doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Intercepting safety sears - are they necessary?

Has anyone ever found intercepting safety sears to be useful?

Have they ever prevented an accidental discharge for anyone?

Just curious.

OWD

I think by design you never know if they helped or not. I think they are a fantastic idea.

I wonder if they would keep a gun from doubling due to recoil when a sear is a bit worn?

I really like the idea. However, it's sort of like having a burglar alarm system. You can't prove it prevented a burglary. Same with intercepting sears - can't prove they ever prevented an accidental discharge.

Unless the intercepting sear is worn also they should prevent doubling. The way they work is that unless the trigger is pulled the hammer doesn't fall.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but wouldn't a hammer that has been caught by a safety sear have to be reset (aka cocked)?

I thought safety sears worked by catching a hammer that has been jarred out of its trigger sear notch (if that's what that thing is called).

Pics:

http://www.hallowellco.com/intercepting_sear.htm

Thanks

OWD

The only gun I have ever had fire on closing was an LC Smith with a very light rear trigger. I don't recall that they have intercepting sears.

Now I've confused myself:

I just went and looked at these pics:

http://www.hallowellco.com/sidelock%20definition.htm

And now I'm not sure how the safety sear works. I thought the safety sear intercepted a hammer that had slipped the trigger notch. But in some of the pics above, it looks like the safety sear is designed to keep the hammer from slipper the trigger notch unless the trigger is actually pulled.

Can someone clear this up for me?

I know different makers used different styles of intercepting safety sears, but I thought they all worked on the same principle.

Thanks

OWD

I hope they haven't found intercepting sears to be useful.

Have they prevented AD's? I am pretty sure that's an affirmative.

Personally, I think the boxlock designers could have taken a lesson from Mr. Browning and borrowed the safety notch in the hammer that is on a 1911 Colt.

Milt,
No intercepting sears on a LC. No safety notch on the hammers either.

I think your confusion is cleared up.

Yeah- you have to pull the trigger. The intercepting sear is essentially a second sear that is released only when the trigger is pulled.

If the sear happens to release (say if you fall and the gun is jarred) the interceptor will prevent the tumble from moving but you needn't recock. If you then pull the trigger it will release the safety sear and the gun will discharge.

OWD- those pix you found are enlightening. The external hammer gun does not have an interceptor sear.

The close-up of the bar-action shows the interceptor very well. The double stub pointing out at you near the right of the lock has two parts: one for the sear and the other for the interceptor and both need to be lifted by the trigger action to fire the gun.

OK. But look at the first image on this link again:

http://www.hallowellco.com/intercepting_sear.htm

It looks like that sear is designed to catch the hammer if it slips the trigger notch.

I've also seen hammers with two notches in them - one for the trigger sear, the other for the safety sear.

That's why I'm confused.

OWD