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Smith & Wesson 38 & 32 Double-Action Handguns (1880)

Smith & Wesson was the original designer af a double-action (later termed "self-cocking") handgun (revolver) in 1872 a deviation of Model 3 presented to the Russian government. But commercial opening of a Smith & Wesson Double Action did not come until 1880. This did not happen until Double Action handguns from Colt and Forehand & Wadsworth had established the market in the form of a series of small-frame, 18-ounce, five-shot top-break .38 Smith & Wesson and .32 S&W handguns (revolvers). These pocket-size Double Action .38s and .32s were among the most admired handguns Smith & Wesson has ever built. Nearly a were sold before their production was suspended in 1919.

Furthermore, the Safety Hammerless versions of the very same handguns are amongst the least changed and yet among the most significant handguns Smith & Wesson have ever manufactured. Marketed from 1886 until 1940, they were the first revolvers to have hammers completely enclosed within the frame and were incapable of fire except by a long pull on the trigger. It made Smith & Wesson handguns to be what is today frequently called as "Double Action Only"- later, the term "New Departure" was introduced by Smith & Wesson. In addition the so called "hesitation" was introduced into the trigger pull to permit the shooter to stage for a accurately aimed shot and a grasp safety in the backstrap that required a firm grip on the butt to discourage an internal hammer block before the trigger would work. A new feature that was introduced a bit later, appeared once more in Smith & Wesson's side-swing small-frame .38 Special Centennial models from 1952 until 1974.

The Safety Hammerless models are reputed to have been developed after D.B. Wesson heard that a child had been injured by cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger of a conventional revolver. He worked with his designer son Joseph to make a gun that would have an adult-grip compression safety on the handle and require a trigger pull too strong for a child to pull through. Apocryphal or no, the Safety Hammerless series clearly shows that S&W's concern for child-related safety long predates today's political correctness.