The Smith & Wesson Lemon Squeezer or the "Safety Hammerless" is a double action revolver that was produced in the late 1880s by Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...

. The revolver

Revolver

A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...

 was chambered in .32 S&W

.32 S&W

The .32 S&W cartridge was introduced in 1878 for the Smith & Wesson model 1½ revolver. It was originally designed as a black powder cartridge.The .32 S&W was offered to the public as a light, defense cartridge, for "card table" distances....

 and .38 S&W

.38 S&W

The .38 S&W is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1877. Though similar in name, it is not interchangeable with the later .38 Smith and Wesson Special due to a different case shape and slightly larger bullet diameter....

 calibers; these calibers were discontinued just before World War 2. The gun went through a few changes until 1952, when the safety hammerless concept was applied to Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...

's J-frame. The finished product became the Model 40 and 42 chambered in .38 Special

.38 Special

The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...

. The gun is known as the Centennial as it was produced in the 100th anniversary of the founding of Smith & Wesson.

32 and 38 Safety Hammerless models

The Smith & Wesson 38 Safety Hammerless models were produced from 1887 (1888 for the 32) to just before World War 2. They were chambered in either .32 S&W

.32 S&W

The .32 S&W cartridge was introduced in 1878 for the Smith & Wesson model 1½ revolver. It was originally designed as a black powder cartridge.The .32 S&W was offered to the public as a light, defense cartridge, for "card table" distances....

 or .38 S&W

.38 S&W

The .38 S&W is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1877. Though similar in name, it is not interchangeable with the later .38 Smith and Wesson Special due to a different case shape and slightly larger bullet diameter....

 with a five-shot cylinder. They were produced with a 2-inch, 3-inch, and 3.5-inch barrels. They were top-break revolvers designed for fast reloading and were named "The New Departure". Minor design changes were made to these pistols over the years, resulting in several different design models, as termed by collectors. The first model was manufactured between 1887-1902. The 38 was based on S&W's medium "Number 2" frame, while the 32 was based on the small "1½" frame.

Model 40

The Model 40 originally came out in 1952 as the Centennial and was changed to the Model 40 in 1957. The Model 40 is chambered in .38 special and has a five-round capacity. It is a snub-nose revolver with a 1 7/8-inch barrel. It is built on Smith & Wesson's J-frame and weighs 21 oz. empty. The revolver was made with a grip safety as some shooters could not get used to the idea of firing a revolver without cocking the hammer. Smith and Wesson reintroduced this model in 2007 as a collector's piece with some models featuring a case hardened

Case hardening

Case hardening or surface hardening is the process of hardening the surface of a metal, often a low carbon steel, by infusing elements into the material's surface, forming a thin layer of a harder alloy...

finish by Doug Turnbull.

Model 42

The Model 42 came out in 1952 as the Airweight Centennial but was changed in 1957 to the Model 42. The gun was the same design as the Model 40 except it was made of an alloyed steel, resulting in a lower weight than the Model 40. The Model 42 was discontinued in 1974.