Also, S&W Triple lock is another beautiful design. However, it's complex and requires a lot of hand fitting, so no wander last one was made more than hundred years ago. If I am not mistaken, somebody (Numrich!?) was selling triple lock crane about 40 years ago. At least, I had seen add for it. If I am in S&W top management, I would seriously consider making triple lock again. With todays' CNC machines, manufacturing cost should be reasonable. Of course MRSP will go up 25-30%, but I bet those revolver will go like hot cakes! Just no MIM parts in mechanism.
That is not going to happen.
The 44 Hand Ejector, 1st Model, also known as the New Century, but affectionately known to collectors as the Triple Lock, was introduced in 1908. It was the first revolver built on the new, large N frame, and the 44 Special cartridge was introduced with it.
Up until this time the K frame Double Action 38 caliber revolvers (the 38 Military and Police Models) had latched the cylinder to the frame at the rear and the front (actually the very first 38 M&P, the model of 1899 only latched the cylinder at the rear). The rear of the extractor rod was latched to the frame, and the front of the extractor rod latched into a small spring loaded lug on the underside of the barrel. The Triple Lock latched the ejector rod at the rear, but there was a new arrangement at the front of the ejector rod. In addition to the front of the extractor rod being captured, there was a spring loaded plunger that popped into a hole in a hardened part mounted in the cylinder yoke. This photo shows the two spring loaded plungers. Actually, they are one U shaped part. The lower plunger rides up the ramp in the insert in the yoke shown below. This causes the upper part of the plungers to retract. When the lower plunger pops into the hole, the upper plunger pops into a hollow at the front of the extractor rod. Hence the three latches of the Triple Lock.
The Triple Lock was produced until 1915. The most common chambering was 44 Special, but they were also chambered for 44 Russian, 44-40, 455 Mark II, 450 Ely, and 38-40. It is rumored that 23 were chambered for 45 Colt. Smith and Wesson touted the maximum tightness and positive alignment of the cylinder afforded by the three latches, but most collectors suspect S&W merely wanted to show off their fancy machining know how. In any event, the 44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model appeared in 1915, lacking the fancy Triple Lock latching mechanism, reverting to the earlier system of simply latching the cylinder at the front and the back. This allowed S&W to drop the price of the revolver from $21 for the Triple Lock to $19 for the second model. Anybody who has access to an inflation calculator can do the math for 2023 dollars.
Smith and Wesson never built another revolver with the three latches of the Triple Lock, two has been sufficient for over 100 years. I sincerely doubt the top brass at S&W would seriously consider reintroducing the Triple Lock today, most of their efforts seem to be directed at making semi-automatic pistols and rifles.
