@ driftwood johnson
wow that picture is crazy!
Which picture? I posted 3 or 4.
In fact neither hand has enough power to "force" the cylinder in either direction.
+1
Regarding the recent recreation of a Triple Lock, I doubt that very much too. I posted a question about it over on the Smith and Wesson Forum, and the guys there said there was never a true reproduction of the Triple Lock made. There have been a few custom guns made, mostly from Model 29s, but not from S&W. I keep my ear pretty close to the ground regarding S&W and I would probably have heard of it if they were releasing a reproduction of the Triple Lock.
Regarding Single Action Smiths, the lockworks I posted are all of Single Action Smith and Wessons. The top two are of my New Model Number Three made in 1882. It is at the top of this photo. The revolver at the bottom of this photo is a Double Action 44. This one was made in 1881. Yes, this was the first Double Action revolver that S&W made.
Regarding the Rollin White patent, it expired in 1869, not 1873. Since the Colt Single Action Army was not released until 1873, many people assume that is when the White patent expired. That is incorrect. S&W knew the White Patent was going to expire in 1869. Up until that time all the revolvers they produced, starting in 1857, had been of the Tip Up design. Like these:
They were called Tip Ups because in order to load them the barrel rotated up, then the cylinder was removed for unloading and loading.
Like this. And yes, they were all Single Action.
Smith and Wesson assumed that once their stranglehold on the White patent was over, all the other firearm companies would be ready to enter the market with their own cartridge revolvers. So Smith went back to the drawing board and designed something truly revolutionary, to get the jump on the competition, a big 44 caliber revolver that eventually became know as the American Model. It was a Top Break design, meaning that it broke at the top with the barrel rotating down, not up, for reloading. The really revolutionary feature of the Top Breaks was that they automatically ejected the spent brass when they were opened all the way.
Like this. This is actually my New Model Number Three, not an American, but the idea is the same.
So S&W introduced the American Model in 1870. But much to their surprise, Colt did not come out with the SAA until 1873. They simply did not have a new cartridge revolver ready when the White patent expired. Instead, they made various cartridge conversion models of the their Cap & Ball revolvers until the SAA was ready for the market in 1873.
After the big Number Three revolvers were developed, S&W started making smaller Top Break pocket pistols. At first they were all single action, like this 38 Single Action.
Later, after the big DA 44 had been developed in 1881, S&W started making Top Break Double Action pocket pistols.
Like these.
These S&W Double Action designs were not fragile at all; all of the revolvers in these photos are over 100 years old and they are all still in excellent mechanical condition.
