OT Half-cock on Sharps

[haterock 2]

I have just been looking with my fingers on an Italian made Sharps 1874 ( Chaparral ) cal. 45/70. Why is there a half-cock posistion on the hammer? It can be loaded without touching the hammer. Is it some kind of a half-cock safety ala Winchester?

Regards

[Griff]

To release any pressuure on the firing pin when the breech block is lowered. Without usin the ½ cock they've been known to break.

[Wind]

Hey there Haterock2 - The half cock on the Sharps takes the pressure off the firing pin which passes through the breech block. If you work the breech block up and down with hammer pressure on the firing pin, the pin protrudes through the front face of the breech block and can be "guillotined" or sheared off on the lower edge of the barrel. By putting the hammer in the half cock position, the firing pin can retract itself into the breech block as it passes by the lower edge of the barrel. Hope this helps. Wind

[kimwcook]

Yep, what Griff and Wind said. Plus, as you're wandering around with a round in the chamber you don't want it cocked nor the hammer sitting on the firing pin and thus sitting on the primer.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

The 'half cock' position on the Italian replica Sharpses is a bit further back than on the originals. On the originals, the hammer only moved back a little bit to engage the 'half cock' or 'safety cock' position. On the Italian replicas, the postion is almost half way back. In either case, as has been mentioned it is to protect the striker from being damaged when the action is opened. Opening the action with the hammer all the way down can shear off the tip of the striker.

However, I would never trust the 'half cock' on any Sharps, original or replica as a safety. A good blow to the hammer can shear off the overhanging lip and drive the hammer forward. Same with the 'safety cock' position on any vintage Winchester, or single action revolver for that matter. That's why you always left an empty under the chamber with a single action revolver.

[Leverluver]

Plus the act of closing the the action on a live round with the firing pin sticking out is too bright either. I about had to take the rifle away from my brother and bang him over the head with it to get him to break that bad habit. If we want old rifles, we have to use them in the safest fashion possible or soon they will all come with idiot lawyer safties on them. Reminds me of the old Bill Engval joke about the label on hemmoroid ointment that said not for taking orally. The joke was that "you know some idiot already did". Well they put stupid safties on firearms because someone had their head up and locked and shot his fool foot off, aka Ruger single actions and transfer bars. They didn't have them until some idiot killed himself because he didn't have the brains to know that you don't put a round in all six holes.

[haterock 2]

Thanks for explaining.

Regards