Colt Detective special question

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.

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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.

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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.
 
Smith and Wesson incorporated hammer blocks into their revolvers long before WWII. There were two different types.

You're exactly right, Driftwood Johnson. Thanks again for your valuable insights.
 
Very nice holsters DPRIS! That reverse seam holster is innovative.
Here's the one I made for my friend's Colt Detective specal.
He has the Utility clips so I just needed to provide holes for adjustments of carry height.
He wanted slight forward cant, low ride, a full trigger cover and thumb break, so it was a challenge to get it all to work.
I made 60.00 for five hours of work!LOL
I couldn't afford to do this for a living!
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Driftwood Johnson's post explaining S&W's hammer blocks was excellent, thorough, and informative. However, there was one small detail that should be pointed out

Originally posted by Driftwood Johnson
This style of hammer block is still inside every Smith and Wesson revolver today.

While it is the type of hammer block that S&W uses in current revolvers, it isn't incorporated into every revolver they make today. The J-Frame Centennial Models such as the 640 or 642 do not have any hammer block at all. Because the hammers of these guns are completely enclosed by the frame, S&W deems the hammer block unnecessary as it is impossible for these guns to receive a blow to the hammer through being dropped (or any other means for that matter). Some people think that Centennials have better triggers than other J-Frames because the lack of a hammer block removes a bit of friction from the action. Having owned both Centennial and Chief's Special style J-Frames, however, any difference in the trigger is too minute for me to detect.
 
HighValleyRanch......
Thanks, but I'm not DePris. :)

Iver Johnson invented the transfer bar safety-ignition system, but Colt Firearms brought it into the modern age with their Mark III series of 1969.
The Colt design was so good, most DA and many SA revolvers designed since closely follow Colt's updated design of the old Iver Johnson system.

The transfer bar safety-ignition is much simpler and safer then any of the older hammer blocking designs.
 
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