question on a lifter

[charlie cleveland]

i have a lifter 10 ga made in about 1875..my question is about the hammers...there seems to be a safty factor built into the hammers...you cannot push the hammer by hand so that it will meet the firing pin..you can even pull thr trigger and it will not move with fingers on hammer....only by cocking the hammer and squezzing the trigger will the hammer make contact with the firing pin...plus my firing spins have springs in them...my old 8 ga parker lifter does not have this safety feature and no spings in the firing pins this old gun built in 1882... my question is all the parker hammer guns built with this safety factor in the hammers or is my old 8 ga that seems not to just wore out in this department... charlie