S&W 637 Hammer Snag on Draw

Well, that's exactly why I bought a 642. You'll have to decide which path to take, whether it's acquire a 642, bob the hammer, or whatever.

Have you tried putting your thumb over the hammer when you draw? If it works for you it will be cheaper then having the hammer bobbed.

I'm in the same boat; don't use a pocket holster but do have the occasional snag when drawing the 637 from IWB. Need to practice my Hackathorn Rip!

Or just have the hammer bobbed.

Or upgrade to a 642.... *sigh*

I did do a little shade tree gun smithing an took down all the sharp edges on the hammer spur myself.

I can try that, but I think that I would be afraid of cocking the hammer if I hit my thumb and having the gun discharge when I don't want to fire it. I think that this would be especially true under high stress situation such as when I'm drawing it.

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You can't set off a modern DA revolver by accidentally dropping the hammer when cocking unless the trigger is pulled. Hammer blocks and transfer bars preclude that from happening.

My wife draws her Taurus 85 by placing the end of the hammer between her thumb and thumbnail. This creates a hammer shroud and with practice we have had no more problems with snagging.

I went on the J frame voyage myself this past fall, looking for the perfect one. I started with a Model 36, but quickly found myself snagging the hammer (up to that point, I had carried a Sig230), moved onto the model 49, then a model 40 and now I'm a happy camper with a model 340PD.

I still think there are some real advantages to the size of the J frame. I just want the 36 in my desk, the 49 in my kit, the 40 in my safe and the 340PD in my pocket.

The best investment I made were the ct grips...

It is possible to bob the hammer, then serrate the top of the hammer so it can be cocked manually. It is tricky and usually done by using the DA to move the hammer back enough to get a good hold.

But that kind of thing takes practice, so I usually recommend either just bobbing the hammer or getting a "hammerless" model and learning to shoot DA. If having a snag free hammer is important, the Bodyguard is an obvious consideration.

BTW, be careful about bobbing the hammer on a J frame, especially if combined with reducing mainspring tension. Getting a "click" instead of a "bang" at the wrong time can be VERY embarassing.

Jim

Like mentioned above, just use the time tested draw method of covering the hammer with your thumb. If you are worried about making a mistake and cocking the hammer that can easily fixed with practice, practice and then some more practice.

Make sure the revolver is unloaded and practice until you can draw your revolver fast without mistakes. It's a learned skill like anything else worth doing well. If you like that revolver keep it and learn to draw it without snags. If you aren't happy with the revolver except for the possibility of snags, sell it off and replace it with a M638 (like I carry) or a M642.