This gun was often called The Lemon Squeezer because it had a grip safety on the back strap. Smith and Wesson introduced the Safety Hammerless. One might jump to the conclusion that the hammerless design is a new thing brought about by our litigious society, but in fact, the hammerless design is quite old. Jim Supica, author of The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, said of the 642 that it was possibly the finest pocket revolver ever made. It is a smooth, snag-free design which makes it ideal for pocket carry. It is often called hammerless which is a misnomer of sorts because it actually does have a hammer its just completely enclosed within the frame, making the revolver double action only (DAO). In 2006, the best selling firearm offered by Smith & Wesson was the Model 642, the Airweight version of the 640. The Smith & Wesson Model 640 Centennial is easily the most recommended variant of the J-frame line if the Internet counts for anything in gun selection. With that said, other kinds of safeties do the job just as well, making a lemon squeezer something of a sour tasting gun design in our view.Smith & Wesson Models 40, 42, 640, 940, 442, 642, 340Sc, 342Ti and 340PD It’s a design that dates back to the late 19th century, though it does come up from time to time even today. While these do make a firearm exceptionally hard to discharge on accident, they can also make the ergonomics of a handgun much more awkward. ConclusionĪ Lemon Squeeze safety is, basically, an old synonym for a grip safety and refers specifically to the Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless revolver. With that said, it is technically possible on some old 1911 models to make them fire by striking the hammer of the gun with extreme and pointed force, in which case the thumb safety and the grip safety would be defeated. Most people who carry designs with thumb safeties trust that safety to the extent that they will sometimes have the included grip safeties included. Those found on the 1911, for example, make the gun both drop safe and quick to bring to firing order if the need arises. It’s a similar story with a modern thumb safety. Internal safeties are likely just as, if not more, drop safe than a lemon squeeze type of grip safety, though, yes, it might be easier to have a negligent discharge with an internal safety. Firearms design, especially triggers, strikers, and safeties have come a long way since the 1870s. You could, but should not, drop a Glock down a flight of stairs with a round in the chamber and it will not go off. Internal safeties, such as those found on Glocks, are typically very safe. What you’re likely to find today are one of two kinds: internal safeties and thumb safeties. These days, grip safeties are not terribly common. If you happen to have one of those old Smith and Wesson revolvers we mentioned earlier, shooting it with modern ammunition is likely deeply unsafe, as the black powder that would have been used a century ago generated much lower pressures than contemporary smokeless powder. Are Lemon Squeeze Firearms Safe?įirearms with any kind of grip safety are some of the safest in terms of the sheer number of steps it takes to make the firearm discharge. There are other examples of lemon squeeze pistols as well but it is a relatively uncommon design choice since it seems to hurt the ergonomics of the pistols a fair bit. It’s unusual, and most report it to be an uncomfortable pistol to shoot because of it. This grip both cocks the pistol and acts as a safety, so it has to be held tightly to make the pistol function. This modern, polymer-framed pistol looks a lot like every other gun on the market today, except for the grip safety mounted on the front side of the grip rather than the rear. More recently, HK developed and produced their P7 in the 1970s. Though it was never a massively popular design, they were marketed mostly as concealed carry handguns that could be reloaded quickly and were later sold as the Model 40 or 42 in the mid-20th-century in. The design requires the shooter to squeeze the grip of the revolver to activate the heavy double-action revolver. The Smith and Wesson Safety Hammerless (or “Lemon Squeezer”) is a small, top-break revolver and was sold from 1887 to 1940 in both. In effect, a lemon squeeze is the same thing as a grip safety. These first designs also predate the advent of smokeless powder, which we’ll get back to in a little bit. The design itself, then, is one that was part of the early era of modern firearms and predates the period in which even semi-automatic pistols were commercially viable. The S&W Safety Hammerless came out in 1873 and was discontinued in 1940 at the start of World War II. One of the major reasons you probably haven’t heard a grip safety referred to as a lemon squeeze safety is that it’s an old term. Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless with a “Lemon Squeeze” safety
2 Comments
|