Or to be more accurate, the Smith and Wesson .38 Perfected model.



Introduced in 1909, and surprisingly manufactured until 1920, this was Smith and Wesson's last top break revolver. Chambered in .38 S&W, its claim to fame is the latching mechanism. Instead of the simple latch at the top rear of the frame used on previous Smith and Wesson designs, it also incorporated the side mounted latch used on the swing out cylinder model of 1903.



The possibly apocryphal story behind the double latch design is that an East coast police officer (at the turn of the century, a .32 or .38 top break was actually considered a reasonable duty pistol for large metropolitan police departments) was holding a suspect at gun point and the guy managed to reach out and lift the latch on his pistol, dumping the rounds on the ground and allowing his escape.

Given that the Perfected model is actually Smith and Wessons swing out I frame modified with a hinge at the front of the frame, the use of the side mounted latch might have been simply due to it being easily incorporated into the design. A stronger overall latching might also have been seen as a good idea as smokeless powder cartridges became more prevalent.

In any case, the lockwork on the Perfected model mirrors that of the I frame, and really is "better" than that used on the earlier top break revolvers. Simpler, and more robust. It's a cool little revolver, and despite the finish issues, I was happy to get my hands on this one!

Bill R

I have one of these in .32 as well as a blued one with pearl grips. Cool little revolvers...never shot them though.

Looks pretty good IMO for being over a century old!

I actually have a half a box of .38 S&W, just haven’t had the chance to get this one out to the range yet.

I’m looking forward to giving it a try though.

Bill R

So....Do you have to use BOTH releases?

quote:

Originally posted by lechiffre:
So....Do you have to use BOTH releases?

Yup… push the “cylinder release” button forward while also lifting up on the stirrup latch at the top of the frame.

It’s not really as cumbersome as it sounds, just based on where your hands would be when trying to unload, but it’s definitely a unique way of getting it done!

Bill R

Hey, I inherited one of those from my maternal grandfather. He carried it on the farm while working the fields for years. When it landed on my desk, the cylinder was seized and the bore was filthy. I spent quite some time disassembling and cleaning years of farm dirt out of the parts. My grandfather kept it in his nightstand during his later years. Clearly hadn't fired it in decades. I thought about him as I cared for his gun and reassembled it. Works perfectly now. The finish is damaged generally and the bore is pitted so I don't fire it. It sits in my safe next to an old cap gun of mine from my childhood.

They made some Perfecteds without the side thumb piece. Most seem to have gone to Mexico but one turns up here occasionally.

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabi:
I have one of these in .32 as well as a blued one with pearl grips. Cool little revolvers...never shot them though.

I have not seen a .32 Perfected, please show pictures. Or do you have the regular .32 Double Action?

I want one. Used to carry one as a very young man.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Watson:
They made some Perfecteds without the side thumb piece. Most seem to have gone to Mexico but one turns up here occasionally.

quote:

Originally posted by Wasabi:
I have one of these in .32 as well as a blued one with pearl grips. Cool little revolvers...never shot them though.

I have not seen a .32 Perfected, please show pictures. Or do you have the regular .32 Double Action?

I'm going to have to dig them out of my man cave. I inherited them from my grandfather, both .32s but maybe neither are a 'Perfected'?..my mistake. My stainless one looks just like the one in the pic though.

Gorgeous revolver. I wish someone made a replica today.