Fanning the Hammer on a single-action revolver

[funkychinaman]

Would you be able to fan a revolver with a transfer bar, like a Ruger Vaquero?

[commando552]

Originally Posted by funkychinaman

Would you be able to fan a revolver with a transfer bar, like a Ruger Vaquero?

It should do, the transfer bar is simply a piece of metal that is linked directly to the trigger. When you pull the trigger the transfer bar slide upwards behind the firing pin (if it wasn't there the hammer wouldn't reach the firing pin hence wouldn't fire), assuming you continue to hold the trigger all the way back the transfer bar would stay in the firing position. There is no disconnect or anything like that that means it goes back to the safe position after firing and the trigger needs to be reset to get it back to the firing position.

[Yournamehere]

You can't fan a double action revolver since the hand rotating the cylinder involves movement of the trigger as well as the hammer. Single actions rely on the hammer to do everything, and so you can just hold down the trigger and fan away on the hammer as it rotates the cylinder and falls, not interfacing with the trigger or sear components.

Double actions are more complicated. While you can cock the hammer to put them into single action mode and pull the trigger, the trigger needs to reset fully before the hammer can work with the hand to turn the cylinder again. In other words, when you hold down on the trigger and fan the hammer, the hammer can't move the hand and turn the cylinder, so there's no more cartridges getting in front of the firing pin.

I guess in theory, one could fan the gun if they reset the trigger into double action mode each time, but it's so tedious, especially when you have a trigger that cocks the hammer for you to achieve rapid fire anyway. Add to the fact that the fanning would cause considerable awkward wear on the sears and internals, perhaps even the cylinder, and that rapid fire is not generally condoned, and fanning DAs becomes all but pointless.