I have been somewhat taken with the top break S&Ws since I first got the Navy Arms .44-40 for a CC article in 1996. since then I have owned and original first Model Russian (American Grip), two original 2nd and 3rd Model Russians, and have had half a dozen Uberti Schofields and No. 3 Russians (mostly for short time as article guns.) Of my 25 years in CAS, probably half a dozen, a Uberti No. 3 was one of my pair of pistols.
The top break S&W was a remarkable weapon for the time. With its speed of reloading, it was much like the "Wonder Nines" compared to standard police issue revolvers in the 1980s and 1990s. Back when I was a Civil War Cavalry re-enactor (2002 to 2010), i tried loading a 1873 Colt SAA and an 1875 Schofield on horseback. I rode a standard McClellan cavalry saddle. I loaded them both sitting still on the horse, at a walk, and also at a trot. There was NO comparison!
With me holding reins and revolver in the left hand and loading with the right from a pistol cartridge pouch on the belt. Sitting still on the horse, the 1873 was not too bad, but the 1875 was easier. At a walk on the horse, unloading was a little more difficult than standing still, and I dropped rounds trying to load the 1873. With the 1875 - unloading was still easy, and loading was still fairly easy. At a trot, I was unable to reload the 1873, as unloading was almost impossible. I was able to easily unload the 1875, and also able to load the 1875 (though did drop a few round at the trot).
The unloading and loading speed of the No. 3 was its strong point. Contrary to what one would think from watching a SASS match, 99.9% of the time, folks out West only carried one pistol. Even at the gunfight at the OK Corral, the combatants were all only armed with a single pistol. I imagine there were times when someone expecting a "super-sized helping" of trouble might stick a second revolver inside their belt. By and large, if you used more than 5 or 6 bullets, you had to reload.
The list of S&W No. 3 shooters (at one time or another) is impressive: Jessie James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Billy the Kid, Texas Jack Omuhandru, John Wesley Hardin, Dallas Stoudenmire, Virgil Earp, Theodore Roosevelt, Pat Garret, Bob Ford, and on and on. In numbers sold, the Smith & Wesson big bore top breaks were second only to the Colt Single Action.