Has any body heard of accidental discharge with these?

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That looks like a accident waiting to happen. I cant really see the purpose of such a modification. It seems someone turned a $500.00 Dollar Revolver into a $200.00 revolver.

I haven't specifically heard of any but I'm sure they happened. The Fitz Special was fairly popular back in the day if memory serves. Although I'm pretty sure he did mostly Colts. Nice piece. I wouldn't carry it but I would treasure it. If for no other reason but to preserve the history.

If it was mine:
1. dehorn the hammer

This is a model 60 from the 1980s probably, John Henry Fitz Gerald died in the year of 1945. Wikipedia has an interesting read on him, I am not sure if it is all correct.

FitzGerald Special - Wikipedia

Ed

Thanks! I didn't know much of that. Very cool.

They were definitely popular at one time. Forum member TheShootist1894 will still do a Fitz job on revolvers. A little less than 5 years ago he did one for a Forum member and it was so gorgeous I had him customize a Model 64 for me but I DID NOT let him do a Fitz job on the trigger guard. He did a number of other things including relieving the trigger guard but not removing it. It doesn't show up in pictures.

Anyway, I agree, I think that's a dangerous modification and I never could figure out why it was popular.

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Come and take it!!

This modification was also performed, multiple times by turn of the century Texas Rangers, on Colt 1911s. Lone Wolf Gonzualas was known to have owned a pair and IIRC, several are displayed at the Ranger Museum in Waco. Some also used tied down or deactivated grip safety as well as cut away trigger guard.

My thinking has always been along the lines of Bill Jordan's, be just a tad faster, because there's no 2nd place winner.

It was a different time Gents, these guys literally could have gunfights daily along the border, and anything to get an edge was tried. Different geography, but the same is true about Fitzgerald.

Just my $.02, but it's historically accurate

Check the FB group I'm with Roscoe.

You'll see Fitz specials fairly regularly.

As we all know, revolvers allow a certain amount of accessorizing: change of grips, spring replacement, action smoothing, etc. The problem with "Fitz-ing" is that it's forever. You can't go back. The concerns I've seen about this procedure are not ADs, rather the trigger being impeded if an impact would bend the trigger guard inwards.

A beautifully snubbed 1917 for sale (Was it on this Forum?) recently caught my eye. However, it had been Fitz-ed and I lost interest.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

The Fitz mod was for improved trigger access while wearing gloves, and also to protect your trigger finger from being broken in a knock-down drag-out fight should someone try to twist the gun out of your hand.

Excellent point(s) imo, particularly the latter. I'd forgotten about that one.

The early guys expected to use their guns, for their intended purpose, and they did just that.

I would be more concerned about that trigger guard (what remains of it) bending and preventing the trigger from functioning. Maybe stainless steel is not as malleable as I think.

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Centennial Every Day

Agree with this.

While nothing more than a potentially dangerous modification, it might actually be considered a sort of pinnacle for some of the more radical gadgeteers.

All things considered, the only "Fitz" I would care about is a Colt made that way by Colt. Like this one (Gun is sold, not an advertisement):
1930 Colt New Service Factory Fitz Special .45lc with Factory Letter 99%

Alright, the question was whether anyone had ever seen an actual report of an accidental discharge traceable to a Fitz modification to a trigger guard, not “it looks unsafe” nor “I wouldn’t want to carry one of those myself,” but rather has there ever been an actual report of an AD.
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

The cutaway trigger guard seems silly and unsafe now but remember that there were lots of spur triggers, folding triggers, derringers and other handguns still in use that were much more dangerous in actual practice.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

It would seem that most unintentional firearm discharges, unless witnessed, go undiscussed and unreported. If that's the case, it would be very difficult to come up with a figure. There's a good chance that if something appears to be unsafe, it probably is.

I'd be careful with that logic...you know, black rifles, bad!

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Maybe we should have a Roscoe thread?

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Retired trap shooter

Not a safe gun at all

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Inquiring minds want to know.

Went to put loaded gun into leather holster not realizing trigger was catching on elastic band and went Booom😩pure stupidity!

Operator error will get you every time. I hear some people even have an issue holstering their modern polymer guns without discharging them. Hope no pemanent damage was done.

This is off topic but this is a S&W collectors' forum. It is not a Model 60. It is silver colored because it was refinished with nickle or chrome. S&W used flash chromed hammers and triggers in their stainless revolvers. Its hammer and trigger do not have the frosted duller silver color that those parts have in stainless S&W revolvers. More obvious, the plating is flaking off the rear of the trigger guard where it joins the frame.

Early in the thread it was posted that the revolver is from the 1980s. I'm curious. What dates it to the 1980s?

My guess is that the O.P. copied the picture off the internet.

In my humble opinion, I think you have to view these type of revolvers/1911's in a historical context. I have three in my collection, all Colts, Detective Special, and Two New Services. The Det. Special from way back in the day and the New Services more recently customized by two of my go to gunsmiths. I use them on the range when shooting old time Police guns, such as Win. 1907 351's, model 97's, Remington Model 8's and Model 11's as well as the occasional Thompson. I enjoy them the same way that I do when shooting my Heavy Duty's and Reg. Mag's. As an aside, when I hear the statement that if bent, it could tie up the trigger, I think that could be true, but in real life I have only seen one revolver where the bent trigger guard kept it from firing and that was a Model 15 that fell out of a holster while the officer was chasing a perp . That Model 15 had a standard trigger guard

Groucho—I am a bit confused. Were you wearing the holster when trying to holster the gun? If so how did it shoot your hand? I would think it would hit the leg?

Or were you holding the holster with your other hand while holstering the gun? If so were you not able to see the trigger was being impinged?

I don’t mean to pry and am deeply sorry you were injured. I always try to learn from these situations—where they don’t happen to me. I really appreciate your posting this.

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Possum—The other white meat!

Holding holster in hand very dumb thing to do.had hand covering barrel luckily only one vein was hit.

Beside the AD issue, it looks like it wouldn't take much of a hit to what's left of the trigger guard to prevent the trigger from functioning properly.

Just a wild guess! I knew that stainless guns were not produced in the 30-40s. When did they start making stainless? Even if this is not one.

So with a search it looks more like stainless started in the 60s.

Ed

The original poster is a friend and the gun is indeed a model 60 stainless steel no dash, as seen with my own eyes where its stamped. (See his original post on the gun) please.
The bandage hand picture was not downloaded from the web, nor was the gun picture (Bad guess).
Yada yada yada.
Be careful out there.

Show us more pictures of the revolver including a picture of the Model number stamp.