Topic: Question about drop safeties in revolvers

[Stacey Phetteplace]

Does anyone know roughly when most revolvers started being made with a drop safety of any kind? I remember my dad teaching me and always saying you load 5 pills in 6 hole gun and the hammer rests on the empty chamber. It's just a conversational topic that come sup every now and then.
thanks

[Kevin Streine]

I believe it was in the early 70s that Ruger introduced the New Model Blackhawk that featured a trigger transfer bar, replacing the older version where you needed to have the hammer on an empty chamber.
Don't know if they were ahead or behind the curve on that, relative to other manufacturers.

[Bob Shem]

They go back a long way.  Wikipedia has a good overview.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_(firearms)  .

Back in the day, founding member Stan Berg did a lot of AFTE presentations on firearm safeties.  Stan made a living by doing a lot of testifying against gun companies for plaintiffs, typically about the variety of safeties, when the patents were issued, and when the patents entered the public domain.  His presentations were a bit dry but thorough.

[Stacey Phetteplace]

Thanks Bob, but that link isn't working for me. But I did a general wiki search and found this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver. Near the bottom is this general information:

Until the 1970s, when older-design revolvers such as Colt Single Action Armys and Ruger Blackhawks were re-engineered with drop safeties (such as firing pin blocks, hammer blocks, or transfer bars) that prevent the firing pin from contacting the cartridge's primer unless the trigger is pulled, safe carry required the hammer being positioned over an empty chamber, reducing the available cartridges from six to five, or, on some models, in between chambers on either a pin or in a groove for that purpose, thus keeping the full six rounds available. This kept the uncocked hammer from resting directly on the primer of a cartridge. If not used in this manner, the hammer rests directly on a primer and unintentional firing may occur if the gun is dropped or the hammer is struck.

Since my dad taught me handgun safety when I was little and he was poor, he most likely didn't have a 'modern' revolver.

[Bob Shem]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_(firearms)   .




Scroll down to the “Drop Safeties” section.

[Stacey Phetteplace]

Thanks Bob, that link works