Are there any revolvers with ring hammers? If not, is there a special reason?
I've seen photos of a VERY early-production Ruger SP101 that sported a prototype/experimental ring/rowel-style hammer; as far as I know, this gun is now in the personal collection of Massad Ayoob. The ring/rowel hammer was intended to reduce snagging when the gun was drawn from a pocket or ankle holster, while retaining the ability to be thumb-cocked to single-action mode.
The ring/rowel hammer seems to have not gotten any traction in the revolver market for three reasons, IMO:
- Traditionalist revolver buyers want guns with spur hammers, just as they remember and are accustomed to;
- Utilitarian revolver buyers want their guns completely snag-free for CCW use, and therefore go straight to a shrouded, enclosed, or completely spur-less hammer design.
- Revolver shooting technique has over the years steadily de-emphasized thumb-cocking the DA revolver, in favor of emphasizing the smooth double-action trigger-stroke for virtually all defensive and most competitive use of the revolver - see above.