Howdy
Well, since you ask, all my experience with Smith and Wesson #3 Top Breaks is with originals.
This 1st Model Schofield shipped in 1875. It was refinished at the factory in 1957, that's why it looks so good.
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This 1st Model also shipped in 1875, but it has not been refinished. There really is not any blue left on it, all the steel has faded to a pleasing gun metal gray.
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Regarding the Schofields made today by Uberti, and yes they are still in production, I don't know too many Cowboys who shoot them regularly. I do have one pal who lives in Texas and he shoots a pair of Uberti Schofields at every match. I don't know how light or heavy is loads are, but they are certainly not mouse farts. I have know him for several years now and have never seen him have a problem with his Schofields.
Current list price on the Uberti Schofield and Russian models is $1049.
NOTE! All Schofields are #3s, but not all #3s are Schofields. I can explain that further if anybody cares.
The reason the Schofield did not 'catch on' is because Smith and Wesson was up to their eyeballs producing the Russian model for Russian, Japanese, and Turkish contracts. They eventually produced over 150,000 of them. Colt already had a contract with the Army in 1873 for I forget how many thousand. In 1875 S&W sent out a feeler to the Army and eventually sold about 7,000 Schofields to the Army. The Army wanted more, but the Russians were paying up front in gold, so S&W went where the money was and did not make any more Schofields. But they made over 40,000 New Model Number Three revolvers, which were the premier target revolver of the day. Yes, there were not as many made as Colts, but there were still plenty made, and they certainly did 'catch on'.
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The Schofield was chambered for 45 Schofield, not 44 Russian. Yes, neither is available at many Walmarts, but both are very easy to reload.
It is not so much the pressure the cylinder sees as the beating the frame takes from the pounding of recoil. A solid frame revolver such as the Colt Single Action Army, with a top strap, will always be stronger than a Top Break. You just can't make a frame in two pieces that will be as strong as a one piece frame. I have examined lots and lots of old Top Break Smiths, and I own quite a few now. More common than the hinge getting sloppy is the latch getting worn. Mostly because as somebody said the frame will tend to stretch over time from recoil, and the 'ears' that the barrel extension latches over will have wear on them.
Case in point: This 44 Double Action had some play in the frame where the arrow is. When latched shut, the barrel could wiggle up and down a couple of degrees.
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A very skilled gunsmith was able to tighten it up by pressing in some steel pins, then filing them down just enough to tighten up the joint.
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However I only shoot it with Black Powder 44 Russian loads, which by their nature to not recoil a whole lot. Certainly not as much as a full house 45 Colt Black Powder load.
Notwithstanding, even with modern materials, a Top Break could not stand up to the abuse of the 357 Magnum cartridge for long.
Finally, let's talk about the Smith and Wesson Schofield Model of 2000 for a moment. I keep hearing how they did not sell well, and other such talk. Let's be clear about this. They were produced from 2000 to 2002 and every single one of them sold. I don't know how many were made in total, but every single one sold, there were none left in inventory. Yes, it was a niche gun and they were not for everyone. But just like the Colt Single Action Army, and the new single action replicas of the Colt being made by Standard Manufacturing that rival the Colt in quality, every one produced will sell. Of course they are not for everybody when one can buy an Uberti for 1/3 the price. But there will always be a market for niche guns like this.
Interestingly enough, I was just examining Model of 2000 Schofield today. I knew it was one of the new ones because S&W put a frame mounted firing pin on them and I spotted that right away.
http://www.amoskeagauction.com/119/detail.php?id=287
No, I did not write down what it sold for, but the estimated price was $1200 - $1800. I seem to recall it did not reach the high number. As I said, there will always be a market for these, just as there will always be a market for beautiful L. C. Smith shotguns. But they certainly are not for everyone.
Finally, lets talk about machining processes. S&W made the 2000 Schofield series before they started relying heavily on MIM parts, The parts were made with conventional CNC milling equipment. If they were to make another run, I doubt they would use MIM, because the cost savings does not come into MIM until you are making a large number of parts. So if S&W were to make them again today, I suspect they would be made with modern CNC milling equipment. Having been a CNC programmer and machinist in a past life, I can assure you that CNC machining can be very profitable when done correctly. You start with a 3D model in the computer, then you send the file to the machine shop and they generate the CNC program from that. Some fixtures to hold the parts in place, and a few tweaks to the program (you always have to tweak something) and you are off and running.
Oh, yeah, one more thing. I shoot CAS with Colts all the time. Last year I ran into a second New Model Number Three, so I have shown up with the pair a couple of times this year.
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At the unloading table one day, the guy watching the table said I shoot real slow, but nobody unloads as fast as I do.
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P.S.:CraigC
I surprised myself the other day when I timed myself unloading and loading a Single Action Army. I think I was able to do a complete reload in about 30 seconds. Really surprised myself. Of course I was standing at the dining room table and not fighting off hostiles. I'll have to try it with one of my Top Breaks now. I will still be able to dump out the cartridges faster than with a Colt, it will be interesting to see how fast I can reload.
