Does anyone still Make Break-Action Revolvers?

[Remmi]

This is pure scholorly curisoity, but I was curious if anyone here more in the know then I could tell me if any company still builds or even stock manufactures Break-Action revolvers like the old Webleys; or the even Older Smith and Wesson Schofield.

I'm something of a old western romantic; so It'd be a novel experience to be able to fire off some new-chambered .44 Mag or .357 in a classically styled tip-open piece.

 

[GEM]

Uberti and Navy Arms. There may be some SWs floating around. I don't think they come in anything but 45 LC, the SW round,44-40 and 38 SPL but check their sites.

 

[Remmi]

That's really quite spiffy; espeically the 7" Uberti Schofield.

I still wonder why they abadoned the break-action, auto-ejector desgin as times modernized with firearms: it seems fairly practical as far as a cmbat-revolver would go; only issue could be possable weaker frame-strength due to the latch-and-tip mechanism, which would make anyone with a love for the Biggun's like the .454 unhappy.

Still. A nice piece of history there. I may buy myself one sometime.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

North American Arms (NAA, the folks that also make the tiny .22 revolvers) are supposedly coming out with a single-action break-top .32 H&R mag revolver for concealed carry.

They have prototypes up on their website, and it's been discussed here on THR a bit (use the Search feature).

Curious as to whether it'll be ready for the SHOT tradeshow.

-MV

 

[PotatoJudge]

http://www.berettausa.com/product/product_pistols_main.htm

 

[Jim K]

Building a break top for more powerful rounds has been tried, but the sad fact is that the joint just isn't strong enough. In order to work, there has to be some play, and when the gun is fired, the joint batters and that play just grows and grows. With low power rounds and good steel, it grows slowly. With high pressure rounds, it grows fast.

Good idea, but basically, a high pressure (.357 or .44 Magnum) breaktop just ain't gonna happen!

Jim

 

[Remmi]

Yeah, I sort of figured that'd be the reason if any.

Perhaps some gunsmithing prodigiy will develop some floating or washered joint and a double-latched beech setup that can handle the high-power loads for long periods of time. But that'd be one heckuva endevour to take on.

Nonetheless; .45 Long Colt is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[MrAcheson]

There are probably ways around the hinge problem, but the design still has an inherently weaker frame design than the more modern crane system most manufacturers use today.

BTW NAA's .32 H&R is weird looking. I was expecting a modern Iver-johnson but was I wrong.

 

[Remmi]

If I could get my hands on some plans for bith at their peak; I'm a decent backyard engineer.

I'm not saying I could build a break-action that would revolutionize the Revolver industry for years to come, but I bet I could eyeball a hybridized latch and breech that could take some punishment.

Hm. Perhaps The Google, has The Plans.

 

[pwrtool45]

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg49-e.htm

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the ReX. While the probability of this particular piece being imported is in the neighborhood of zero, you did say "any" company...

 

[Remmi]

Aaha! A .357?

So it can be done! Unless this is another one of those Russian cheaply made/mass-produced things.

 

[pwrtool45]

Eh, I guess we'll never know. FWIW 0.9kg = 1.9lb = 30.4oz. Which is to say, there's some weight there. Along the lines of a K-frame S&W. So, there's probably a reasonably substantial steel sub-assembly in that polymer frame. I think the idea could work, but as the page mentions, the ReX is dead due to political reasons. Maybe some American gunmaker will give it a shot at some point...

 

[Remmi]

We can only hope. At least us diehard westerners.

 

[Confederate]

Break top revolvers? Does this count?

 

[Remmi]

Man. Somebody's both very upset, and in very, very much pain. Holy crap.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

I seem to remember Detonics offering a "modern" .45 Colt Top break revolver in the late 70s, (it was only a drawing of one in their advertising literature)but I never saw one, never even saw a photo of one.

 

[carebear]

Look at NAA's design. It appears to my untrained eye to be much stronger than the older designs with the latch at the top rear of the frame. That would seem to me to be the most stressful placement.

With the NAA it appears to have a solid top strap that curves around the cylinder and latches at the center of the frame where the only pressure from firing would seem to push the seam together more tightly. Also, with that placement there is much more "meat" available to build a stronger latch without a bulky protrusion on top. You could build in a very beefy cross bolt latch and still remain no wider than the cylinder (think humpback profile but wider.

It'll be interesting to see when (and if) it comes out, how the design works out on the computer with higher pressures.