Mr. Eisenberg. Could you demonstrate for us the sound which would be heard if you held the cylinder, pulled back, and then released the trigger?
Mr. Cunningham. Yes. A snapping sound can definitely be heard.
Mr. Eisenberg. There is a very audible snapping sound. Would that snap—that amount of snap—leave a mark on the base of the cartridge case against which the firing pin——
Mr. Cunningham. Under these conditions it could not leave a mark, because the rebound block is in the way.
Mr. Eisenberg. When you say rebound block, this is a block between the firing pin and the base of the cartridge case?
Mr. Cunningham. No, sir; it is the block that is forcing the trigger to go forward after it is pulled back. You see, your trigger will snap back. It is done by a spring in the block.
Mr. Eisenberg. To put it differently, this block would prevent the firing pin from emerging from its hole?
Mr. Cunningham. That is correct. That is exactly it.
Mr. Eisenberg. Now, could the firing pin emerge from its hole without having traveled a considerable distance back? That is, to say, at what point does the rebound block release the hammer?
Mr. Cunningham. At approximately—well, right there you can hear it. That is a good half inch.