Fishtail top lever right hammer.

[todd allen]

A hammerless with a fishtail lever is extra cool!

[Hammer Gun]

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

[B. 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]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

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:

[C.O.B.]

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.

[Hammer Gun]

This grade 3 hammer gun is a 2 frame, Gary

[B. 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