Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless

American Handgunner, May, 2000 by Mike Cumpston

More than 100 years ago, S&W was selling small, .38 caliber revolvers for self-defense. They still are.

Historians in recent decades have referred to the years 1890 through 1914 as the "Era of Good Feeling." The major western nations were at peace and general prosperity was interrupted only briefly by the depression of the mid '90s. It was a time often looked to by succeeding generations as "the good old days."

However, the enduring image of Daisy looking sweet upon the seat of a tandem bicycle does little to explain how Smith & Wesson came to sell 177,500 copies of their third and fourth model "lemon squeezers" between 1890 and 1907.

It is said that each generation rewrites history to suit itself and it seems likely that the chronicles might have overlooked a few things about the world, as great-granddad knew it. In any case, a healthy demand for small, portable handguns caused important advances in pocket pistol design.

The Smith & Wesson Hammerless Safety series is a case in point. Daniel Baird Wesson approved the formalized design in 1886 upon demonstration that the inertia firing pin was effective at preventing dropped gun discharges. The basic design went through five distinct model changes before production ceased in 1940.

The major design was complete by the time of the fourth model, which was produced between 1898 and 1907. Original plans called for production of the arm in .38 S&W and .32 S&W as well as a .44 Russian variation. The .44 was never introduced and the .38s proved far more popular than the short .32s.

The distinguishing features of the revolver include the hidden hammer and a grip safety of the type later seen on auto pistols. The actual utility of the grip safety in preventing accidental discharges is questionable, however. In bygone days, it was considered beneficial in preventing small-handed children from being able to fire the arm. It also gave the revolver its popular name-- the "lemon squeezer."

In his book Pistols and Revolvers, Joseph E. Smith notes that the Safety Hammerless was considered the safest pocket revolver of the time. He also praises the distinct hesitation that occurs during the trigger pull as an aid in deliberate shot placement.

Another advantage is the absence of an external hammer, which, in an emergency, allows snag-free firing from a pocket. The absence of a hammer spur also enables a snag-free draw--the salient feature of the wildly popular Centennial snub which was first introduced in the mid 1950s. The Centennial first appeared complete with a grip safety, a feature absent in current models.

Prominent central Texas arms collector Leo Bradshaw Jr. recently acquired a fine example of the Fourth Model. The revolver, while showing some finish blemishes consistent with its age, is tight and in perfect mechanical condition. The chambers and bore are free of rust and pitting. A longtime fan of American Handgunner, Leo had employed the present editor many years ago as a clerk in his gun-shop. Needless to say, he allowed me to examine and fire the revolver.

This revolver, serially numbered in the 115,000 range, chambers the .38 S&W cartridge. The 1877 vintage round drives a 146 gr. roundnose bullet of .360" diameter to a nominal 745 fps. It is roughly equivalent in power to .38 Special midrange wadcutter loads.

While no powerhouse by modern standards, it can be quite accurate in quality revolvers and Elmer Keith considered it superior in this regard to the contemporary .38 Long and .38 Short Colt cartridges. It remained a highly regarded defensive round until mid-century. H&R and Iver Johnson break-tops continued to be sold in this chambering well past the 1950s.

The sights consist of a round front blade and the tiny grooved rear stud typical of the Smith & Wesson hinged-frame revolvers. I found that my one diopter reading glasses brought them into clear focus against the Birchwood-Casey Shoot 'n See targets.

I started my shooting session with five rounds at seven yards and then fired another five from 10 paces. I did the close range shooting one-handed taking advantage of the pronouncedly two-stage trigger pull. Nine of the 10 rounds went into a 3" group.

At 15 yards, shooting two-handed, I put four of five into the 5.5" target center finding the sights perfectly regulated for a center hold. I fired the remaining 14 rounds from 25 yards and managed to hit the bullseye with nine of those. The other shots hit close enough to qualify as solid A zones.

Overall, accuracy is about equivalent to what I can do shooting double-action with my target sighted 3" S&W Model 60-4 Kit Gun. The stagy trigger and crude sights of this century-old design significantly slowed speed of delivery.

In designing these revolvers, clearly intended for home defense and concealed carry, Smith & Wesson placed a high premium on safety and efficiency. With the advent of more powerful cartridges, the break-top frame eventually gave way to solid frame designs.

The enclosed hammer, double-action concept, first applied to the Safety Hammerless in the late 1880s, endures to the present time and its 20th century heirs are already regarded as modern classics.