The point of the seer can be broken off or distorted by someone fumbling with the trigger and hammer.
Do not let people touch the hammer or trigger of your pistol, any more than you would let them jerk your horse’s mouth.
In the course of your first trials in cocking, putting to half-cock, etc., you will probably injure your trigger-pull more or less, and should you feel the least alteration or grate in it, have it examined by a gunmaker before worse mischief occurs.
With a hammerless (i. e., pistol with invisible hammer inside the lock) there is not this danger. Cocking is accomplished by the act of closing or opening the pistol which at the same time causes the hammer to be locked at safety.
What corresponds to cocking and putting to half-cock is accomplished by sliding the safety bolt to the firing position, or to “safe.”
It is advisable to have the same weight of trigger-pull on all your pistols. If they vary it makes it difficult to shoot equally well with all. The heavier trigger-pull of some will hamper you, and the lighter trigger-pull on others may make you discharge them before you mean to.
As individual fancy in trigger-pull varies, some makers sell their pistols with intentionally a very heavy trigger-pull, so that their clients can have it regulated to their requirements. This probably was the reason my old man had such a heavy trigger-pull on his “greatest bargain I ever saw” gun.
Before practising for or entering a competition, see that your trigger-pull complies with the regulations, as nothing is more annoying than, after making a winning score, to find your trigger-pull is too light and your score in consequence is disqualified.
It is best to have the trigger-pull well over the minimum so as to allow for its getting lighter during shooting.