lead to a misfire.

Contact with the frame can also be an indication of misalignment of the hammer with the firing-pin hole. On revolvers with firing pins attached to the hammer, this may lead to misfires as well as excessive wear or damage to the firing pin. Over time, it can enlarge the firing-pin hole in the frame. If this condition persists, the firing-pin hole can get so large that the primer will back out into it and lock up the gun when it’s fired.

In the double-action mode where the hammer is cammed back as the trigger is squeezed, hammer drag can increase the weight of the trigger pull. Double-action shooting is difficult at best under normal conditions, and significant hammer drag can make it just that much harder.

Another often-overlooked aspect of hammer drag is the effect it has on consistent trigger pull. Keep in mind that if the hammer is moving side to side on its pivot pin, it’s changing its position or location relative to the trigger sear. The hammer and trigger are not coming together at exactly the same point each and every time. When this happens, you’ll have variations in trigger-pull weight. I’ve seen some revolvers where this was very noticeable.