Thanks for the suggestion, Rodfac, didn't even think of that. But as you are well aware, most instruction manuals are also written by the lawyers for liablity.
So the manual is confusing in that it describes the transfer bar as a safety and prevents accidental discharge, but later as quoted states that the revolver can fire if dropped on the hammer and recommends carry with the hammer on an empty chamber. So it's unclear if this is because of their concerns about liability or if the gun is actually unsafe in that position, as it states early that the hammer cannot contact the primer unless the trigger is pulled?
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copied sections from the manual:
"the ham- mer is cocked. This means that unless the trigger is pulled, the lever does not rise. The transfer bar mechanism provides maximum security against accidental discharge. It is an automatic safety always active. It consists in a lever (part # 109) connected to the trigger (part # 108) that interposes between the hammer (part # 104) and the firing pin (part # 101). When this lever is not activated, therefore only in case of accidental discharge, the hammer cannot hit the firing pin. The gun remains dangerous and must be treated with extreme caution even in the presence of an automatic safety as that fitted on this Pietta revol- ver.
It is a safety system that prevents firing also in case of accidental drops or in the event of trigger breakage. In traditional single-action revol- vers the firing pin is directly linked to the hammer and it hits the car- tridge primer every time the hammer falls on the loaded chamber. With the transfer bar mechanism the firing pin is independent from the hammer and thanks to this lever it transfers the hammer percussion time on the firing pin.
WARNING: A FULLY LOADED UNCOCKED GUN, CAN FIRE!
WHEN THE HAMMER IS UNCOCKED, IT IS RESTING DIRECTLY ON THE CAR- TRIDGE WHEN FULLY LOADED. A BLOW TO THE HAMMER RESULTING FROM A FALL/DROPPING OF THE GUN CAN CAUSE THE GUN TO DISCHARGE. TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGES CAUSED BY A BLOW TO THE HAMMER: ALWAYS CARRY ALL REVOLVERS WITH THE HAMMER DOWN ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER.
Although the Single Action Revolvers are often referred to as "Six- shooters" it was customary in the Old West to only load five rounds in the gun and leave the chamber under the hammer empty. This is by far the safest way to load a single action revolver.
