Schofields... safe?

T

Tokarev Czar

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I was looking to purchase a Schofield for around $800... it may have been a cimarron... I love how it feels in my hand. But I was told to load it with 5 and leave the hammer on the empty chamber for safety reasons... it really turned me off. Is this true? I want 6 shots, not 5.
 
Others with more time on their hands will step in, I'm sure, but loading five in a six shooter is a common practice in single action revolvers that don't have a firing pin block.

Think about what could happen with nothing to stop the firing pin from hitting the primer if the gun were dropped on the hammer.
 
Depends if you are going to carry it or only use it at the range.
For range use, load it any way you like.
The only time the empty chamber will be under the hammer is for the first shot, anyway.
For carry, better safe than sorry.
If you need more rounds, quickly, carry two.
What was good enough for Wild Bill...........
 
No its not true. The Itailan No-3 copy guns have a hammer block so its safe to load 6 and carry it that way. Totaly the same set up as a new 629 where the bar slides up and rests on the frame so the hammer is blocked by steel. What you do not want to do is carry it with the hammer down as then the hammer point will be on a primer so just pull it back one click and set the hammer block.
 
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If you are going to load it and then immediately shoot it, you may as well load up all 6.

If you are going to carry the firearm anywhere while loaded, it's probably safest to leave the hammer on an empty chamber.

The problem is that all revolvers of this era with the hammer down the hammer face is resting on the nipple (or cap, if the chamber is loaded). Since the hammer spur is exposed, if the spur is hit, such as by dropping the firearm, then the hammer can strike the primer and make the gun go off.

Some revolvers have pins in between the cylinders that engage a notch in the hammer face. This allows you to carry the firearm with the hammer down on a pin in between chambers, minimizing the chance that the cylinder can turn under the hammer and allow a cap to get under the lowered hammer.

Steve
 
Well, you never know when you’ll go to your Wife's Christmas Party and need to shoot it out with Foreign Mercenaries! Or understand that 'Die Hard' was just a movie. I've been in 6 shootings at work and never fired more than 4 rounds in any of'm. Put a few rounds in your pocket if it’ll make you feel better.
 
I had a Cimarron (ASM) Schofield, bought on claims that it was better than the Navy/Uberti. Wrong. A friend got one at the same time. Actually we had three between us to get two that would shoot at all. Those two did not shoot well. I understand they went clear back to Italy with no resolution. Cimarron gave us our money back. I spent mine on a Model P. The fiasco nearly broke Cimarron.

If you just must, insist on an extensive testfire before you pay.
 
Somewhere around 2000-2002.
Cimarron bought tooling for ASM & contracted with them to build the guns.
There were problems with the latches on early ASM Schofields, Cimarron tried to get them resolved, the project bogged down, production & import was dropped.
I had one of the later ASM guns, had a local gunsmith do some minor tweaking internally & it ran fine.
Denis
 
ASM

Armi San Marco has been at the bottom of the Italian made guns for years.
They build guns that will pass a outside inspection but the inside parts are very poor.
The 1874 Sharps they built will break it's firing pins on the first or second shot.
The other makers and this is a grape vine story all got together and visited with them. They even stated they would help them to produce better parts and bring the quality of the guns up to the same quality level as Pedersoli, Uberti and Pietta. They refused.
A very good friend of mine saw my Sharps by Pedersoli and wanted one for his son for Christmas. He called me and said he could not find one but did find one by ASM. I advised him to wait and order the rifle like mine. He purchased the gun anyways and on the second shot the firing pin broke.
He took the gun back and ordered the Pedersoli which has now fired hundreds of rounds with out a problem.
 
Armi San Marco has been out of business for several years now.
If you're talking new production, it's not ASM.
At the time they went under they were owned by the old American Western Arms third owners.
Denis
 
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