I have some questions for people experienced with single action revolvers. If you pull back the hammer without cocking it and release it while holding the trigger back, will it go off (assuming it was loaded of course)? I think it would because it would be like fanning the gun. If so, would it still go off if it had a transfer bar system? If you hold the hammer back nearly all the way and release it while not touching the trigger, would it fire if there was no transfer bar? Thanks for your help.
First generation single action revolvers lack hammer bar safety systems or other forms of firing pin blocks. This going off from half cock was why those were designed in the first place. I have a 1965 colt replica and it will go off 8 or ten times when the hammer is pulled to just as the half cock sear is reached and let go. This means if you pull the hammer back expecting to get half cock but don’t full seat it and let go and the hammer falls back down it absolutely will.set the round in the chamber off. People.often ask why half.cock then? You have to go to half cock to release the cylinder to freely rotate under the feed door with these era revolvers. Once you feed in rounds you then go to full cock to fire or very gently while holding the hammer pull the trigger and guide the hammer back down to it’s unlocked resting place. This now leaves a live round under that hammer with no safety between it and the hammer if you pull that hammer back to anything under half cock locked on th at sear and let it go that hammer will swing back down on that live round usually resulting in bad news.