I live rural, and a SA option is almost mandatory as I see it. You never know when you're going to have to take "that shot." That's why I carry an SP101 with a hammer spur as much as I can. But... A lot of times I can't, so I pocket carry a 642 for an effortless snag-free draw. It's not an "everything" gun but a tool of convenience.
Couldn't agree more, rd rancher!
I believe the hammer could be useful if you had to make a longer than normal range shot with a snubbie. Perhaps from around a corner at a gun man that hasn't seen you yet. Wouldn't you like the help of the SA then to make a COM or CNS shot?
Ben, to me that makes a lot of sense for a combat situation, but you'll have to help me understand how a civilian could justify the use of deadly force for self defense in shooting at someone at a distance who hasn't seen you yet. Combat is one thing, last resort self defense seems to me to be a lot different.
Should you be pointing your gun at something you aren't willing to kill in the first place? Should you have your finger on the trigger if you're not planning on shooting someone pretty much right now?
Excellent points, goon. However, Ayoob and others have made their recommendations, and I think they probably have as much to do with real world experience in psychology and physiology as they may have to do with litigation risk. I'll add my two bits worth for your consideration: you point the gun and are ready to shoot
right now; the attacker then ceases to threaten. At that point you have no justification for shooting, intentionally or unintentionally.
And why is a revolver with a cocked hammer any less safe than a Browning High Power or 1911 with a cocked hammer?
Also an excellent point excellent, and of course it isn't. Those weapons were both developed for military use, and while the Texas Rangers and a lot of other law enforcement groups have used them in the past, they are rapidly falling out of favor and are being replaced by DAO pistols.
One recent exception is the Tacoma Police Department, which has adopted both DAO and Kimber 1911 pistols.
A friend of mine who is a policeman carries a small Kimber 1911 type .45 for back-up. He knows what he's doing.
To be frank, I really don't like double action shooting very much at all. I was accustomed to off-hand practice at twenty-five yards with revolvers and autoloaders, and I never saw any point in the Centennial or its stop-break predecessor, or for that matter the Webley bobbed-hammer revolver. The recent trend toward DAO semi-automatics was a mystery to me. I bought a Model 60 for that reason--steel, with a hammer and with a longer barrel for control.
Then I took the state concealed carry course. As mentioned before, two key points were
don't cock and
a hammer is a hook. In the demonstrations, a simulated deadly force scenario involves a man charging straight at you from the distance at which it was first clear that deadly force was justified--a little more than 20 feet. (You are not permitted to produce the weapon here unless you are under clear and immediate threat). Closure time was a couple of seconds. Quick draw, no sight picture, no time to cock if you wanted to, attacker may or may not cease and desist when he sees the gun.
That and the desire for a smaller, lighter CC weapon led to my purchase of the Airweight Centennial.
Well, I'm getting to where I'm OK with the DA pull in that circumstance, but the draw is still pretty iffy.
For anything else, I do want a hammer.
I hope you find this useful and that I do not appear argumentative.
Seriously, the Centennial is by no means a fifty yard gun. 
