Fishtail top lever right hammer.

[Brian Dudley]

Here is something I do not recall being mentioned in TPS regarding fishtail top levers. And I do not recall seeing it anywhere else. This photo is of a right hammer from a 1 frame top action with fishtail lever. It is notched to that the lever will clear with the hammer cocked.

29015

[Rick Losey]

Maybe for the smaller frame size?

[Mills Morrison]

Very interesting

[Dean Romig]

We have discussed that feature here before. It is unusual but not rare that a gun with the fishtail lever has the right hammer filed like that.

I have a few 0-frame 16's with the fishtail lever that are not filed like that.

[edgarspencer]

My 0 frame 16 does not have a fishtail top lever, and won't open with the right hammer cocked, but I suspect it would with a notched hammer.
My 1 frame 12 has a fishtail top lever and opens with the right hammer cocked, without the notched hammer.
I'm guessing that the notched hammer was for guns with straight levers.

[Dean Romig]

But the one Brian shows has a fishtail lever and a notched right hammer.

[Bill Murphy]

I guess filing the hammer was less work for the gunsmith than bending or replacing the top lever. I'll bet the original owner used the gun for decades and never noticed the notch.

[edgarspencer]

Yes sir, I noted that. There have been lots of posts stating that some parts were being 'used up', the hammerless guns with fishtail levers for example. I can't explain why a gun would have both a notched hammer and a fishtail top lever because, a) I don't have one, and b) there seems to be so many exceptions to the rules. Perhaps the gun in Brian's hand originally had a straight top lever and at some point it got changed. Who knows?

[Fred Preston]

My hammer guns are lifters; don't have to worry about that stuff.

[Mills Morrison]

I notice some of the hammers are spread on some of mine to accommodate the lever. Agree that lifters are more user friendly

[todd allen]

A hammerless with a fishtail lever is extra cool!

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Guys, If any one knows how to move a photo or photos, Go to photo fridays page three fourth from the bottom, blog titled One Of The Last, A picture of my grade three top lever hammer gun with the cut out hammer. I donot know how to do it or I would, thanks Gary

[Brian Dudley]

The hammer that I photographed was notched so that the gun would open with hammer UN COCKED.
It was a 1 frame hammer gun with fishtail lever.
The fishtail allowed opening when cocked and the notch allowed opening when uncocked.

[edgarspencer]

The fishtail allowed opening when cocked and the notch allowed opening when uncocked.

I would think any hammer gun could be opened, un-cocked, without the notch.

Here's Gary's Grade 3 hammer gun:

[Rich Anderson]

I wonder if Parker notched the hammer on the request of the original purchaser. I have never seen another example of a notched hammer.

This could have been done after the fact also by the owner. Just another possibility.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

This grade 3 hammer gun is a 2 frame, Gary

[Brian Dudley]

I tested it. The gun would not be able to be opened without the notch there.

[wayne goerres]

That notch looks pretty deep in the photo. You would think that would weaken the hammer.

[Dean Romig]

This problem of whether a gun could be opened with the right hammer cocked or worse yet, if it could be opened if the right hammer NOT cocked and required both a fishtail lever AND a notched hammer really brings the spotlight on the department responsible for fitting locks and hammers to a particular gun. There were/are several known sizes and shapes of Parker Bros. hammers and it seems like it ought to have been a 'no brainer' to fit a correctly sized or shaped hammer to a gun necessitating only ONE of these modifications. It seems somebody was not doing his job to the best of his ability... IMHO