I just watched The History Channel's, The Gun's of S&W. It showed mounted horseman reloading top breaks on the run. Was it safe to carry all chambers loaded on a S&W topbreak or was the chamber under the hammer kept empty a la Colt SAA? If carrying all chambers full was acceptable, what safety design made it possible? Thamks you.
Were top breaks carried fully loaded?
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I just watched The History Channel's, The Gun's of S&W. It showed mounted horseman reloading top breaks on the run. Was it safe to carry all chambers loaded on a S&W topbreak or was the chamber under the hammer kept empty a la Colt SAA? If carrying all chambers full was acceptable, what safety design made it possible? Thamks you.
Texas Star
US Veteran
This a good question. My only topbreak was a Webley MK. VI and I did always carry it fully loaded. But who knows what official regs prescribed then?
My guess is that it was prudent to leave a top chamber in the cylinder empty on those early S&W's.
If no one has an answer here, write to Mike Venturino, the gun writer. He's at Rifle now, I think. He plays with those Old West guns and will know the answer if anyone does.
T-Star.
My guess is that it was prudent to leave a top chamber in the cylinder empty on those early S&W's.
If no one has an answer here, write to Mike Venturino, the gun writer. He's at Rifle now, I think. He plays with those Old West guns and will know the answer if anyone does.
T-Star.
GatorFarmer
Member
I don't know that the early top breaks of either pocker or major caliber were safe with all chambers loaded. I believe it was Iver Johnson who came along with the transfer bar safety to make this possible in the late 19th century, with the slogan "Hammer the Hammer" showing a muscular biceped arm smashing a mallet onto the revolver's hammer.
Hi:
When I was very young the hammerless pocket revolvers were still popular.
I remember relatives (male and female) carrying both ways ( fully loaded or empty chamber under firing pin.
Jimmy
When I was very young the hammerless pocket revolvers were still popular.
I remember relatives (male and female) carrying both ways ( fully loaded or empty chamber under firing pin.
Jimmy
When carrying the older top breaks I was taught to let the hammer down between the ctg rims after fully loading the chambers. One of the tests when evaluating a used breaktop was to see it it would cock normally from the between chamber position. Not all will either through design or wear.
My original New Model #3 has a rebounding hammer. When the hammer is fully down, the firing pin does not protrude into the cylinder area. My original Schofield, however, does. In the wilderness, I do carry 6 rounds in my NM#3 but I only put 5 into my Schofield. However, I didn't try the between-chambers thing until just now. With the hammer fully down between the chambers, I could safely carry 6 rounds, and it does properly index when the hammer is cocked.
The hammer between the chambers is a hold over for percussion pistols. I think both the Remington and Colt belt pistols had extra notches in the cylinders for the hammer to rest in. Or maybe one brand just had little ****, I don't have one in front of me to check.
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