Iver Johnson

Iver Johnson nomenclature refers to its top-break revolvers as Safety Automatics. The term "Safety Automatic" refers to Iver Johnson's Hammer-the-Hammer transfer bar safety system ("safety") and the automatic ejection of cartridges upon breaking open the revolvers ("automatic"). The firm marketed its firearms as being both for personal safety and home protection, and was dubbed 'armourer to the nation's bedrooms'. It sold perhaps four to six million of its handguns, at a cost of around $6 per unit in 1905 (equivalent to $161 in 2025).

Lovell Swift Hammer & Hammerless

The Lovell Swift Hammer & Hammerless was a double action 5-shot.38 caliber top-break revolver made from by Iver Johnson 1890 to 1894 and distributed by John P. Lovell Arms Company of Boston, Massachusetts. It had a nickel finish and was the first Iver Johnson to use the owl's head logo on the grips. In appearance, the Swift model resembles the Safety Automatic Revolver that was introduced in 1894. Some differences include the latch for unlocking the frame pulls down rather than up, the ejector is different, and the Swift model does not have the "hammer the hammer action" of later models. The gun fired a.38 S&W black powder cartridge, and is not safe to shoot with modern smokeless powder cartridges. The hammerless model differed from the hammer model in that it did not have an external hammer protruding from the gun, and it had the addition of a manual safety on the trigger. This feature required the user to place a finger squarely on the trigger to fire the gun. It has the word "Swift" engraved on the top of the gun, and the serial number is stamped under the left grip panel.

Safety automatic

Standard models with external hammer:

First Model (1894–1895), single post latch system