WestKentucky
Member
Has anybody produced a modern revolver with a grip safety? Preferably something like a S&W 442 so that it goes full old school meets new school kinda cool?
Modern “safety” revolvers?
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Monac
Member
Not that I have ever seen. I think only Smith & Wesson and few Spanish copiers ever put grip safeties on revolvers. Compared to Colt revolvers with the 'Positive Safety Lock", or Iver Johnsons with their transfer bar, early automatic pistols had fairly simply trigger mechanisms. Grip safeties made sense on them. They didn't on revolvers, in my opinion (for what it's worth). At least it's difficult for me to see any kind of accident with a revolver that a grip safety would prevent, that would not also be prevented by the revolver's own internal mechanism.
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
I agree, but it’s something that would be a neat finish to some of the classic models that S&W is putting out. Not that it would necessarily be a recreation of a classic, but it would certainly play into the classic vibe of those turn of the century wonders.
And the more I think of it the more I think some of the older J frame humpbacks had a grip safety. Maybe an earlier retro edition.
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/778648803
Model 40 safety. And it’s as beautiful and classic as I imagined it would be.
Model 40 safety. And it’s as beautiful and classic as I imagined it would be.
There was a more recent run of the Model 40-1. https://gunsgunsguns.net/smith-wesson-model-40-1/
BobWright
Member
Grip safeties on hammerless revolvers prevented the hammer from cycling through the double action mode. It is hard to fire a double action revolver without depressing the grip safety.
Bob Wright
Bob Wright
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Howdy
Not exactly 'modern' but the Smith and Wesson 38 Double Action Perfected was produced from 1909 to 1920. It was the last Top Break revolver S&W designed. This one had a sliding thumb piece like a modern Smith in addition to the standard Top Break latch near the hammer. To open it to load or empty you had to push the thumb piece forward and lift the latch at the same time, or the gun would not open. Not a safety per se, but the idea was a bad guy could not reach over the top and disable the the gun by opening it if it was pointing at him.
Also not a grip safety, but there was a small run of the S&W Model 12 Airweight Military and Police produced for France in in 1966 that had a sliding safety mounted on the side plate on the right side of the gun. It looked just like a normal flat latch except it was on the wrong side of the gun. It locked the hammer and trigger when pushed forward. I don't have a photo of it, but there is a photo on page 111 of the 2nd edition of the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson by Supica and Nahas.
Not exactly 'modern' but the Smith and Wesson 38 Double Action Perfected was produced from 1909 to 1920. It was the last Top Break revolver S&W designed. This one had a sliding thumb piece like a modern Smith in addition to the standard Top Break latch near the hammer. To open it to load or empty you had to push the thumb piece forward and lift the latch at the same time, or the gun would not open. Not a safety per se, but the idea was a bad guy could not reach over the top and disable the the gun by opening it if it was pointing at him.
Also not a grip safety, but there was a small run of the S&W Model 12 Airweight Military and Police produced for France in in 1966 that had a sliding safety mounted on the side plate on the right side of the gun. It looked just like a normal flat latch except it was on the wrong side of the gun. It locked the hammer and trigger when pushed forward. I don't have a photo of it, but there is a photo on page 111 of the 2nd edition of the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson by Supica and Nahas.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
That is correct. Just the lightest touch on the grip safety of a S&W Safety Hammerless (lemonsqueezer) allows the gun to fire.
JeffG
Member
Love the lemon squeezer!
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
There is, or rather WAS, a point in the day of the lemon squeezer. A gun was not carried in a holster, but rather in a pocket or purse. There was no protection from things getting in the trigger. The grip safety added a bit of safety while carrying in such manner as it was less likely that you would disengage the safety and accidentally pull the trigger simultaneously... ever so slightly better...the design sucked but it’s a neat feature that has gone the way of the dodo.
Jim Watson
Member
Wasn't the New Departure "lemon squeezer" an early case of "Child Proofing?"
Heavy pull and grip safety hard for little hands.
Heavy pull and grip safety hard for little hands.
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
Seems logical. But in all of the vintage ads I have unsuccessfully bid on, there have been no blunt points to say this is why you want the safety gun. There are some allusions to things but no flat out statements.
Monac
Member
I'd like to see what could get inside a triggerguard & exert enough force on a trigger to overcome 8+ pounds of pull resistance to fire it on a DA revolver riding in a pocket or purse.
Denis
Exactly. It is also difficult to see how enough force could be exerted on the trigger without pushing on the backstrap and therefore the grip safety. Pulling on the barrel? Boy, that is a real long shot to protect against. And as far as childproofing goes, it is difficult to see how a child could fire it without depressing the grip safety....especially if he had his thumbs on the trigger and the gun pointed right between his eyes.
A grip safety in the front strap of the grip might have made more sense. In fact, now I wonder if that influenced the design of the odd grip safeties on the Smith & Wesson .35 and .32 automatics.
BTW, would anyone who has fired an S&W Centennial (Model 40 if steel, Model 42 if alloy) comment on the effect the grip safety had on felt recoil? I have fired a 38 Safety Hammerless, but that was decades ago, and in 38 S&W anyway, not 38 Special.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
I assume you are referring to my post about the Smith and Wesson 38 Double Action Perfected?
There were several requests made to Daniel Wesson for just such a gun. That's why it was made.
I agree, it is awkward to shoot because you have to remember to push the thumb piece forward at the same time you pull up on the barrel latch in order to load it.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Iver Johnson used 'Child Proofing' as a marketing strategy.
Not because of a grip safety, but because they had a transfer bar.
Jim Watson
Member
The grip safety is predominantly an early version drop safety, it is SUPPOSED to disengage while you hold the gun in a firing grip. The trigger pull on these is heavy enough that you would have to be very distracted to touch off a shot.
BobWright
Member
With all due respect, how can it be a drop safety? It prevents the hammer from coming back, not forward.
Bob Wright
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