Hammerless

Example of a hammerless revolver, the Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless
Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless advertisement from 1899, as published in Harper's Magazine
A page of the 1976 Smith & Wesson catalog, detailing the Models 36, 37, 38, 48, and 49. A hammerless Smith & Wesson revolver is located in the middle

A hammerless firearm is a firearm that lacks an exposed hammer or hammer spur. Although it may not literally lack a hammer, it lacks an external hammer that the user can manipulate directly. One of the disadvantages of an exposed hammer spur is the tendency for it to get caught on items such as clothing; covering (shrouding or bobbing) the hammer by removing the hammer spur reduces this from occurring.