The introduction of S&W's first large frame Break Top Double Action was in 1881, and was called the Double Action 1st Model, or New Model Navy.
This revolver was chambered in .44 Russian - a popular cartridge of the time, but the .44 WCF (.44-40) was leading that race, and the popular Winchester '73 was in wide use in the American West, so being able to pair up compatible calibers was seen as sound marketing strategy.
In an effort to capitalize on this happy idea, Smith & Wesson re-tooled, and came out with the Double Action Frontier in 1886 - chambered in .44-40, and is basically the same revolver except for a longer frame and a cylinder of 1-9/16" length.
They have their own serial number range - and topped off production with 15,340 of these revolvers - and though they were catalogued until 1912, all frames were produced prior to 1899 - making them antiques - a handy thing to know...
'Double-Action' was an idea that seemed to work well enough with pocket revolvers, but there was some hesitancy in accepting it in a large-bore version. Earlier attempts such as the Starr and Cooper were somewhat ungainly and weak by comparison, so for the most part the rugged single-action reigned supreme in the U.S. when it came to real working guns.
Unlike early Colt efforts of the 1870's, S&W's double-action mechanisms were the match of many Continental designs. In fact, some of the lockwork was pirated by Spanish gunmakers, among others, and sold to civilians and the military - but then, counterfeiting firearms was an art form in Spain and Belgium, so it was almost a given that any successful design would be copied.
Frontiers featured the familiar S&W topbreak ejection system.
They could be fired double-action or thumb cocked, though there was no safety position and the hammer did not rebound after the trigger was released, creating a potentially unsafe situation if the gun were dropped or roughly handled.
Lockup was effected by a pair of lugs that fit into tandem notches on the cylinder. When the trigger was pulled and the cylinder rotated, the rear lug locked into the rear notch, and when the trigger was relaxed, the front lug came into play, securing the cylinder by the front notch. As the trigger was pulled for the next shot, both lugs dropped enough to allow the cylinder to rotate smoothly—all in all a well-thought-out setup.
Incidentally - the term "Model 3" refers to the largest frame size used by S&W to produce their full sized top-break cartridge revolvers.
In 1878, S&W discontinued it's other Model 3 variations in favor of a much improved design which they called the New Model Number Three, and in just a short few years, a double action model was introduced, known as, logically enough, the .44 D.A. In all it's variations, the Model 3 was the most produced and most copied large frame cartridge revolver model of the 1870-1898 era.
The New Model Number 3 was arguably the pinnacle of 19th century revolver design.
During the era their accuracy was such that they were used to set most of the target records of the time.
I've often said that one needs reference books and that 'treasures abound' and that 'Hope Springs Eternal'...
You'll find more of those true treasures when you know 'more' - and that's what just led to my finding a tight-as-a-drum, nickle-plated S&W DA .44-40 Frontier with a 5" barrel, hard rubber grips and a four-digit serial number, indicating 1886 production.
Incidentally - S&Ws are serial-numbered on the butt, the latch and the cylinder - and written inside the grip panels - so use a 'good' flashlight and/or strong sunlight, and many things may be illuminated.
NCOWS allows these, too...
Vaya,
Scouts Out!
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