Older model S&W (1905 3rd Change) has rebound slide, but no separate hammer block. I was moving it to the car from my workbench and it slipped out of the soft case. It hit the concrete floor on the hammer and went off. The rebound slide works - I can't push the firing pin out with my thumb. Don't know if slide moved when dropped or what. Moral is - Load 5!! (on older guns)
Revolver Not Drop-Proof !!
- Thread starter kell
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Jim Watson
New member
Scary. It was a 4th change with "flag" hammer block that went off when dropped on a ship's deck and killed a sailor. The Navy demanded a fix which led to the present more positive hammer block.
I can think of no sensible or sane reason to put a LOADED GUN in a case.
Next point, why were you putting a cased LOADED GUN in your car??
Transporting a loaded gun is usually a violation of the law. The only usual exception is a handgun IF your are wearing it.
Since no injury was reported, I'm glad no one was hurt, but this accident is entirely a result of the foolishness described.
None of the guns with 100+ year old designs is 100% drop safe. In those days the expect norm was, "if its loaded, and you drop it, it could go off", and despite all modern improvements, its still a prudent idea.
Only in the Leftist states of the coasts and the middle. The rest of us don't get all jacked up about a loaded gun in the vehicle as it might just be needed.
In this instance it obviously should have been loaded with 5 and the hammer down on an empty chamber. Let's be glad for the OP that no one was hurt and he has learned a valuable lesson.
Dave
You missed my point. Official people in all 50 states DO get jacked up about it, so does the Fed DOT and even the Fish and Game people. They have laws stating you can't transport a loaded firearm, and in some places having the firearm and its ammunition in the same compartment of the vehicle and accessible to the driver = loaded gun, even though there are no rounds actually IN the gun.
This is a different matter than having a loaded handgun that you are wearing.
If you load that pistol, zip it in a rug, and put it in your trunk to drive to the range, you're most likely in violation of several laws. You may be in violation if you put it on the seat next to you.
Generally speaking, a cased gun in a vehicle is considered as being transported, not carried under open carry or concealed carry rules. If that transported gun is loaded, its a violation.
You can argue the point, and if you are found with a loaded cased gun in a vehicle you're very likely to make that argument in court.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy
Chances are, something broke inside.
This is the mechanism of an early 38 Military and Police before they had hammer blocks.
The two arrows at the bottom show how the hump on top of the rebound slide wedges the hammer back when the rebound slide moves forward, creating a space between the top of the hammer and the frame. This space is what keeps the firing pin back from a live cartridge under the hammer. It is also what allows the cylinder to be opened without the firing pin getting caught in the dent of a fired primer.
The red line across the narrow portion of the hammer indicates where the metal can fracture when a heavy blow is applied to the hammer spur. If a live round is under the hammer when this happens, the firing pin can then be driven forward with enough force to fire the cartridge.
The rebound slide is hollow. Another scenario is the top of the rebound slide, where the hump is, gets crushed, allowing the top of the hammer to drive forward and fire a cartridge.
Smith and Wesson has had three different designs of hammer blocks over the years. The present hammer block that Jim Watson has referred to is the design that was developed in 1944 after a sailor was killed when a S&W revolver fell to the deck of a warship. S&W is still using that style of hammer block today.
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Excellent pictures. Looks just like mine. Nothing's broken or bent, except the hammer spur right at the tip where it hit the concrete. I can't push the hammer hard enough to get the firing pin to protrude. I've completely disassembled the gun, and everything works as it should. My only idea at this time is that the rebound slide moved to the rear as a result of the impact allowing the hammer to move forward.
The Happy kaboomer
New member
Amp. 95% of your statements are conjur and personal opinion. There those that know the law and know better.
I was what you call an "official" person in my state as a deputy sheriff in the 1970s & 1980s. This was before AZ had a concealed carry law but I still didn't get "jacked up" about coming across someone with a loaded gun in their vehicle. If they told me about it, were cooperative, and didn't have an outstanding warrant, I dealt with the reason I stopped them (traffic) and told them to have a nice day.
Not everyone wearing a badge is a jack booted thug.
Dave
Blindstitch
New member
Does anyone know if he has a CCW? I can tell you I do. I'm halfway curious if the "soft case" is a cheap slip in holster without zipper. Or just used as a holster in the vehicle.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Yes, I suppose the rebound slide may have moved back, allowing the hammer to jump forward. Check to be sure it is not damaged or crushed. It should rock the hammer back when fully forward.
Did you try holding the thumbpiece back while trying to push the hammer forward? With the cylinder open, you have to hold the thumbpiece back in order to cycle the action and push the hammer all the way forward.
If something is damaged, if you cannot get the firing pin to protrude through the bushing in the frame, perhaps the firing pin is bent. If so, that should be an easy fix to replace the firing pin. It is fastened to the hammer with a rivet.
Moral of the story... Know your firearms and its features, don't assume.
As far as a loaded gun in a vehicle not on your person, that's not universal. In my state there is no legal prohibition on a loaded rifle, shotgun or handgun in a vehicle or on the person unless an LEO can establish at the time of contact that you intend to use it in an unlawful manner. (i.e., to commit a criminal act with the firearm.)
Our game and fish commission passed a rule many years ago prohibiting a loaded firearm in a vehicle in game lands. Our state supreme court shot that down.
As far as a loaded gun in a vehicle not on your person, that's not universal. In my state there is no legal prohibition on a loaded rifle, shotgun or handgun in a vehicle or on the person unless an LEO can establish at the time of contact that you intend to use it in an unlawful manner. (i.e., to commit a criminal act with the firearm.)
Our game and fish commission passed a rule many years ago prohibiting a loaded firearm in a vehicle in game lands. Our state supreme court shot that down.
shoebox1.1
New member
Dave thank you for your service brother. I carry my king cobra loaded in the glovebox everyday. It goes on my person before I go in wherever. I can’t “access it” on my waist seat-belted in. I am in the great state of TEXAS!!
Cheapshooter
New member
Evidently you think Missouri is in a different country.
Even before they passed permitless carry they had modified the CCW laws allowing carrying loaded weapons in a vehicle.
I did my basic training in Missouri. It is a "different country".
The point being missed is the legal difference between "carrying" and "transporting". The requirements are different.
Many places the difference hinges on whether or not the firearm is loaded, or could be loaded, or not. Some officers understand and make reasonable judgement calls, others "freak out" when there is a loaded weapon present. We always hope for the former, but could get the latter, so its prudent to know the law and comply with it.
Its quite simple, handgun or long gun, its the same, if you aren't carrying it, just unload it.
Cheapshooter
New member
Not missed in the slightest, just wrong. In my state it is completely legal to "transport" a loaded, or easily loaded gun in a vehicle, period. Whether you are carrying it on your person, or "transporting" it in a console, glove compartment, case, or cigar box under the seat!
Even in the Peoplles Republic of Illinois it is written in the law that a person with a CCW permit from another state can "transport" a loaded handgun in their vehicle.
Illinois
Missouri
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It's also completely legal in my state to carry a loaded gun of any kind in a car, either in plain sight or concealed. I will sometimes place the loaded handgun I'm carrying for the day in the center console compartment. A little easier and faster to get to in the event someone starts shooting at you while you're driving. Pretty unusual, but I had a case once where the BG wounded a random victim while driving down the road in an attempt to force him over in order to rob him.