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Ken talks about drilling for the new one, being very emphatic about NOT drilling through the frame so the stud is not visible. Someone more knowledgeable about revolvers than me may chime in. The stud may be part of the frame casting/forging????? Rick

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Can they be driven out?

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Yes. But only if they are pins through the frame. If they are integral to the frame or pins in a blind hole, there’s nothing to drive them through. Some older S&W were, I believe, even threaded into the frame.

You can get these out with an arbor press if they are the ones through the frame. You’ll need a properly sized punch and some support for the back side, and you need to pay attention to whether or not the hammer stud is tapered so you can drive the pin out in the correct direction.

You’ll need to do more research, and possibly looking at the revolver to detect a pin on the outside of the frame, before you can decide how to get it out. Ken describes a pin in a blind hole or cast in the frame and how to locate and drill a new blind hole for a new pin.

By the way, a call to S&W might get it fixed under warranty, or at least information on how to repair it. Jeff

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I was told the reason the stud breaks off is that people took the side plate off without removing the main spring first. Without the side plate, the stud loses half of its support. When the guy cocks the hammer, the load on the stud could just break it off from the frame. Just wondering how much truth to this theory. I did my share of just that, mainly to check / study the lock work’s functionality. So far I have been luck. Thanks. -TL

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The hammer doesn’t have support by the side plate when it is removed but that shouldn’t cause the hammer pivot pin to break. If it did cause the hammer pin to break what causes the trigger pin to break the rebound spring? They break from wear and tear and a lot of other combined issues not the least is someone messing with the gun in an incorrect manner. Ken

Question Follow Up

I put in a pin as described in the video. I swept the boss with a .0005 indicator put in a .120 pin. It seems to have double action but not single yet. Return slide spring seems weak but it works. The single action seems to be short of travel as the spur of the hammer hits the frame before it engages.

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It is not unusual to have a hammer spur bent down because the gun was dropped on a hard surface. I have never broken the spur bending it carefully back, but if you think you’re nervous and it’s close, just remove a bit from the bottom of the spurt where it contacts the frame. Jack