Driftwood Johnson
New member
I'm not sure how their hammer/firing pin "safety" compares, but it was Iver Johnson who challenged doubters in their advertisements of the day to "Hammer the Hammer" of their "Safety Hammer" model revolvers, manufactured from 1895 to 1950.
Iver Johnson did not use a hammer block. They used a transfer bar.
In this patent drawing, the transfer bar, labelled E, can be seen rising up when the hammer is cocked, ready to 'transfer' the blow of the hammer to the frame mounted firing pin.
I don't know if Iver Johnson called a Transfer Bar, but that is exactly what it did. Bill Ruger was a clever and expert gun designer, so I'm sure he was aware of what Iver Johnson had done many years before he incorporated a Transfer Bar in his revolvers.