DA revolver safety?

[BoneDigger]

I am not very knowledgeable about guns so forgive me for asking such a basic question...

When I was in college I had a Ruger Single Six in .22 Mag that once went off when I dropped it (I think it hit on the hammer). Luckily I was not injured in that little incident. I now have a Colt Trooper MK III in .357. It is a double action revolver. Is there a safety mechanism in these that will block it from going off if it falls on the hammer? Just wondering.

Todd

 

[Garand Illusion]

I don't know about the specific gun you're asking about, but if it's been made anytime in the last 50 years I'd bet it had a "hammer block." That makes it safe to carry with one under the hammer.

Various ways to check -- but someone here will undoubtedly know off the top of their head.

 

[dwgspanky]

I am no expert but can see this on an old Model 10 and a newer SP101.

With an empty cylinder/revolver, cock the hammer. Hold the hammer while pulling on the trigger. Remove your finger from the trigger and, while still holding the hammer, gently let the hammer fall. While doing this take a look between the cylinder and the back of the frame. Do you see the firing pin where it would hit the primer of a loaded case? If you don't see the firing pin, there is a hammer block or transfer bar safey.

Another way to test is to cock the hammer and place the eraser end of a wooden pencil into the barrel and through an empty cylinder. Hold the gun upright (pointed into the air) and pull the trigger as if you were firing. You will notice the pencil jump.

If you follow the same procedure except this time take a second pencil and tap the trigger so that the hammer falls without any pressure remaining on the trigger. In this instance, you shouldn't see the pencil jump if there is a hammer block/transfer bar safety.

I hope this helps.

 

[Dfariswheel]

The Colt Trooper Mark III was a pioneer revolver, in that it introduced the first modern transfer bar action system.

The Colt system was so good, and so safe it's been more or less copied on every revolver built since.

In most double action revolvers invented since the 1890s, there is a hammer block safety system.
In this design, after the gun is fired and the trigger is released, the safety system forces the hammer back away from the cartridge and is locked there, until the trigger is deliberately pulled again.

In these systems, the gun cannot fire UNLESS the trigger is deliberately pulled.
Since most also have a second safety that actually puts a steel block in the path of the hammer, even dropping the gun on the hammer cannot cause it to fire.

The revolutionary Colt Trooper Mark III transfer bar system works differently.

In the Colt system, the hammer is made in such as way as it CANNOT touch the firing pin.
No amount of dropping or hitting the hammer can cause it to fire, since the hammer is unable to physically touch the firing pin under any circumstances.

Attached to the trigger is a flat lever, or transfer bar.
When the trigger is pulled, this flat bar moves upward BETWEEN the hammer and the firing pin.
When the hammer drops, it hits the transfer bar, which in turn hits the firing pin, "transferring" the hammer force to the firing pin, firing the gun.

Unless the transfer bar is in the up position, the hammer can only dissipate it's force against the frame.

Since the hammer cannot itself contact the firing pin, and the transfer bar can only be positioned to allow the gun to fire if the trigger is pulled and held back, this system is the safest ever invented.

This is why every double action, and most single action revolvers invented since Colt pioneered it, use the transfer bar.

Your older Ruger Single Six used the original Colt-designed single action system first used by Colt in the original Patterson revolver of the 1830's and through the famous Single Action Army.

In these older single action designs, if there's a round in the chamber under the hammer, and the hammer is struck, the gun WILL fire.
This is why these old-style single actions should be loaded with only FIVE rounds, and an empty chamber kept under the hammer.

All modern double action and newer transfer bar single actions like the later Ruger's are safe with the cylinder fully loaded.

As the forerunner of all modern revolvers, the Colt Trooper Mark III is one of the safest revolvers ever invented.
For all practical purposes, it can fire ONLY if the trigger is deliberately pulled.