Carry Beretta 85FS hammer fully down on live round?

[Nickel Plated]

I just started carrying a Beretta 85FS and there's just one thing about it that kinda irks me. When you use the decocker lever to drop the hammer, it doesn't fully decock it. The hammer stops at a half-cock position, so when you pull the trigger, you get kind of like half of the regular double action pull. This is kind of annoying because you now basically have to master 3 different trigger pulls.

What I like to do is decock the pistol to drop the hammer to half-cock, then thumb the hammer back just a hair to let the half-cock sear release, and lower the hammer all the way down to it's fully decocked position. I prefer having the full double action pull for safety's sake, and not having to deal with that half double action pull.

Just curious if it's OK to carry that way. It is an FS model so it has the firing pin block, I see no real issue with having the hammer rest on the firing pin. Afterall the Beretta 92 lets the hammer rest on the firing pin when decocked. But then why would they even have that half cock position?

[Jagrbomb]

I would go ask at the Beretta Forum...

[JohnKSa]

I would go to the manual. If you didn't get one with the pistol, they are available online from Beretta USA.

Page 14 of the Beretta 81 series manual implies that lowering the hammer fully is not recommended.

http://www.beretta.com/assets/12/29/...ser_Manual.pdf

The manual provides a method for manually lowering the hammer to the half-cock position on the non-F models but does not provide a method for fully lowering it.

Because the procedure mandates removing the finger from the trigger as soon as the hammer comes off of full cock, there is no way to fully decock the standard model guns without violating the instructions.

On the F models, the manual indicates that the hammer should be lowered by using the lever.

This is kind of annoying because you now basically have to master 3 different trigger pulls.

Actually, you really only need to learn 2--it appears that there is no need to, nor does the manual give a procedure to, fully decock the pistol.

Since Beretta recommends decocking to the half-cock position, or using the safety/decock lever in models so equipped, there doesn't appear to be any safety concern carrying in that mode.

Here is how Beretta recommends that the pistol should be kept if it needs to be chamber-loaded.

"With pistols model "F", to keep pistol, chamber loaded, in safety condition, fully engage the manual safety lever to lower the hammer and stop it against the interceptor."

[pblanc]

delete

[5whiskey]

I just started carrying a Beretta 85FS and there's just one thing about it that kinda irks me. When you use the decocker lever to drop the hammer, it doesn't fully decock it. The hammer stops at a half-cock position, so when you pull the trigger, you get kind of like half of the regular double action pull. This is kind of annoying because you now basically have to master 3 different trigger pulls.

Many DA/SA pistols "decock" to a half cock. CZs do, along with many (but not all) of their clones. Sigs are always at a variation of half cock, even if you pull the trigger on an empty chamber the hammer springs back to the half cock position. It is a safety feature that prevents the hammer from contacting the firing pin during day to day carry. In the day and age where almost EVERYTHING has a firing pin block, it's a redundant safety feature, but it's there none-the-less.

You should learn two trigger pulls. From the half cock and the SA pull. Yes, if you have a fail to fire you may have to fire from the hammer down position... but it should be so rare that I would not worry about "mastering" that trigger pull. Just do it enough to familiarize yourself with it. Bonus is the DA trigger pull should be much better from the half cock. Not only is it a safety feature, it usually makes for a better trigger.

[JJNA]

Bonus is the DA trigger pull should be much better from the half cock. Not only is it a safety feature, it usually makes for a better trigger.

This!

CZs do

I was pretty bummed when I discovered that the decocker models of CZs had a half-cock notch had the hammer resting closer to the slide/firing pin than its safety models. That made the trigger reach and pull longer on the decocker models!

[jr24]

Wait. You manually lower the hammer on a live round, arguably the least safe way to handle the firearm, for safety?

I'd personally just love with the decock half cock and realize if you never fully drop the hammer you only do have the two trigger pulls.

[Brutus]

Never saw a decocker that didn't work that way.

[5whiskey]

Never saw a decocker that didn't work that way.

Jericho pistols, or at least the polymer compact version i had years ago, did decock to a hammer down position. It had a safety/decocker in one on the slide, much like a M9. With the safety in the on position, it actually pulled the firing pin further into the slide, where it did not stick out beyond the slide plate. This effectively kept the hammer from contacting the firing pin with hammer completely down.

I'm not saying this is a common mechanism, just reporting that such a creature does exist.

[Brutus]

Learn something knew every day. Thanks for the info.

[HighValleyRanch]

I had an HK P2000SK, and when you activated the decocker on the rear of the slide, the hammer would drop down with a big slam. Very nerve racking at the beginning until you learned to trust that this was "normal". I got rid of it, but as I remember, the hammer was in a fully down position, not half cock.

When I got my sig 230, I remember being surprised that it decocked so gently and to a half cock position.

[Jim Watson]

I don't know about that series of Beretta, but Sig-Sauer warned not to let the hammer down all the way as it would clear the firing pin safety and eliminate the drop safe condition. Use the decocker and leave it alone.

IDPA says that a manually decocked SSP like CZ75B must be let all the way down but mechanical decockers should end up wherever the lever takes them.

[JJNA]

Never saw a decocker that didn't work that way.

Beretta’s own 92 and PX series decock all the way down. I wish they decocked half way as the 81-series did.

[JJNA]

I had an HK P2000SK, and when you activated the decocker on the rear of the slide, the hammer would drop down with a big slam.

All USP and P-series H&K DA pistols do that, but they all decock to a half notch.

[peterg7]

Originally Posted by JJNA

Beretta’s own 92 and PX series decock all the way down. I wish they decocked half way as the 81-series did.

Add the BDA to that list also


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[smee78]

I carry an 84F and just use the decocker. Why lower the hammer on a live round when a safety step is already there. Decocking and single action would be the only two trigger methods you should need to learn.