"Could a cocked ACW revolver fire if dropped?" Topic

The pistol that fires when it hits the ground is a modern trope in fiction. I'm not a gun expert, but I assume that's a false concept with modern firearms, but would it have been a possible event in the 1860's?

Yes. Modern revolvers have a piece that moves into or out of place (two different methods) only when the trigger is pulled. Old west revolvers could fire even if an uncocked hammer was hit, if it was over a loaded chamber. This is why six-shooters were often only loaded with 5 rounds.

The cap and ball pistols of the ACW were a little different as you could rest the hammer in a spot in between the chambers and be safe (at least with the ones I am somewhat familiar with). But if it is cocked, the firing pin is lined up with the chamber/percussion cap and it could fire if it lands wrong.

YouTube link
has a number of videos on firearms including many from the ACW and Old West.

ACW revolvers didn't have firing pins, so they couldn't line up with anything.

Theoretically, I suppose the fall could cause a mechanical malfunction, which would result in the weapon being discharged. This is where you need to separate probable from possible.

…as you could rest the hammer in a spot in between the chambers and be safe…

The spring-loaded plate that slid into position in this "half-cock notch" in the hammer could be easily broken if the weapon was dropped on the hammer causing the weapon to fire.

This is the origin of the phrase "Going off half-cocked."

If a percussion cap struck something hard enough to ignite it, the round would fire, whether it was aligned with the barrel or not.

I've got two of these (in UK we are still allowed to shoot them following the handgun ban). My thoughts would be that yes they could fire I suppose, if something struck the percussion cap on a loaded chamber. Eg if some hard object struck one hard enough, or if the dropping caused a fully cocked hammer to fall on one, or drove a half cocked hammer onto one. But the first would be very unlucky, and latter two hopefully rather unlikely!

Yeah, but the nipples are so well protected by the cylinder, you have a better chance of winning the lottery than having a pistol fall in a way that the nipple is actually struck by another object with enough force to discharge.

79thPA I agree, the only opening is that left free to allow you to cap them. Hence very unlucky! A more likely result would be one or more of the caps coming loose, causing a misfire or jamming the cylinder.

Anyone who's been through an NRA gun safety course learns that dropped pistol can go off. In the end a cocked pistol or even a pistol with a safety is not full proof. It is a mechanical device that can fail. The odds are small, though.

Heck, even a condom or birth control pills aren't fool proof.

Both are important safety tips.

Colt, Remington and other percussion revolvers (originals, anyway) have heavy pins between the chambers at the rear of the cylinder. The hammer has a hole that matches the size of these pins and it could be carefully drawn back, then set onto one of these pins/studs. I can't imagine a blow strong enough to shear that and allow the hammer to travel over to a loaded chamber and fire the weapon.

It would also have to be a quite heavy blow to force a hammer from either full cock or half-cock and discharge the weapon.

Having said that, I have witnessed a percussion pistol dropped where the back of the hammer struck upon the edge of a stone or some such object, and the force was sufficient to cause the cap to fire and the round to discharge. BUT….. in that case, the hammer had not been placed on the safety pin/stud between the chambers and was resting directly upon the cap.

Another reason why safety and situational awareness is so important when around firearms.

From an article on the 1858 Remington (comparison with the 1860 Colt) -

A second lesser advantage was the special hammer groove ground into the cylinder in between each firing chamber on the cylinder. Not all Remington models had this but the large majority did. To use a Colt style revolver a shootist would normally load only 5 chambers of a 6 cylinder gun, this is because the hammer must rest upon a firing chamber of the weapon. If the revolver had all 6 cylinders loaded the hammer would rest upon a live cylinder, if the gun were dropped or fell upon its hammer the gun could fire. The Remington models had the extra notch for hammer placement. This allowed the gun to be fully loaded, all 6 cylinders and still have the hammer placed in between a firing chamber, by placing the hammer into the safety notch. If the gun were dropped the hammer would simply push deeper into the safety notch causing no problems. It is hard to say how definite an advantage this was when a war was being fought. With the enemy shooting at you presumably a soldier would load all 6 rounds no matter the safety issue. Around camp, while traveling and on horseback the extra safety notch would be a definite advantage. Please note there is a minor exception to the above. Some Colts (1860 3rd, Army, IIRC) did have small pins on the rear of the cylinder that fit into a small hole in the hammer for this same purpose. This was not as effective as the Remington system as the pins could be easily sheared off or the hole in the hammer get filled with crud (technical term meaning crud) and allow the cylinder to turn and bring a capped chamber under the hammer. (Thanks to Joseph Lovell for reminding me of this fact)

My .36 Navy Colt replica has the pins – as per the quote they are not as reassuring as the grooves/slots on my replica '58 Remington.

I haven't managed to drop either so I don't, however, have first hand evidence as to the relative merits of the two methods.

I can't tell you about an ACW pistol.

But a S&W model 10 will go right off, if dropped. I've seen it twice. Once when my partner shot himself in the foot.

There's even an award in the NYPD called the "Oh spit, I shot myself" Award.

You get to keep the award until the next poor soul becomes eligible. Bobby was lucky. About 6 hours after he won it, a detective in the Bronx shot himslf in the leg as he dropped his 5 shot pulling it from an ankle holster.

NYPD locker rooms are full of bullet holes.

Good times!