I had a man tell a couple of us today that a Model 66 was drop safe when fully loaded. OK, that may be but I do not want to try it with mine or anyone else's model 66.

He went on to say that "S&W revolvers were geared to pulsating weight on the trigger" and that is what would cause them to go off. Now I am not the smartest man in the zoo but that seemed to cause me to discredit him. I always thought any pull on the trigger, be it from snagging on a holster or some other object. Anyway, what is pulsating weight?

Was this guy on the level? How come I never heard of this in all my years of collecting guns and having more handguns made by S&W than any other brand?

Can someone enlighten me here?

You can load your M66 and kick it around for hours and it ain't gonna go off. It has a hammer block inside (hold it up by your ear and shake it. You'll hear the hammer block.)

To fire, a modern S&W has to have the trigger pulled all the way to the rear.

When I went to the police academy, the firearms instructor loaded a M13, pointed it down range, cocked the hammer, and then tapped the trigger until the hammer dropped. It did not fire and won't fire until the trigger is pulled to the rear.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

What Muley Gil said was, of course, completely correct, AND the clown with the "pulsating weight" concept was a Cliff Claven wannabe.

We were listening to him in a gun store where he worked. He had a used 66 he was trying to sell a man for $575. I was there looking at guns that may have wanted me to bring one home. Unfortunately I did not find any that I really wanted.

Modern S&W revolvers employ a hammer blocking safety that places a solid blade of steel between the hammer and the frame. The only way to get that solid blade of steel out of position is to either remove the hammer block from the lockwork or to pull the trigger fully to the rear.

However, implementation of this hammer block is basically post WWII. Prior to that they had a "ledge" on the bottom of the hammer that levers the hammer back as the rebound slide move forward with the trigger. This would normally prevent the hammer from coming forward far enough to allow the firing pin to strike a primer. That method seemed to work well until a Brittish Leutenant dropped a Victory revolver on a steel ships deck. When the hammer spur struck the deck, the pivot pin for the hammer sheared off and this allowed the hammer to move enough to allow the gun to fire, which killed that Leutenant. Bascially it was a freak accident that was dependent on the drop having enough force to shear a hardened steel pin 1/8 inch in diameter at just the perfect angle for it to happen. However, it did happen and after the war S&W came up with the present hammer block that will keep the hammer from firing the gun even if the pivot pin shears.

Quite simply, because the very first model 66 was produced well AFTER the hammer block was first implemented, you can trust quite well that it's drop safe as long as some Bubba hasn't removed the hammer block. BTW, the prior safety system is also still in place, it's what causes the hammer to retract from it's frontmost position as the trigger is released. So, basically a modern S&W revolver actually has 2 seperate drop safety systems in place.

I believe what he was spreading is known as "El Toro Poo-poo"

So, the earlier models with the hammer mounted firing pin (like my father's 19-3) also have a safety block?

Ill have to check that out. I saw the hammer mounted pin and assumed one would want to carry it with the hammer on an empty chamber....

Any S&W with a model number stamped in the yoke cutout has a transfer bar and left the factory completely drop safe and safe to carry fully loaded. Earlier ones had the transfer bar also but certainly all of them did by the time they began stamping model numbers so that's a good reference. That "pulsating weight" stuff is a fairy tail.

That pretty well describes it alright!!!!!!!!!! (Ain't that better than a "like"? )

S&W revolvers having a "Transfer bar" is a fairy tale too! It is a hammer block, 180 degrees from a transfer bar in function, in spite of looking somewhat similar to the un-initiated.

Schematic for Smith & Wesson® K-Frame 66 - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

Part 23

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Still Running Against the Wind

The way that I remember the story being told in various gun mags and books over the years, was that it was a U.S. Navy sailor who was fatally injured by the discharge of a dropped Victory Model during the war, thus causing the change over from "pretty drop safe" to "really, really, yes really drop safe".

As far back as the start of the 20th century Iver Johnson was selling revolvers under the "hammer the hammer" slogan that showed a big Communist style hammer in a fist mashing a revolver hammer. This was meant to spotlight their own system for allowing a revolver to safely be carried fully loaded.