This may be the wildest wish yet, but here goes:

I'd like to see S&W "fix" the unreliable double actions of the Colt bird head Thunderer and Lightning revolvers -- and offer them as a "product-improved" item...

I'm interested in cowbody action shooting, but a good double action would be more attractive if it had applications in "real" life...

To my understanding, these two revolvers were great looking -- but highly unreliable.

(While we're wishing for the moon, how about a swing out cylinder that preserves the look and feel of the originals...?)

These are handsome pistols!

Oh, well, the men in white jackets with the butterfly net will be here soon...

I believe that CAS requires single action revolvers only.

The Colt Lightning and Thunderer used a frame almost identical in appearance to the Colt SAA which IMO makes up to a very handsome gun. That restriction on the space for the DA mchanism in the frame may be the primary reason for their delicate parts and unreliability.

If CAS changed their rules to allow pre 1900 design DA revolver designs there would be a much greater chance of your wish being granted by some manufacturer, though not necessarily S&W, I expect.

The mod. 1877 DA Colts (.38 & .41 LC's) do have rather delicate parts, and sometimes break. They are not however as fragile as most think. If they were it is very unlikely people would have continued to buy them for 32 yrs. (1877-1909)

therevjay;

Actually so do all of the Colt single actions which has not stopped people from buying the same basic gun mechanism for the last 160 years, basically since the introduction of the Colt Walker. Known for failures of the hand spring, the trigger/cylinder stop spring and the cylinder stop I am told.

I unnderstand that if parts are properly polished and tuned/replaced by an expert SA tuner such as Munden they can be made much more resistant to breakage. The same could well be true of the early Colt DA guns too.