I can't find a thread on this so I will do one. I will put it here but will have to take some good pictures to illustrate how the trigger bar, hammer, slide and hammer catch function. I am calling the trigger bar the sear and the nose on the hammer that catches the trigger bar the hook. The hammer catch serves one function that I can see, it holds the hammer in a secure position when the pistol is partially cocked. More later with some photo-shopped pictures. The sun is finally out so perhaps I can make some good photos finally.
Fire control components consist of the trigger assembly, trigger bar, slide, firing pin, hammer, hammer catch and hammer spring. With the hammer down the trigger bar is disconnected from the hammer although still connected to the trigger. The hammer has rotated fully forward against the rear of the firing pin/breech. The hammer has rotated the hammer catch out of the way so the hammer can fall all the way against the firing pin. The front edge of the lower arm of the trigger bar is pulled forward when pulling the trigger. If the trigger bar has been reset either manually or by firing, the front face of this lower arm catches on a small portion on the right side of the hammer. When the trigger bar is engaged the hammer must be partially cocked to allow the trigger bar to drop into place against the hammer hook and the hammer catch will be in position to hold the hammer from accidentally falling against the firing pin. When pulling the trigger the lower leg of the trigger bar is engaged against the hammer hook. As the trigger is pulled the hammer begins to rotate rearward. As the hammer rotates rearward the underside of the hammer acting as a cam rotates the hammer catch downward and out of the way of the hammer so it can fall against the firing pin. The hammer is released when the trigger bar is pressed downward by the, what should I call it, the cam designed into the rear of the trigger bar as it rides against the hammer pin. As the bar is pulled forward the hammer pin forces the trigger bar down until the bottom arm slips off the hammer hook.
Is this a traditional hammer hook and sear that requires precise angles, etc. No, since the LCP does not have a SA mode the trigger bar sear face simply pulls the hammer rearward until the trigger bar slips off. Could this wear....of course. Could the trigger bar wear unevenly, yes. Could smoothing up the sear face improve trigger pull smoothness... Yes. Could fine polishing reduce trigger pull here. Not much because the main resistance is lengthening the hammer spring as you pull the trigger. But, I find it a good idea to understand how a firearm works and what to inspect for wear or when issues might arise. The main frame (frame insert) is a light weight aluminum block that contains the hammer and trigger assembly. The polymer grip holds the hammer catch and the firing pin of course is in the slide. Anytime the slide is not at the normal closed position it presses the trigger bar down disengaging it from the hammer.
I've not studied this enough to determine why Ruger designed the slide to disengage the trigger bar. Keep all possibility of the pistol firing out of battery, make sure the hammer block properly engages/disengages, etc. Without the slide knocking the trigger bar down it appears there would be no reason for the assembly to be reset which would give the pistol true second strike capability. I do notice that with the slide off, the trigger pulled, upward pressure on the trigger bar that the lower leg drags roughly over the hammer before resetting. Probably more for safety reasons as when the slide is retracted a small amount or a lot....the trigger bar is disengaged from the hammer. And when disengaged....nothing happens. M1911
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Where to start? Pictured above is the frame showing the right side.In this picture the trigger bar is reset, the hammer in the partially cocked position. If pictured the hammer catch saddle would be supporting the bottom hammer pin. The trigger bar/trigger spring is pressing the trigger bar upwards. This allows the rear, bottom leg and sear face to be in a position to engage the hammer hook when the trigger is pulled. Some of these parts might be named incorrectly but this is my thread and this is what I'm calling em....
As the trigger is pulled against the trigger spring the top of the trigger assembly moves forward. This in turn pulls the trigger bar forward as the tb is connected to the trigger with a small pin. As the trigger bar moves forward a small portion of the front of the lower, rear leg ( sear face) moves forward engaging the hammer hook. The hammer spring is constantly under tension in an attempt to keep the hammer rotated forward.
The sear and the hammer catch hold the hammer in the desired safe carry position until the trigger or the slide is moved.
If you notice the bottom leg of the trigger bar engages the bottom of the hammer. As the trigger bar moves forward the hammer assembly is rotated so that the hammer moves toward the rear of the pistol. At this point several things begin to happen. The hammer hook is caught near the bottom of the sear but as the sear moves forward the hammer pin acting against the rear of the trigger bar begins to press the trigger bar down. At the same time the bottom of the hammer assembly acting as a cam rotates the hammer catch down and away from the hammer so it will be free to fall against the firing pin.
The trigger bar continues to move forward rotating the top of the hammer more and more rearward against the hammer spring. So when does the hammer fall. The hammer falls when the fixed hammer pin acting against the slanting inner portion at the rear of the tb presses the rear of the trigger bar down enough so that its sear face slips off the hammer hook. Note that the face slides down the trigger hook as the hammer is rotated. When the hammer falls it will slip on top of the trigger bar which prevents the bar from raising to reengage the hammer for another trigger pull. The slide must either be retracted a bit or the slide fully cycled to allow the trigger bar to reset. Remember the trigger spring is constantly trying to raise the rear of the trigger bar. At this point the hammer is free to fall against the rear of the firing pin.
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Pictured above is the trigger bar in the same reset position with the slide installed. There is a notch in the slide that lets the rear of the trigger bar fully rise to engage/reset with the hammer when the slide is in this position.
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When the slide is retracted the top edge of the rear of the trigger bar is pressed down which disconnects it from the hammer hook. In this position the trigger will simply pull the trigger bar forward and the hammer will not be engaged. After dry firing for example the slide must be retracted to reset the trigger bar. Again there is some tightly timed operations going on. The hammer is pressed rearward where the slide presses the top of the hammer assembly rearward which rotates the bottom of the hammer assembly forward which allows the sear to pop back up and the hammer catch to snap into place under the hammer pin. If you want to hear this and watch it...remove your slide. Carefully let the hammer forward by pulling the trigger. Hold on tight to the hammer, the hammer spring is stout. Now slowly pull the hammer rearward, first you will hear the trigger bar sear click up into position ready to one again engage the hammer hook with the sear face and with just a bit more movement you will hear the louder snap of the hammer catch popping into place under the hammer pin. The hammer and trigger bar are now reset and ready for the next trigger pull. Could the partially cocked hammer accidentally drop. Unlikely as it is held in place by the face of the trigger bar and is securely resting in the hammer catch saddle.
![Image]()
So what does this stuff look like. Above you can see the hammer catch saddle. This is the approximate position it will be in when the pistol is assembled and the trigger bar reset. A pin in the hammer securely rests in the saddle. This prevents the hammer from dropping from the partially cocked reset position. The Allen wrench pictured has been inserted through a small hole on the right side of the grips. The hammer catch is mounted in the grip and is spring loaded to rotate to the rear. Before reassembly of the frame into the grip the hammer catch must be rotated forward and held in position as pictured until the frame is inserted into the grip. You will be able to fully drop the front end of the frame into the grip but the rear will be stopped by the pin. Regardless, fully insert the front of the frame into the grip and the rear as far down as it will go. Pressing down lightly on the rear of the frame pull the rod out. This will allow the rear of the frame to fully seat and the two polymer frame pins should now be inserted to hold the frame securely in the grip. The hammer catch saddle will be properly positioned also. Very easy if you follow this procedure.
![Image]()
Above, the hammer pin that retains the hammer spring can be seen resting in the hammer catch saddle. The hammer and trigger bar are in the reset position and the hammer securely held in place.
![Image]()
Above the trigger has been pulled just a bit, the trigger bar has pulled the hammer hook forward which rotates the hammer assembly. In the process the bottom of the hammer assembly has begun to press the hammer catch away from the hammer. This will cause some harmless peening to the underside of the hammer assembly that will be pictured later. As you can see, when the trigger pulls the trigger bar forward the protruding hammer pin forces the rear of the bar down. The cam action moving the trigger bar/sear down is what causes the trigger bar sear to slide downward and off the hammer hook which release the hammer.
![Image]()
Pictured is the sear face of the trigger bar engaged against the hammer hook. In this picture the sear is almost ready to slip off the hammer hook. As the trigger pulls the hammer hook forward the trigger bar slides downward across the hammer hook until the hammer breaks free. The hammer pin acting on the rear of the trigger bar forces the rear of the trigger bar downward as the trigger pulls it forward. With proper hammer spring tension the hammer hook actually fits against the bottom of the sear face, not like shown above. Just hard to photo this stuff one handed and of course the trigger spring is not connected to anything as pictures.
![Image]()
The hammer hook looks like this and the peened portion of the hammer assembly is where it has rotated over the hammer catch. The peening is of no concern but you can polish all parts concerned if you wish. Do not reshape the hammer hook. It would be ok to polish only I think. All this would do is allow the sear face to move more smoothly across it. This will have very little to do with trigger pull as with this system most of the pull is simply to stretch the hammer spring. Polishing might make a slow trigger pull smoother....nothing you would notice in a self defense situation. It might also save some wear on the sear face.
![Image]()
Close up of the business end of the trigger bar. You can polish the inner portion that runs against the hammer pin. Polish only. Since the trigger bar moves with all trigger movement I recommend all edges be lightly broken and any rough sheared edges smoothed. Shown is the sear face. The shiny part is all that engages the hammer hook. As the trigger is pulled the trigger bar is forced downward, big red arrow. The trigger bar face subsequently slides downward across the hammer hook until it breaks free. Small red arrow. you can see that mine in 4,000 rounds had developed a small indentation where the reset hammer hook rests. I lightly squared the entire face with some 2,000 grit emery and then polished to a mirror finish. This creates a very smooth trigger pull but has little effect regarding trigger pull weight. Pictures above is the stock trigger bar at 4,000 rounds before anything was polished.
![Image]()
Here the hammer is all the way down. You can see it resting against the firing pin. The sear can't reset because the hammer hook has slipped over the top of it. The slide must be retracted enough to move the hammer out of the way so the trigger bar can pop back up. When that is accomplished either by the slide being cycled by hand or a round cycling it, the trigger bar will be reset upward so it can connect with the hammer and the hammer catch will also pop into position.....The pistol is now properly reset and all of the components ready for that next trigger pull.
This is what I see going on back there. Wear to the trigger bar, sear, etc will make your hammer release later and later so the trigger will have to be pulled slightly further and further rearward as the pistol ages. The wear you see on my pistol in this thread is from 4,000 rounds appx. You can also see in some of the pictures the ejector and damage to the opposite side of the frame. This is apparently being caused by the rim of cartridges slamming into the softer aluminum. Not enough damage to be concerned with and it won't interfere with the pistols function. And, RICHGCOOP...you know more about this than I will any day. When you post something....I pay close attention. OK, if anyone has dissenting opinions or facts let's get em in the thread. I might be off some where. Wouldn't doubt it. M1911
![Image]()
Above is a video of the interaction between the hammer and the face of the trigger bar. When the pistol is reset, the face of the trigger bar engages the hammer hook. Looking closely you will see that as the trigger is pulled the trigger bar moves forward. As it does so the hammer slides from the top of the hook face to the bottom ( remember we are looking at this action up side down). Then as the hammer is rotated more and more the hammer pin begins to press the rear of the trigger bar down and the face (sear) slides downward across the tip of the hammer hook until the hammer is released. At that point the hammer falls all the way against the firing pin and over rotates above the trigger bar sear. At this point....say a dry fire...the trigger bar will no longer engage the hammer. The slide must either be retracted just a bit or cycled so that the top of the hammer is pressed enough rearward to rotate the hammer hook forward enough for the trigger bar to pop back up where it can once again engage the hammer.
OK, it has been years ago, three computers and I hope I have the correct photos in the correct place. If anyone sees a problem, let me know.
Fire control components consist of the trigger assembly, trigger bar, slide, firing pin, hammer, hammer catch and hammer spring. With the hammer down the trigger bar is disconnected from the hammer although still connected to the trigger. The hammer has rotated fully forward against the rear of the firing pin/breech. The hammer has rotated the hammer catch out of the way so the hammer can fall all the way against the firing pin. The front edge of the lower arm of the trigger bar is pulled forward when pulling the trigger. If the trigger bar has been reset either manually or by firing, the front face of this lower arm catches on a small portion on the right side of the hammer. When the trigger bar is engaged the hammer must be partially cocked to allow the trigger bar to drop into place against the hammer hook and the hammer catch will be in position to hold the hammer from accidentally falling against the firing pin. When pulling the trigger the lower leg of the trigger bar is engaged against the hammer hook. As the trigger is pulled the hammer begins to rotate rearward. As the hammer rotates rearward the underside of the hammer acting as a cam rotates the hammer catch downward and out of the way of the hammer so it can fall against the firing pin. The hammer is released when the trigger bar is pressed downward by the, what should I call it, the cam designed into the rear of the trigger bar as it rides against the hammer pin. As the bar is pulled forward the hammer pin forces the trigger bar down until the bottom arm slips off the hammer hook.
Is this a traditional hammer hook and sear that requires precise angles, etc. No, since the LCP does not have a SA mode the trigger bar sear face simply pulls the hammer rearward until the trigger bar slips off. Could this wear....of course. Could the trigger bar wear unevenly, yes. Could smoothing up the sear face improve trigger pull smoothness... Yes. Could fine polishing reduce trigger pull here. Not much because the main resistance is lengthening the hammer spring as you pull the trigger. But, I find it a good idea to understand how a firearm works and what to inspect for wear or when issues might arise. The main frame (frame insert) is a light weight aluminum block that contains the hammer and trigger assembly. The polymer grip holds the hammer catch and the firing pin of course is in the slide. Anytime the slide is not at the normal closed position it presses the trigger bar down disengaging it from the hammer.
I've not studied this enough to determine why Ruger designed the slide to disengage the trigger bar. Keep all possibility of the pistol firing out of battery, make sure the hammer block properly engages/disengages, etc. Without the slide knocking the trigger bar down it appears there would be no reason for the assembly to be reset which would give the pistol true second strike capability. I do notice that with the slide off, the trigger pulled, upward pressure on the trigger bar that the lower leg drags roughly over the hammer before resetting. Probably more for safety reasons as when the slide is retracted a small amount or a lot....the trigger bar is disengaged from the hammer. And when disengaged....nothing happens. M1911
Where to start? Pictured above is the frame showing the right side.In this picture the trigger bar is reset, the hammer in the partially cocked position. If pictured the hammer catch saddle would be supporting the bottom hammer pin. The trigger bar/trigger spring is pressing the trigger bar upwards. This allows the rear, bottom leg and sear face to be in a position to engage the hammer hook when the trigger is pulled. Some of these parts might be named incorrectly but this is my thread and this is what I'm calling em....
As the trigger is pulled against the trigger spring the top of the trigger assembly moves forward. This in turn pulls the trigger bar forward as the tb is connected to the trigger with a small pin. As the trigger bar moves forward a small portion of the front of the lower, rear leg ( sear face) moves forward engaging the hammer hook. The hammer spring is constantly under tension in an attempt to keep the hammer rotated forward. The sear and the hammer catch hold the hammer in the desired safe carry position until the trigger or the slide is moved.
If you notice the bottom leg of the trigger bar engages the bottom of the hammer. As the trigger bar moves forward the hammer assembly is rotated so that the hammer moves toward the rear of the pistol. At this point several things begin to happen. The hammer hook is caught near the bottom of the sear but as the sear moves forward the hammer pin acting against the rear of the trigger bar begins to press the trigger bar down. At the same time the bottom of the hammer assembly acting as a cam rotates the hammer catch down and away from the hammer so it will be free to fall against the firing pin.
The trigger bar continues to move forward rotating the top of the hammer more and more rearward against the hammer spring. So when does the hammer fall. The hammer falls when the fixed hammer pin acting against the slanting inner portion at the rear of the tb presses the rear of the trigger bar down enough so that its sear face slips off the hammer hook. Note that the face slides down the trigger hook as the hammer is rotated. When the hammer falls it will slip on top of the trigger bar which prevents the bar from raising to reengage the hammer for another trigger pull. The slide must either be retracted a bit or the slide fully cycled to allow the trigger bar to reset. Remember the trigger spring is constantly trying to raise the rear of the trigger bar. At this point the hammer is free to fall against the rear of the firing pin.
Pictured above is the trigger bar in the same reset position with the slide installed. There is a notch in the slide that lets the rear of the trigger bar fully rise to engage/reset with the hammer when the slide is in this position.
When the slide is retracted the top edge of the rear of the trigger bar is pressed down which disconnects it from the hammer hook. In this position the trigger will simply pull the trigger bar forward and the hammer will not be engaged. After dry firing for example the slide must be retracted to reset the trigger bar. Again there is some tightly timed operations going on. The hammer is pressed rearward where the slide presses the top of the hammer assembly rearward which rotates the bottom of the hammer assembly forward which allows the sear to pop back up and the hammer catch to snap into place under the hammer pin. If you want to hear this and watch it...remove your slide. Carefully let the hammer forward by pulling the trigger. Hold on tight to the hammer, the hammer spring is stout. Now slowly pull the hammer rearward, first you will hear the trigger bar sear click up into position ready to one again engage the hammer hook with the sear face and with just a bit more movement you will hear the louder snap of the hammer catch popping into place under the hammer pin. The hammer and trigger bar are now reset and ready for the next trigger pull. Could the partially cocked hammer accidentally drop. Unlikely as it is held in place by the face of the trigger bar and is securely resting in the hammer catch saddle.
So what does this stuff look like. Above you can see the hammer catch saddle. This is the approximate position it will be in when the pistol is assembled and the trigger bar reset. A pin in the hammer securely rests in the saddle. This prevents the hammer from dropping from the partially cocked reset position. The Allen wrench pictured has been inserted through a small hole on the right side of the grips. The hammer catch is mounted in the grip and is spring loaded to rotate to the rear. Before reassembly of the frame into the grip the hammer catch must be rotated forward and held in position as pictured until the frame is inserted into the grip. You will be able to fully drop the front end of the frame into the grip but the rear will be stopped by the pin. Regardless, fully insert the front of the frame into the grip and the rear as far down as it will go. Pressing down lightly on the rear of the frame pull the rod out. This will allow the rear of the frame to fully seat and the two polymer frame pins should now be inserted to hold the frame securely in the grip. The hammer catch saddle will be properly positioned also. Very easy if you follow this procedure.
Above, the hammer pin that retains the hammer spring can be seen resting in the hammer catch saddle. The hammer and trigger bar are in the reset position and the hammer securely held in place.
Above the trigger has been pulled just a bit, the trigger bar has pulled the hammer hook forward which rotates the hammer assembly. In the process the bottom of the hammer assembly has begun to press the hammer catch away from the hammer. This will cause some harmless peening to the underside of the hammer assembly that will be pictured later. As you can see, when the trigger pulls the trigger bar forward the protruding hammer pin forces the rear of the bar down. The cam action moving the trigger bar/sear down is what causes the trigger bar sear to slide downward and off the hammer hook which release the hammer.
Pictured is the sear face of the trigger bar engaged against the hammer hook. In this picture the sear is almost ready to slip off the hammer hook. As the trigger pulls the hammer hook forward the trigger bar slides downward across the hammer hook until the hammer breaks free. The hammer pin acting on the rear of the trigger bar forces the rear of the trigger bar downward as the trigger pulls it forward. With proper hammer spring tension the hammer hook actually fits against the bottom of the sear face, not like shown above. Just hard to photo this stuff one handed and of course the trigger spring is not connected to anything as pictures.
The hammer hook looks like this and the peened portion of the hammer assembly is where it has rotated over the hammer catch. The peening is of no concern but you can polish all parts concerned if you wish. Do not reshape the hammer hook. It would be ok to polish only I think. All this would do is allow the sear face to move more smoothly across it. This will have very little to do with trigger pull as with this system most of the pull is simply to stretch the hammer spring. Polishing might make a slow trigger pull smoother....nothing you would notice in a self defense situation. It might also save some wear on the sear face.
Close up of the business end of the trigger bar. You can polish the inner portion that runs against the hammer pin. Polish only. Since the trigger bar moves with all trigger movement I recommend all edges be lightly broken and any rough sheared edges smoothed. Shown is the sear face. The shiny part is all that engages the hammer hook. As the trigger is pulled the trigger bar is forced downward, big red arrow. The trigger bar face subsequently slides downward across the hammer hook until it breaks free. Small red arrow. you can see that mine in 4,000 rounds had developed a small indentation where the reset hammer hook rests. I lightly squared the entire face with some 2,000 grit emery and then polished to a mirror finish. This creates a very smooth trigger pull but has little effect regarding trigger pull weight. Pictures above is the stock trigger bar at 4,000 rounds before anything was polished.
Here the hammer is all the way down. You can see it resting against the firing pin. The sear can't reset because the hammer hook has slipped over the top of it. The slide must be retracted enough to move the hammer out of the way so the trigger bar can pop back up. When that is accomplished either by the slide being cycled by hand or a round cycling it, the trigger bar will be reset upward so it can connect with the hammer and the hammer catch will also pop into position.....The pistol is now properly reset and all of the components ready for that next trigger pull.
This is what I see going on back there. Wear to the trigger bar, sear, etc will make your hammer release later and later so the trigger will have to be pulled slightly further and further rearward as the pistol ages. The wear you see on my pistol in this thread is from 4,000 rounds appx. You can also see in some of the pictures the ejector and damage to the opposite side of the frame. This is apparently being caused by the rim of cartridges slamming into the softer aluminum. Not enough damage to be concerned with and it won't interfere with the pistols function. And, RICHGCOOP...you know more about this than I will any day. When you post something....I pay close attention. OK, if anyone has dissenting opinions or facts let's get em in the thread. I might be off some where. Wouldn't doubt it. M1911
Above is a video of the interaction between the hammer and the face of the trigger bar. When the pistol is reset, the face of the trigger bar engages the hammer hook. Looking closely you will see that as the trigger is pulled the trigger bar moves forward. As it does so the hammer slides from the top of the hook face to the bottom ( remember we are looking at this action up side down). Then as the hammer is rotated more and more the hammer pin begins to press the rear of the trigger bar down and the face (sear) slides downward across the tip of the hammer hook until the hammer is released. At that point the hammer falls all the way against the firing pin and over rotates above the trigger bar sear. At this point....say a dry fire...the trigger bar will no longer engage the hammer. The slide must either be retracted just a bit or cycled so that the top of the hammer is pressed enough rearward to rotate the hammer hook forward enough for the trigger bar to pop back up where it can once again engage the hammer.
OK, it has been years ago, three computers and I hope I have the correct photos in the correct place. If anyone sees a problem, let me know.
