![]() Actual lemon squeezer (Courtesy )Īfter close inspection, I doubt whether this specimen has ever been fired. ![]() The reason the Safety Hammerless is called the lemon squeezer is because of its general resemblance to the kitchen tool when broken open. ![]() Not to sound all Shannon-esque, but apparently children accidentally shooting others was a problem back in the day. The grip safety on this beauty is pretty stiff. In doing some reading on this beauty, I found that it was designed this way so that a child couldn’t accidentally pick it up and shoot it. ![]() JMB had a good idea including a grip safety on the venerable 1911, but it was preceded by a few years. It’s not that slightly raised hump to the right of the Smith & Wesson medallion ensconced in the stunning mother of pearl grips. The Safety Hammerless is also know as the lemon squeezer. The 38 was based on S&W’s medium frame, while the 32 was based on the smaller sized “1½” frame. The first model was manufactured between 1887-1902. Minor design changes were made to these revolvers over the years, resulting in several different design models, as termed by collectors. They were known as “The New Departure” to reflect the company’s new approach to designing revolvers. These top-break revolvers were designed for fast reloading and concealed carry as the hammer was internal and would not snag on drawing the revolver from a pocket. They were most often produced with a 2-inch, 3-inch, or 3.5-inch barrels but some 6″ barrelled versions are known to exist. 38 Safety Hammerless models were produced from 1887 (1888 for the 32) to just before World War II. As best as I can tell by serial number, this beautiful Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless was made around 1899. ![]() If you look closely, you can see two of my grimy mitt prints on this museum piece. ![]()
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