hammerless

[ ham-er-lis ]

adjective

1. (of a firearm) having the hammer concealed within the receiver.

hammerless

/ ˈhæməlɪs /

adjective

1. (of a firearm) having the hammer enclosed so that it is not visible

Word History and Origins

Origin of hammerless¹

First recorded in 1870–75; hammer + -less

Example Sentences

The gun taken to the Las Vegas museum, an Iver Johnson Safety Hammerless, also belonged to Capone but had a different back-story.

From Wall Street Journal

Mr. Asaro drove Mr. Valenti to Mr. Burke’s house the night of the robbery, giving him a .38 hammerless pistol and an instruction: “‘Anything happens, just stand your ground and continue to do the robbery the best you can,’” Mr. Asaro told him, Mr. Valenti testified.

From New York Times

A hammerless ejector game gun that has been in continuous production since 1880, it’s a graceful work of art.

From Forbes

Perhaps this is an argument in favour of a hammerless gun!

From Project Gutenberg

A very important improvement was the introduction of the hammerless gun, in which the mechanism for firing is placed entirely within the gun.

From Project Gutenberg