S&W 38 spl Victory Hammer block upgrade?

[New Mexico Boy]

I have a Smith and Wesson World War II Victory SN V637011, which was manufactured before the hammer block upgrade, therefore the gun can discharge if dropped on the hammer.

Is there a hammer block upgrade available for this revolver? Will Smith and Wesson do it?

 

[Mistered]

Exercise caution and leave it the way it is - I have # 120XXX which is way before the hammer block and no problems in many years of shooting it!

 

[glowe]

Your revolver has a hammer safety that was patented in 1914 and is adequate to stop accidental discharge. K frame revolvers adopted this change in 1915. I would not worry about being safe, since you are not without this safety feature. To inspect, cock the hammer and look on the right side of the slot. You should see a projection of metal that protrudes, blocking an accidental hammer fall from striking the primer.

If you are interested, check out the Patent with a detailed diagram of the change.

 

[Skeetr57]

The 1914 Patent Drawing does not depict the hammer block safety that would be in a Victory model. The hammer block was redesigned in @ 1925, but the patent date on the barrel wasn't changed. The 1925 design is better from both a manufacturing and functional standpoint, but not as foolproof as the 1945 design. So long as the revolver is correctly cleaned and maintained the earlier designs are adequate.

 

[glowe]

The 1914 Patent Drawing does not depict the hammer block safety that would be in a Victory model. The hammer block was redesigned in @ 1925, but the patent date on the barrel wasn't changed . . . So long as the revolver is correctly cleaned and maintained the earlier designs are adequate.

Thanks for adding that change, I should have added that one to my prior post. I listed the 1914 because it has a visible patent date that corresponds with the addition of the hammer block, where the 1925 change received no date stamp as you state.

Around 1925 the hammer block design was changed, using a ramp on the rear of the hand to push the hammer block into the side plate, and the hand was again actuated by a spring in the trigger. This design was used until late in WWII when the vertical sliding hammer block actuated by the rebound slide was adopted.

 

[DWalt]

"Is there a hammer block upgrade available for this revolver? Will Smith and Wesson do it? "

No and no. It's a complicated modification involving much more than simply changing a part or two. The absence of this 1945 drop safety improvement is nothing to lose any sleep over.

 

[New Mexico Boy]

I appreciate the information from all. My concern was that the pre 1945 hammer block is not vigorous enough to guard against a drop on the hammer, and hoped to upgrade the hammer block to more modern standards.
I guess that is a little like buying a 1950 chevy, and wanting to install air bags.
So, I now understand that the upgrade would not be practical, and the revolver is pretty safe anyway. And I have the information I need to check the existing hammer block for functionality.
I do plan to use and fire this gun after assuring myself that it functions properly. And, considering that I haven't dropped a firearm yet, it should be safe enough.
Thanks for your information and advice.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

IIRC, the gun that was dropped and discharged was on a battleship. It fell several decks onto a metal deck and killed a sailor when it went off. That's quite a bit more force than just dropping a few feet. I was in the Navy and they are passionate about preventing recurrence. I also believe if no one had been killed, we might be seeing modern guns with the old design.

 

[ammodave]

If you're really concerned, just adopt a practice of only loading five rounds (like the single action Colt boys) and rest the hammer on the empty chamber.

 

[New Mexico Boy]

Thanks Wiregrassguy for that. I knew that it was a sailor who was killed after the gun was dropped and landed on it's hammer, but the whole story makes it much clearer.

 

[Skeetr57]

Actually, the hammer block is the second safety against drops. The foot of the hammer rests on the rebound slide when the hammer is at rest unless the trigger is pulled, so the drop has to be enough distance to break the hammer. The 1914 and 1925 designs both were made of spring steel and depended on the force of the spring to move the safety into place when the trigger was released. The fit of the hammer block in the side plate is very tight, so rust or congealed grease or Cosmoline can prevent the safety from moving into the blocking position. The 1945 and later hammer blocks are moved in both directions by a pin on the rebound slide and are not such close fits that they can be easily jammed, and if they were, the trigger would not function.