Side plate adventure

[PuertoRican]

Recently got a pre-Model 10 snubbie. Action felt sluggish compared to my other revolvers. Figured it was time to remove the side plate & peek inside. Something I had never done before.
Screws came out easy. Plate was stubborn. Proceeded to rap the bottom edge of the grip frame on the coffee table. After a gazillion or so raps the plate falls off. Halleluah! While I'm busy patting myself on the back, I glance down & see a piece of steel laying on the floor. I utter several words not suitable for this site & try to figure out where this thing is supposed to go when I put the gun back together. When I get a pretty good idea of how its supposed to fit I go ahead & clean it up & apply a drop of oil here & there.
Here is where the fun begins. Getting the steel gizmo & the plate to line up when ya can't see a damn thing is a real trip. It required several more of the unutterable words & at least 3 prayers before I got it right. But to be on the safe side, I tried to cycle it before putting the screws in. Trigger's locked. Hammer's locked. HOLY COW!!! Time to commence serious beer drinking! After calmly sucking down a couple beers I get the inspiration to put in the screw that retains the cylinder assembly. Voila & Eureka! Everything works like its supposed to & its slicker than Uncle Fester's head.
According to the schematic on the Numrich site, my little piece of steel is the hammer block. Here's the question. If I had left it out or lost it would the revolver still function?

 

[airman]

Guessing: probably. They were add-ons to satisfy lawyers.

 

[kudzu3]

Yep, it would still work but there's no reason to sacrifice safety because of a simple little "piece of steel". There is a simple little trick to installing the hammer block. Lay it where it goes, push it up toward the hammer, place the side plate, top first, placing the groove over the hammer block, slide the side plate on with slight up-pressure. When the plate is all the way up,gently push the bottom in place. Hope this made some kind of sense.

 

[-db-]

The revolver will function fine without the hammer block but you want to keep it in there as it's a safety device.

 

[DCWilson]

Yes, the gun would still function, but you would run the risk of a discharge if the loaded gun ever landed on its hammer when dropped.

For the future, the secret is this: lay the hammer block on the action with the pin on the trigger return slide in the hole at the bottom end of the safety block. Then slide the block as far up as it can go, which will put the "flag" portion of the block directly in front of the flat part of the hammer face below the firing pin. That is the proper position for installing the sideplate, which should drop straight down over the hammer block with no hitches. Press the sideplate down and put in the screws. Done!

 

[Crabtree]

My trick....I use a dab of heavy grease in the track on the sideplate to hold the block in place....then just re-install the sideplate with the block stuck to it...the grease will act like glue. It doesn't take much...just a dab.

 

[Hondo44]

Guessing: probably. They were add-ons to satisfy lawyers.

Actually it was to save lives to the satisfaction of S&W and the government after a sailor armed with a war time government contract Victory Model dropped his gun and was killed. Smith recalled all of that model and retrofitted them with the "Improved hammer block safety". This feature was continued after the war on all Smith revolvers to this day.

 

[DWalt]

You are removing the side plate the hard way. Just remove all screws and tap on the opposite side of the frame with a wooden block, plastic hammer, etc., that won't dent the metal. Sideplate will pop right off. NEVER pry on it.