This was widely practice with the single action guns of the mid to late 1800s like the Peacemaker and the cap and ball revolvers that preceded them, even though there is a halfcock position which kept the hammer form striking the primer under most conditions.
The trouble with the half-cocked position is the cylinder is unlocked and can move - thus potentially rolling onto either a spent shell, an empty chamber or another live chamber.
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My comment was in reference to the hammer being able to hit a primer on a fully loaded revolver vs. one carried with an empty chamber under the hammer so a spent cartridge or empty chamber would not be a possibility. My apologies if I did not make that clear.
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The trouble with the half-cocked position is the cylinder is unlocked and can move - thus potentially rolling onto either a spent shell, an empty chamber or another live chamber.
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