Half Cock

Half Cock - A middle position for an external hammer that effectively provides a safety function. With a firearm with non-rebounding hammers, when on half-cock, the firing pin will not rest on the firing-pin. And, whether rebounding or non-rebounding, an inadvertent pull of the trigger should not release the hammer and fire the gun.

The fine shelf of the full-cock notch (A) allows a light touch of the trigger to release the sear (B).  The deeper-cut half-cock notch (C) holds the sear solidly.

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