If I leave my gun cocked and locked (with the safety on of course) overnight hurt anything like the hammer spring?
Does leaving a PCP with a hammer cocked for 8-10 hours hurt it?
- Thread starter cmatera
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I don't have a definitive answer for you but have some related thoughts.
The hammer spring MIGHT fatigue, or sag, which would then affect your velocity, nothing else changing. Of course there have been numerous reports of experiments where guys cocked and left springers and then tested power output. Those are larger mainsprings versus the smaller hammer springs in PCPs, but theoretically similar. From my recollection, most of those experiments seem to suggest very little energy is lost from compressing a spring and leaving it that way (cocked PCP).
Personally, I'm pretty averse to leaving a PCP cocked for any length of time, mostly b/c of how important it is for a hammer spring to maintain it's rate. I'm so OCD about this that I never use safeties, instead choosing to simply decock if I'm not going to take a shot.
The other potential area for concern would be on trigger mechanism components (sears and the like). We hope that the metal is of a quality high enough not to deform or become misshapen over long periods of stress, but just cuz we want it that way doesn't make it so. So, when left cocked, those fine contact points in the trigger are holding back the hammer tension, and COULD deform. Logic would say that the longer those edges are holding back the hammer, the higher probability of deformation. Low likelihood in a quality gun, but there's a large spectrum of quality in our hobby.
If you're asking b/c you accidentally left it cocked overnight, a few shots over a Chrono can set your mind at ease. If shots are now at same/similar fps to what they were before the extended cocked period, all is well.
The hammer spring MIGHT fatigue, or sag, which would then affect your velocity, nothing else changing. Of course there have been numerous reports of experiments where guys cocked and left springers and then tested power output. Those are larger mainsprings versus the smaller hammer springs in PCPs, but theoretically similar. From my recollection, most of those experiments seem to suggest very little energy is lost from compressing a spring and leaving it that way (cocked PCP).
Personally, I'm pretty averse to leaving a PCP cocked for any length of time, mostly b/c of how important it is for a hammer spring to maintain it's rate. I'm so OCD about this that I never use safeties, instead choosing to simply decock if I'm not going to take a shot.
The other potential area for concern would be on trigger mechanism components (sears and the like). We hope that the metal is of a quality high enough not to deform or become misshapen over long periods of stress, but just cuz we want it that way doesn't make it so. So, when left cocked, those fine contact points in the trigger are holding back the hammer tension, and COULD deform. Logic would say that the longer those edges are holding back the hammer, the higher probability of deformation. Low likelihood in a quality gun, but there's a large spectrum of quality in our hobby.
If you're asking b/c you accidentally left it cocked overnight, a few shots over a Chrono can set your mind at ease. If shots are now at same/similar fps to what they were before the extended cocked period, all is well.
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It depends on the quality of the hammer spring. I know the hs in my liberty sacked out pretty quickly even though I never left it cocked. I did leave my Sumatra cocked for a couple of weeks and it helped it but the HS is over sprung anyways.
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A properly designed system using a spring, the spring should last nearly a lifetime of normal use. You should never exceed the yield strength of a spring. If that is the case the spring steel is of high quality, then the fatigue limit is almost infinite.
However this is not always the case. A clear example are the coil torsion springs used on most roll up garage doors used in homes. Those Springs are designed for a lifespan of about 10,000 Cycles then they fail.
However this is not always the case. A clear example are the coil torsion springs used on most roll up garage doors used in homes. Those Springs are designed for a lifespan of about 10,000 Cycles then they fail.
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Gun Safety! 
would you leave it champered too? i don't mean any disrespect! but for your question, it won't hurt it but better not! to prolong your hammer spring life and its strength. "this is my opinion as an engineer"
But on the other hand, practicing Gun safety is a must! PCP or Springers should be treated no less than firearms! they still could kill a person! so, clearing your gun before leaving it is a good thing! always,
would you leave it champered too? i don't mean any disrespect! but for your question, it won't hurt it but better not! to prolong your hammer spring life and its strength. "this is my opinion as an engineer" But on the other hand, practicing Gun safety is a must! PCP or Springers should be treated no less than firearms! they still could kill a person! so, clearing your gun before leaving it is a good thing! always,
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Appreciate the info on gun safety, but please do not assume you know all aspects of the question.Gun Safety!
But on the other hand, practicing Gun safety is a must! PCP or Springers should be treated no less than firearms! they still could kill a person! so, clearing your gun before leaving it is a good thing! always,
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I’ve forgotten my taipan being cocked for 2-3 days , never had issues, but I would do everything to avoid unnecessary wear and strain and maintain a safer situation.
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As stated above, I never use the safety on my guns because I always decock it or shoot it. I’m not going to take the chance on fatiguing my spring. I really don’t know if it has an adverse effect on it or not but it just seems to me it would.
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