Howdy
The Colt Detective Special 1st Issue was manufactured from 1927 until 1946. This one left the factory in 1934. Notice how short the ejector rod is. Obviously it is that short because the barrel is only 2" long.
Later, the Detective Special 2nd Issue went back into production from 1947 until 1972. The 3rd Issue with a shrouded extractor rod was made from 1973 until 1986. An updated model featuring a transfer bar and updated lockwork was introduced in 1997, and a 357 Magnum version was offered in 1998. The book I am taking this information from was published in 2007, so I cannot comment on more recent developments.
Because the ejector rod is so short, the extractor has a very short throw. In this photo I have pushed the ejector rod all the way in with my thumb. The empty 38 Special cases have only been extracted about half way. That is as far as the extractor can extract them. I have to laugh at your question about allowing gravity alone to dump out the empties. When I first started shooting Cowboy Action with single action revolvers, a lot of shooters would show up at the unloading table, open the loading gate, and thump the grip on the table to extract each empty, relying on gravity and momentum to dump out the empties. I would then ask them if they were aware there was an ejector rod mounted under the barrel whose purpose was to shove out the empties. I have never taken any kind of combat training, but I can tell you anyone who tries to rely on gravity alone to dump out the empties is looking for trouble. As stated, you point the gun skyward and give the extractor rod a good shot to dump out the empties. I use my thumb, just as you see here, except the barrel will be pointed almost all the way up. If I don't give the ejector rod a good thump, Enough momentum will not be built up and one or two cases might get stuck partway out.
Trying to close the cylinder with the hammer cocked is a no go. I'm not going to take this revolver apart to see exactly why, but something inside is preventing the cylinder latch from sliding back the extra 1/16" or so so the cylinder can close.
My Detective Special is completely happy to let the trigger and hammer mechanism work while the cylinder is open, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that.
E.g. if the player tries to holster the Detective Special with the hammer cocked over a loaded chamber, it's likely to go off and they'll have to start over from the beginning.
What? Aside from it being a really dumb move to holster a cocked revolver, unless you manage to snag the trigger when returning to leather, it is not going to go off. That's one reason the trigger guard is there. Unless you have a Fitz Special or a Fitz Colt. John Fitzgerald was a gunsmith who would cut away the front of the trigger guard so the trigger finger could access the trigger from the front, rather than having to come in from the side. So if you holstered a cocked FItz Special, you might run the chance of snagging the trigger on something when returning the gun to leather. But that is the whole point of a double action revolver. You don't have to cock it for a quick first shot, you just yank the trigger in double action mode.
The game also has the S&W Victory Model 10
You are making a very common error in nomenclature here. There is no such thing as a S&W Victory Model 10.
A little bit of S&W history:
In 1899, Smith and Wesson introduced a six shot 38 Special revolver called the 38 Military and Police (38 M&P for short). This was Smith and Wesson's first 38 caliber revolver with a swing out cylinder. It featured a medium sized frame that came to be known as the K frame. This revolver was sized to be the perfect size to house a cylinder that could accept six 38 caliber cartridges.
Here is a photo of a 38 M&P, model of 1899.
By 1905 some changes had been made to the internal lockwork of the 38 M&P, and the lockwork has remained basically the same right up to today.
The Victory Model was a version of the 38 M&P made specifically for the war effort during World War Two. Manufactured between 1942 and 1945, it was given the name Victory Model for obvious reasons. The Serial Number had a V prefix to note this. Because of the need to make a lot of these in a hurry, S&W did not put the time and effort into putting their typical highly polished deep blue finish on the outside. However just as much care went into the inside as any other S&W revolver. Here is a photo of a Victory Model. Note the dull finish, smooth uncheckered service grips, and lanyard ring at the base of the grip frame. Victory Models only came with 4 Inch barrels. The versions made for American service men were chambered for 38 Special, while a different chambering for the 38 S&W round was sent to our allies in Britain.
While I'm on the subject, here is why you cannot operate the trigger or hammer of a S&W revolver if the cylinder is open. On the left side of the revolver is the thumbpiece that opens the cylinder when pushed forward. On the inside, the thumpiece is connected to a bar that rides in a slot. At the rear of this bar is a raised nub. The arrow in this photo is pointing to the raised nub. With the cylinder open, the thumbpiece stays pushed forward. The nub then prevents the hammer from moving. When the cylinder is closed, a spring pushes the thumbpiece back, so the hammer is free to move. This feature can easily be defeated however by pushing the thumbpiece back while the cylinder is open. However since it is a two handed operation, this is not conducive to dry firing the revolver with the cylinder open. I don't know why you would want to do that anyway.
While we are looking at the inside of this Victory Model, we can see the old style hammer block that was staked in place in the side plate. This hammer block was made of spring steel, and the spring action of the steel normally kept the raised portion at its top positioned between the hammer and the frame, so the gun would not fire if accidentally dropped on the hammer spur. When the action was operated, a ramp on the hand would engage a tab on the hammer block, retracting it into its slot in the side plate so the revolver could fire. However in 1944 a sailor was killed when a Victory Model discharged when it fell to the deck of a Navy warship. The subsequent investigation found that cosmoline that had not been properly removed had probably hardened and prevented the hammer block from springing to its 'safe' position. Under strict orders from the military S&W redesigned the hammer block in the space of a week, and put a new version in production. All Victory Models with the new style hammer block in them had a SV serial number prefix. All S&W revolvers up to this day have this new style hammer block inside.
OK, getting back to the naming conventions. In 1957 Smith and Wesson came up with a new system of Model numbers. Gone were the old names such as 38 M&P or Triple Lock, Victory Model, Hand Ejector, or lots of other model names. The old 38 M&P became the Model 10. That's why there is no such thing as a Victory Model 10. Collectors sometimes refer to the 38 M&P revolvers as pre-Model 10s, but you won't find that name in any S&W catalogs.
Here is a comparison photo of a Model 10 at the top, and the Victory Model at the bottom. The Model 10 wears typical checkered Magna grips and has the typical high luster blue finish. Notice the different shapes of the front sights. Notice too the different shapes of the hammers. This style hammer appeared in the early 1950s. The lockwork was slightly redesigned for this new hammer giving it a shorter throw in single action mode. Also, the deep gullet in front of the hammer spur and the much deeper checkering on the hammer spur makes a sweaty thumb much less likely to slip off the hammer when cocking it for single action shooting. Trust me on this. Model 10s came with several different barrel lengths, this one happens to be 4 inches long. I'm still looking for a nice Model 10 with a 6 inch barrel.
Here is a look inside of the Model 10 showing the modern style hammer block. The hammer block is the long thin piece the arrow is pointing to. The hammer block rides in a slot in the side plate. A pin has been added to the rebound slide. This pin operates the hammer block. You can see the pin poking through the bottom of the oval shaped hole at the bottom of the hammer block. The hammer block is actually a redundant safety device inside a S&W, they always have been. The top of the rebound slide has a bump on it. In this position with the trigger forward, the bump on top of the rebound slide has wedged itself under the bump on the bottom of the hammer, forcing the hammer to retract about 1/8". This pulls the firing pin back from any cartridge under the firing pin. Notice the hammer block is positioned between the hammer and the frame, but the hammer is not actually touching it. If the revolver were to be dropped onto the hammer spur with enough force to break off the bottom of the hammer, or crush the rebound slide, then the redundant hammer block would do its job of preventing the hammer from jumping forward, firing a round. When the hammer is cocked, or the trigger is pulled, the pin on the rebound slide pulls the transfer bar back and down in its slot in the side plate, and the revolver can then fire.
Ejecting Empties out of a 4 inch barreled K frame Smith is much more positive than with the short barreled Colt Detective Special. I am holding the ejector rod at its full travel with my thumb, and the shells have actually cleared the chambers by a tiny amount. Of course, I would never rely on gravity to dump the empties, I always use the ejector rod. That's why it's there.
P.S. I can probably help you with the Colt Single Action Army, but I don't know a thing about the Ruger LCR. Don't own one and I don't intend to.