Friday, January 3, 2025

The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless -- Lemon Squeezer


I made the mistake of thinking one of my readers said that I called "The Protector Palm Pistol of 1882" a "lemon squeezer." I said he should really re-read that post. I didn't realize his comment was meant for a previous comment and not for me. So yes, I apologize for taking your comment wrong. 

I did not call the Protector Palm Pistol a "lemon squeezer" because it wasn't called a "lemon squeezer." The pistol that became commonly known as a "lemon squeezer' was a Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless revolver which I'll talk about in a minute.

As stated in the post, "The Protector Palm Pistol of 1882", its official name is "The Minneapolis Firearms Co. Protector Squeezer Type Palm Pistol." It is also known as "The Protector Squeezer Type Palm Pistol," "The Protector Palm Pistol," "The Protector," or simply the "Palm Pistol."


The small palm pistol was fired by "squeezing" or "mashing" the lever trigger built into the back of the rotary turret. The action type of that little pistol is referred to as a "turret revolver," but does not use a traditional trigger. Instead, the cartridges are fired by the shooter "squeezing" their fist while the gun is held clasped in the hand. This mashes the lever trigger and fires the pistol.

The usual way of holding the "Palm Pistol" is with the barrel protruding from between the shooter’s fingers. The action is operated by squeezing the hinged lever on the rear of the gun’s circular frame. But that has nothing to do with the pistol known as a "Lemon Squeezer," which is a Smith & Wesson top-break revolver. 

The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless -- Lemon Squeezer -- 3-inch Barrel

The pistol known as a "lemon squeezer" is commonly known as the Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless revolver. It is a small double-action revolver that was produced from 1887 to 1940. The first model was manufactured from 1887 to 1902. Improvements were made with the Second Model, Third Model, Fourth Model, and Fifth Models, and it was a good-selling pistol until just before World War II. It is chambered in .32 S&W and .38 S&W calibers. 

The small hammerless double-action Smith & Wesson Lemon Squeezer, known as the Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless, was officially designated "The New Departure." It has an internal hammer and external grip safety on its grip's backstrap that has to be squeezed to be fired. It was "nicknamed" the "Lemon Squeezer" by owners because of the grip safety built into its backstrap. 

Lemon squeezer utensils of different sorts were commonly found in kitchens across America. They are general-purpose citrus squeezers that are ideal for squeezing lemons, limes, and even small oranges. The easy-to-use hand operation of the squeezer makes it easy to draw juice from a lemon. The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless revolver's grip safety has to be squeezed firmly to fire the pistol. Thus the nickname, "lemon squeezer."

The "lemon squeezer" is based on the Smith & Wesson Model 2 double-action design. It is a top-break revolver designed for fast reloading and ease of concealable carry. Its internal hammer means no snags when drawing the revolver from a coat or trouser pocket. This made it very popular and extremely convenient to carry. It was designed for personal protection. 

The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless pistols were originally known as "The New Departure" revolvers. Why? Well, in 1887, when Smith & Wesson introduced "The New Departure," they called it  "The New Departure" because of Smith & Wesson's new internal hammer design and grip safety. Pardon the pun, their additions were a "departure" from the norm.  

As for concealed hammer revolvers, hammerless revolvers, revolvers with hammers built in the frame? From what read, the concept had been around a while -- especially among some British gunmakers. What was really a standout feature was the grip safety. The grip safety was considered ingenious. And from what I've read, it was supposedly the work of Daniel B. Wesson himself.

As for concealed internal hammers, hammerless revolvers, among American gunmakers? Well, it sounds as though the Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless "New Departure" Lemon Squeezer was a first in the United States. But that doesn't mean Smith & Wesson were the only makers of revolvers with internal hammers. By the late 1890s, there were others getting into the hammerless small-frame revolver game. Some of those names were very big gun manufacturers in their day. I'm talking about Harrington & Richards, Iver Johnson, Hopkins & Allen, and Forehand & Wadsworth for example. Most of these firms gave Smith & Wesson some competition at one point or another.

The Smith & Wesson "Lemon Squeezer" was considered a very popular concealed carry and it was also considered a great hide-out backup gun for law enforcement officers. Some sources say it was carried as a backup gun by some law enforcement officers well into the 1970s. And frankly, while I find that hard to believe since there were already so many other options for backup pistols by the 1950s, that sentiment is probably due to the popularity of Smith & Wesson's Bicycle Revolvers

The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless "Lemon Squeezer" was produced with 2-inch, 3-inch, or 3.5-inch barrels. The Lemon Squeezer version with the short 2-inch barrels was known as the Smith & Wesson Bicycle Revolvers. The 2-­inch barrel version was called "Bicycle Revolver" because it could be put into one's pocket and remained unnoticeable while out peddling around on a bicycle. And yes, Smith & Wesson would take special orders if you wanted to buy one with a 1.5-inch barrel.

All in all, Smith & Wesson produced eight models of their Safety Hammerless revolvers. Three models were cambered for the .32 S&W, while five models were chambered for the .38 S&W. They were all with internal hammers with a grip safety, five-­round capacity cylinders, ejected their spent casings, were available with blue or nickel finish, and they came with either black hard rubber or pearl grips. 

Here's something else, the Smith & Wesson "Lemon Squeezer" that I own is in .32 S&W. It was given to me by my father-in-law when we got into Cowboy Action Shooting. And yes, in case you're wondering, it's a nice little shooter. My father-in-law, a man who was a real gun expert, once told me that the first models of Lemon Squeezers were made between 1888 to 1902.  Mine has a push-down barrel latch. The later models required the latch to be pulled up. 

Around 240,000 of the .32 caliber Safety Hammerless Revolvers were produced in total. The most common barrel lengths were the 3-inch and 3.5-inch barrels. The 1.5-inch and 2-­inch barrel "Bicycle Revolvers" were available but were mostly special order items. It's said the shorter barrel "Bicycle Revolvers" were usually bought for storekeepers who wanted to keep a pistol in their pocket, for law enforcement, bankers, gamblers, pimps, prostitutes, and others who wanted to carry a hide-out gun. 

The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless -- Lemon Squeezer -- Bicycle Revolver

There is a reason that I said that there were other options for law enforcement backup pistols by the 1950s. One reason has to do with how top-break revolvers made way for solid-frame swing-out cylinder J-frame Smith & Wesson models. Smith & Wesson J-frame revolvers are snub-nose revolvers that incorporate the "Bicycle Revolver" concept. And while snub-nose revolvers with hammers were plentiful for many years, it wasn't until the early 1950s that Smith & Wesson applied its safety hammerless concept to a J-frame revolver. 

The result was the Smith & Wesson Centennial Model 40 revolver. It came about in 1952 on the 100th anniversary of the founding of Smith & Wesson.

Smith & Wesson Centennial Model 40

Since the hammer was completely concealed, it was a double-action-only handgun. It was produced until 1974 and came in .38 Special. The Model 40 was a double-action-only revolver that featured a fully concealed hammer and still incorporated a grip safety. As far as I can tell looking at Smith & Wesson's line of revolvers, none today incorporate a grip safety in its design. 

Tom Correa


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