[DevLcL]

Whats the deal with the "half-cock" on lots of handguns?

I have my assumptions but I've never read anywhere what its purpose exactly is. They say things such as "...safety features including the half-cock" so I guess its a safety feature, but I dont see how its realevent when the hammer is cocked, also if the hammer is down if would be really hard pull the hammer back on accident wether they made it half-cock or not. It's probably one of those simple things that never has any problems so you never hear about it. If it works perfect why ask about it, right?

-Dev

[chris in va]

Well, my CZ has that. It's a happy medium between a full DA trigger pull and the lighter SA, and mine happens to have a decocker instead of the safety. It still allows a 'safer' setting from SA, hence what you've heard.

It's fine with me. In a defensive situation, things will be kinda close and I'm not too worried about putting it in the same hole. If I wanted that, I'd cock the hammer back first and take my sweet time.

[StrikeEagle]

The 'half cock' is a safety for if you cock the piece manually. If you accidentally drop the hammer in the process the halfcock notch 'should' catch it.

That's the way it was explained to me many many moons ago. :)

StrikeEagle

[cortez kid]

Some revo's, such as an old model Ruger, loads in half cock position. The safety position is in first notch, which is in between hammer rest and half cock. It's makes the click click click lots of us old timey guys(and girls) like to hear
kid

[Black Majik]

Also, should your hammer fall while racking the slide, the half cock notch should catch it and prevent it from firing.

[mete]

Guns should not be carried in the half cock position , they are not designed to be.

[BluesBear]

Strike Eagle and Mete pretty much nailed it.

[Bobo]

Mete said,
Guns should not be carried in the half cock position , they are not designed to be.I don't know about all guns, but my Kel-Tec P-3AT becomes half-cocked when the slide is racked. Therefore, if I carry with a round chambered, the hammer is half-cocked. I believe this is pretty normal for most DA pistols.

[Wilson 17&26]

Whats the deal with the "half-cock" on lots of handguns?
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If it works perfect why ask about it, right?

-Dev

Kel-Tec mouseguns (P-32 & P-3AT) have a hammer block and the firing pin doesn’t have sufficient weight to ignite the primer even if dropped on the muzzle on concert. See http://1bad69.com/keltec/droptest.htm for details.

[Boss Spearman]

Guns should not be carried in the half cock position , they are not designed to be.

The HK UPS is. If you decock it, it falls to the half cock position. So you carry it in full cocked and locked position, or in half cocked.

[boing]

The "D" model CZs also decock to half cock by design, and the traditional DA/SA "B" models are safe to carry this way, due to the firing pin block.