[supercat]

Having owned, carried and shot replicas of all of the above cap-n-ball revolvers I can say that the Remington was of superior design, and indeed was the forerunner of all modern revolvers including the famous Colt .45 "Peacemaker" first introduced in 1873.

If the feature existed so long ago, why didn't it become universal for revolvers (at least those without transfer-bar or other such trigger safeties)? Is there any downside to it? To be sure, once such a firearm is cocked, care must be taken when decocking to re-rotate the cylinder so that the hammer lies between chambers, but such a level of care would be no less necessary on a five-loaded six-shooter. So any idea why the feature isn't universal?

[Inyo-Mono]

Good question. Those large caliber .44 revolvers were mainly designed for the cavalry and were carried into combat fully loaded, i.e., all six chambers, on by horseback which increased the chance of a weapon falling to the ground and discharging. Thus the notches in the cylinder provided some margin of safety.

Nonetheless, when Civil War veterans went West after the war, the vast majority purchased these .44s for their stopping power against Indians and thieves and it was common knowledge at the time that the only safe carry was the hammer on an empty chamber, a practice which all gun manufacturers recommend to this today.