[BILLY D.]

Originally posted by BILLY D.
gunslinger

welcome to the board.

first, are you talking a genuine s&w top break or a reproduction? i am not an authority on such matters, but i do know a little about them.

they were favorites of horse soldiers ie:cavalry, hence why the russians liked them so well. s&w produced a lot of pistols for them. which was a big thing for them because they were still smarting over the fact the u.s. army chose the peacemaker over the s&w. colts was accused of some undertable dealings in this matter. many u.s. cavalry officers favored the s&w top break because of easier reloading over the peacemaker. but we both know a bout politics and military procurement.

as far as performance, i would have to say they are on par or very close to the 45acp. one thing the top breaks were, was they did not have an abundance of strength. they worked fine with the cartridges they were designed for.

one thing about the s&w russian. the shape of the trigger guard. there was an extension to act as part of the grip. i have shot one and after doing so i would rate it very comfortable and aiding accuracy, it takes some getting used to though, which most 44's are to begin with. ever hear the term inherent accuracy?

i love the s&w top breaks. i think they are one of the most beautiful firearm designs ever. i have a s&w model 3 schofield, uberti reproduction, and it is my favorite pistol.

it's no 44 mag or casull, but it gets the job done as witnessed on the battle fields of europe and the american interior by all the dead bodies.

the felt recoil is negligeable. the design of the pistol was such that when the shot went off the pistol rolled with your hand, kind of a natural thing which made cocking for the next shot a natural action on the part of the shootist. the russians were not in love with this concept and the czar ordered the extension on the trigger guard.

thats all i can tell you about that. a pro will probably have some more answers for you in a later post.

good luck.

it has been reported that custer was armed with a schofield at the little big horn. also i thought he was an egotistic idiot and he is not the type of cammander you want to go into combat with. my opinion.