has a hole in the cocking knob (back of the gas tube). You can push the hammer forward with a small allen wrench to do the same thing you're talking about. I thought that was a neat touch back then, and wondered why everyone (mfr's) seemed to give up on the idea. Much handier than "cock-BLAM, cock-Blam, cock-blam, cock-pffffffff"!
I like your fix, think I'll try it out, too!