Hello, Sorry if I'm doing this wrong but I'm totally new to this, both the site and posting to anything. Found the site while looking for info on a 38 S&W revolver that belonged to my dad; he always referred to it as a lemon squeezer. I don't even know how one measures barrel length or where to find the serial number. I did find a number (same one) on the bottom of the grip and on the inside of the cylinder, so I assume that is the serial number. Will that number give me the approximate age of the gun? Can anyone give me any info on these? Like I said, I know little about it--I know how to aim and fire and that's about it.

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Not long ago, I wrote an article about the "lemon squeezer" guns, otherwise known as the Safety Hammerless or New Departure revolvers.

Here's the link - go to page 40 for the article.

http://www.bridleandbit.net/ebooks/b...files/main.swf

Hope this helps.

John

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Looks like a 4th model 38 S&W Safety hammerless with a 3 1/4" barrel. Barrel length is measured from the front of the cylinder to muzzle. It fires the older 38 S&W cartridge, not the more powerful and longer 38 special. Serial number should be between 116000 to 220000, if higher then it may be a 5th model. These were made between 1898 and 1907. Looks to be in nice shape.
John

Paladin, do you get paid by Dillon to write articles like that one or is it just a bragging rights sort of arrangement? Also, why did S&W abandon the top break, auto-eject design? Was the design not strong enough to allow for more powerful cartridges?

One of my first articles appeared in the Blue Press before I worked for Dillon. It was a nostalgic piece on my first gun, purchased by my dad and me when I was just 11 years old. I sent a copy to Jeff Cooper, and he wrote back to give me encouragement, having enjoyed the piece. I was very proud that he'd take the time to do that. After I wrote it, I worked full time for Dillon for 7 years and was their top salesman for almost all of that time. I used to write the articles for free when I worked there. It was fun, and kept me off the streets in my spare time. Then the Blue Press editor arranged for a more or less token payment every time one of my articles appeared. I was happy with that, getting paid for what I liked to do. In the meanwhile, I also did articles for Guns & Ammo Handguns, American Gunsmith, and Gun Digest (2003 best article John Amber award winner, given in 2004). When I retired, Dillon paid me what they pay other gun writers, which was quite a bit more, and honored me by making me a contributing editor. I still enjoy writing the articles, and the money I earn from them enables me to buy more guns to write about. Such a deal, huh?

S&W topbreak revolvers were handy for ejection and loading, but the frame design was inherently weak compared to the side-ejecting design. Although the "hand ejectors" were a bit slower to eject, the difference in speed was small.

The Webley and Enfield revolvers stuck with the topbreak design quite a while beyond WWII. They did not use very powerful cartridges, though. I wrote an article about them in the April, 2011 Blue Press, which you can find here on page 40 of that issue. The last gasp of the "topbreaks."

http://www.bridleandbit.net/ebooks/b...files/main.swf

John

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Thanks everyone. Enjoyed the informative article, PALADIN85020.
Also, TIMETRIPPER, now that I know how to measure, it is indeed a 3 1/4" barrel and the number I found begins with 201.

I suspect that top-break revolvers invoked military use to Britons, while Americans thought of top-breaks as cheap knockoffs of S&W.

There is that Russian .357 top-break prototype out there somewhere.
Modern Firearms - IzMech MP-412
I don't see why an updated top-break design would be impractical. But fashion would be against it.

i bought a 38 lemon squeezer at an estate sale,nickle finish,one chip above trigger guard...serial #71462....any idea when it was manufactured,and possible value.....i plan on keeping it anyway....bill trice

forgot to say it has a 6 inch barrel

I have one in the 84,000 range, also with a 6 inch barrel, and it was manufacured in January of 1897.