Modern Double Action Top Breaks

[indy1919a4]

"The Anderson Wheeler Mark VII is the first revolver to be made in the United Kingdom ever since the year 1983, and will be tentatively made available at a starting price of £6,500.00 (€8,245.00, or US$9313,90), excluding VAT."

https://www.all4shooters.com/en/shooting/pistols/anderson-wheeler-mk7-357-magnum-revolver-replica/

This article has a tentive price based on conversation with Anderson Wheeler at the 2016 Shot Show where this new revolver was first reveled.

Wow, 1st its beautiful, but that best be one darn fine revolver for that..

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

I think (and Driftwood Johnson would be a better source on this) that S&W stopped making the Safety Hammerless revolvers well before 1940. They just had enough on hand, or enough parts to assemble into guns, to keep them in the catalog until 1940.

I am only going by what I can glean out of the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson.

SCSW says that the 32 Safety Hammerless 3rd Model was manufactured from 1909 until 1937. The photo of mine in the box is a 2nd Model which left the factory in 1905. Pretty much the only difference between the 2nd and 3rd Model was the front sight of the 2nd Model was a separate part, pinned onto the barrel. Which is evident in my photo. The front sight on the 3rd Model was forged integral with the barrel.

SCSW says the 38 Safety Hammerless 5th Model was manufactured from 1907 until 1940.

Notice I put the word manufactured in bold type. Nothing is mentioned about whether old parts were being used up or not.

Now I am going to put on my Schoolmarm hat and remind everyone there were five (yes five) separate Top Break S&W revolvers built on what they called the #3 frame. The five separate models were quite distinct. The frames looked different, even to the casual observer. The American Model was produced from 1870 until 1874. The Russian model followed the American Model. There were three separate versions of the Russian Model. Between the three models, they were produced from 1871 until 1878. The Schofield Model was produced in two slightly different versions, all were produced between 1875 and 1877. Finally we get to the very best of the #3 Smiths, the New Model Number Three. Again, there were several different versions. They were cataloged from 1878 until 1912. Roy Jinks, the official S&W historian has stated to the ATF that all frames of the New Model Number Three were produced by 1898, so even if they were cataloged or sold up until 1912 the ATF considers them antiques. The 44 Double Action was produced in four slightly different versions. Again, SCSW says they were all manufactured between 1881 and 1913. And very similar to the New Model Number Three, Roy Jinks has stated to the ATF that all frames for the 44 Double Action were manufactured by 1899, making them all antiques as far as the ATF is concerned.

I have not read anything from Roy about how many parts were made after the frames.

Regarding the word manufactured and the Safety Hammerless guns, I don't think there has been enough interest to document when actual manufacturing stopped and clean up of old parts began.

I'm too lazy to post photos right now of the five different Top Breaks built on the #3 sized frame.

If you want to see photos for comparison, go to this thread:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...hofield-and-need-advice.855815/#post-11224770

 

[Monac]

And that's why I said Driftwood would be a better source!