SMITH AND WESSON ARMS.
These Arms, so long and favorably known, have now reached perfection. The Automatic Shell Extractor, Figure r, is the first attractive feature. The exploded shells are ejected from the cylinder by the simple motion of opening the arm, which is then in position for loading. All the chambers of the cylinder being exposed at once, the pro cess of loading is greatly facilitated. All models are furnished with interchangeable long and short barrels, for target and pocket use respectively. The manipulation of the Arm is extremely simple.
To load.— Half cock the Arm, raise the barrel catch to its full height, and tip the barrel forward as far as it will go. Place the charges in the chambers and return the barrel to its place, being sure to have the barrel catch down to its place when the Arm is ready for use.
To eject the empty cartridge cases.— Grasp the barrel catch with the thumb and orefinger of the left hand, holding the breech of the barrel and cylinder downward, and vith the right hand carry fonvard the lock frame and stock of the Arm until the ejector eturns to its place, when the Arm is in condition to reload.
In the safety hammerless revolvers, the barrel catch is arranged to be operated by he thumb of the right hand.
To remove an exploded shell. —Open the Arm sufficiently to start the cartridges out . little, then close it again sufficiently to allow the ejector to return to its place ; remove he exploded shell, and press the other charges home ; close again, and the Arm is ready ar use.
To remove the cylinder and extractor. —Open the Arm until the extractor protrudcs .bout half way, release the cylinder and give it two turns to the left.
In the single and double action models, the cylinder is released by raising the barrel atch, and in the safety hammerless models, by pressing with the thumb of the left band pon the cylinder catch in the barrel strap.
To replace Me cylinder and ejector. —Open the Arm to its full capacity. Raise the' barrel catch, press the cylinder forward upon the base pin and give it two turns to the) right, While carrying the revolver fully charged, allow the hammer to rest in the Safely catch. After the first discharge, allow the hammer to rest on the exploded cartridge until the next/ discharge, and so on until all are fired. In such revolvers as have the rebounding lock, these latter precautions are unnecessary; as, by the action of the lock, which is automat ic, the hammer will always be kept in the safety catch, and the revolver be secured front accidental discharge.
The great number of accidents recorded during past years, in the use and handling of the revolver, has made it evident that some decided change in this arm, by which these accidents shall be avoided, is not only desirable but necessary. To this end much time and thought has been expended, but not until quite recently has the object sought after been fully attained in the perfection of the Hammerless Safety revolver. Figure 2. I It is well known to all familiar with the subject, that a very large proportion of the accidents with revolvers arises from some unintentional manipulation of the hammer. Either it receives a blow, is allowed to slip off the thumb in cocking, is accidently caught on some foreign object and partially raised, or is unintentionally left at full cock. The only other and a fruitful source of accident is the unintentional manipulation of the trigger. In the new hammerless safety revolver all these liabilities to accidents are made impossibilities first, by placing the hammer of the arm entirely within the lock frame so that no external force whatever can be applied to it, and second, by so arranging the trigger that it cannot be pulled except at the instant of deliberate tiring, and only by this means.
( me very impoitant feature of this arrangement is the safety of the arm in the hands of children, as no ordinary child can possibly discharge it. The new arm is also provided with a rebounding lock as an additional source of safety and protection. One of these revolvers may be carried with as little danger of injury to the person carrying it as if it were a block of wood, and yet it possesses in a high degree all the essential qualities of a • weapon of defense, or an arm for target practice. As a weapon of defense it has the ad vantage, on account of the hammerless feature, of being readily drawn from the pocket. As to weight and general appearance, the hammerless safety revolver is but one half ounce heavier than the double action model of the same caliber, and fully as hand some in appearance. In addition to the above described elements of safety, this revolv er has the automatic ejector as applied to all of the former models, and in short possesses every desirable quality of the well-known Smith & Wesson revolvers. Since their intro duction in 1887, fully 300,00o have been placed on the market, and up to the present time, not a single accident in their use has been recorded. Figure 2 shows the 33 hammerless safety, model 1898. The hammer concealed within the lock frame and oper ated by the trigger, as in any self acting arm, is constantly locked by a safety latch, which is held in position by a spring. When held in the hand for firing, the natural press ure upon the safety lever in the action of pulling the trigger raises the safety latch and releases the hammer. The safety lever and trigger must act in unison, and to discharge this arm in any but the proper manner is an impossibility.
The 32-44 target model shown in Figure 3, is single action, center fire. It is six shot, weighs 2 pounds 1i ounces and has a barrel inches long. The 38 caliber single action models 1830 andr891 have rebounding locks, are five shot, weigh 16 ounces and have barrels 4, 5 or 6 inches in length. The 33-44 target model is six shot, weighs 2 pounds 9 ounces and has a barrel 654 inches long. The 44 single action, Russian model, is six shot, weighs 2X, pounds, with barrels 4, 5, 6 and inches in and has a rebounding lock.
The 32 double action has automatic shell extractor, is central fire, five shot, weighs 13 ounces and has barrels 3. 3 t=; and 6 inches in length. The hand ejeding 32 double ac t-ion model 1896 is shown in Figure 4. The action is very clearly seen. This arm is six shot, weighs [9 ounces and has barrels 33i', 44 or 6 inches in lengt, h. It has a solid frame, swing out cylinder and rebounding lock. 'I' he 33 double action is five shot, weighs 18 ounces and has barrels 334% 4, 5 or 6 inches in length. The 44 double action, Russian and Frontier models, are six shot, weigh 2 pounds and 3 ounces and have barrels 4. 5, 6 and 634 inches in length. The Frontier model is shown in Figure 5. The 44 Winchester model 1873 cartridge is adapted to this arm.
The Smith and Wesson single she/ target piitol, shown in Figure 6, has the automatic shell extractor, rebounding lock and the adjustable target sight. The following are its weights and calibers: