Massachusetts natives Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson, famous for their revolver designs, are also known for having developed the first practical American-made selfcontained metallic cartridge, the.22 rimfire short. Both men were experienced in the design and manufacture of firearms, and in 1852, they formed a partnership for the purpose of manufacturing magazinetype arms. Their Norwich, Connecticut factory produced the iron-frame leveraction Volcanic pistol, patented in 1854, which was a direct predecessor to the Henry and Winchester lever-action rifles that became famous during the Civil War and post-war periods. The Volcanic was a lever-action pistol that featured a front-loading tubular magazine located under the barrel. This gun used a unique type of ammunition that consisted of a hollow-base conical bullet containing propellant and backed by a primer disc. In 1855, sold their interest to the newly-organized Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. The firm's manufacturing facilities moved to New Haven, with Smith serving as plant manager for the new company, and Wesson working as plant Volcanic Lever Action Pistol superintendent. Soon, however, both men left Volcanic and returned to Springfield, Massachusetts, Horace Smith's hometown. In 1857, Volcanic went into receivership. The firms assets were purchased by Oliver Winchester, a Volcanic stockholder, and was reorganized as the New Haven Arms Company. Production was discontinued entirely in 1860, but the company survived, and by 1866 it became known as Winchester Repeating Arms Co. In November 1856, Smith and Wesson formed a second partnership to develop and manufacture a revolver that chambered metallic cartridges. Wesson had continued earlier experiments intended R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 1 Last updated: 27/05/2013
to produce a self-contained metallic cartridge, and by August, 1856, he had completed a wooden model of a pistol designed to chamber a rimfire cartridge. Wesson soon discovered that a key feature of his design, a revolving cylinder that was bored to a constant diameter from end to end, had already been patented by Rollin White, a former employee of Samuel Colt. Smith and Wesson entered into an exclusive license to use White's patent in the manufacture of their revolver. White was to receive royalties of 25 cents per gun produced until the expiration of his patent in 1872. During 's first year of production, White saw a meagre $1 in compensation, but this was soon to change. By 1858, 's production of both revolvers and ammunition was increasing, and would soon outgrow their original manufacturing facilities. In 1860, the partners completed a new building that would allow continued expansion. Eventually, would sell their interests in ammunition manufacturing, but the production of revolvers would continue. Wesson's original design, the seven-shot Model No. 1 First Issue Revolver, was manufactured between 1857 and 1860. This model, with modifications, continued in production as the Model No. 1 Second Issue and Model No. 1 Third Issue Revolvers, with nearly 260,000 of all three variants produced before discontinuation in 1881. Model 1 First Issue By this time, the firm's product line, payroll, and output had increased dramatically. Revolvers chambered for.32,.38, and.44 calibre cartridges supplemented the original.22s, and the firm employed about 500 workers and produced 400 revolvers per day. Smith & Wesson had become dominant in the manufacture of revolvers, and the company's products were sold around the world. In July, 1873, Horace Smith retired after selling his interest in the company to D. B. Wesson. By Cased Model No. 2 Type III Army Revolver Serial No. 6297: a.32 caliber, 6-inch barrel with silver-plated finish and elephant ivory grips, complete with rose velour-lined partitioned walnut case 1880, Daniel's three sons, Walter H., Frank L., and Joseph H. Wesson, were working alongside their father, but Daniel continued to make all major decisions. R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 2 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Frank Wesson died in 1887, but Walter and Joseph continued as partners in the firm until D. B. Wesson's death in 1904. Both Walter and Joseph were wellqualified to assume management of the family business, but neither they nor the executors of their father's estate could agree on the future direction of the company. Without Daniel B. Wesson's strong guidance, the firm experienced a prolonged period of weak leadership. Between 1912 and 1915, the two brothers alternated as president, until Walter's failing health forced him to cease active involvement with. Joseph then became president, but his own health problems frequently kept him away from his office. Model 3 Schofield made famous by Billy the Kid aka William Henry McCarty, Henry Antrim and William H. Bonney and Bill Doolin In 1915 the company received an order from the British Government to supply Mk 2 Hand Ejectors in.455 calibre to supplement the Webley Mk VI service revolver. In 1917, the United States entered the First World War, and received large government contracts to produce revolvers for military use. The company expanded its operations into a new facility, and increased its workforce as well, but Joseph's ill health, as well as labour disputes, created major problems for the gun Hand Ejector Mk2 in.455 calibre manufacturer. Consequently, the government took over management of the firm until the war ended. With the return of peace, a surplus of military arms and the import of large numbers of inexpensive guns produced additional challenges. Joseph Wesson died in 1920, and Harold Wesson, Joseph's nephew, assumed leadership of the company. Faced with dwindling sales and operating losses, Harold Wesson sought to diversify the company's product line. With the exception of two brief forays into the manufacture of shotguns and sewing machines, the firm had always concentrated its efforts on the production of handguns, but R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 3 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Harold's tenure as president saw 's entry into the manufacture of handcuffs, washing machines, and toilet flush valves. None of these ventures stemmed the flow of red ink. By the outbreak of the Second World War, was nearly bankrupt, and operational control of the company passed into the hands of Carl R. Hellstrom, a consulting engineer who had been hired as plant superintendent. Hellstrom brought back from the brink, and his wartime and post-war management of the firm saw a renewed concentration on the manufacture of handguns, as well as an expansion of both the company's production facilities and its product line. Although still located in Springfield, Massachusetts, has been a corporate subsidiary since 1965, when the Wesson family sold their interest to the Bangor Punta Corp. During this period, the company expanded its product line to include a holsters and other firearms-related accessories, as well as riot control equipment and other items intended for use by law enforcement agencies. In 1984, Bangor Punta was purchased by Lear Siegler Corp., which in turn was acquired by Forstmann Little & Co. in 1986. The new owner was primarily interested in Lear Siegler's automotive and aerospace operations, and was sold to Tompkins P.L.C., a British holding corporation. Under Tompkins ownership, continued as an innovative company. The firm expanded its line to include a new semi-auto pistol in the increasingly popular.40 S&W chambering, as well as their polymer Sigma Series pistols, which are available in a variety of calibres. The company established a second manufacturing facility in Maine, and it invested heavily in computerized machine tools, robotics, and other state-of-the-art technology. diversified into the manufacture of car parts, tools, and even golf clubs. As an added source of revenue, the firm opened several retail stores, as well as catalogue and Internet sales operations, which sold a number of non-firearms products branded with the highly-recognizable interlocking "S&W" trademark. Unfortunately, these new products could not offset losses incurred by a decline in handgun sales, coupled with increasing costs associated with anti-gun lawsuits brought against the industry by a number of U.S. cities and by crime victims. In March 2000, was the sole firearms manufacturer to sign on to a deal with the Clinton Administration which required the firm to comply with a number of dubious "safety" and marketing requirements; in return, S&W was dropped from government lawsuits. Far from having the desired effect, faced immediate backlash from the gun-owning public in response to what was seen as a sell-out to anti-gun hysteria. Sales plummeted as the shooting community spontaneously boycotted products. As a result, the firm's management began to distance itself from this agreement. At present, the agreement between S&W and the government has not gone into effect. In May 2001, Tompkins sold to Saf-T-Hammer, an Arizona-based firearms safety and security firm. The company's product line is focused is on preventing unauthorized gun use and unintentional firearms-related accidents, and its customers include firearms distributers, retailers, law enforcement agencies, and gunsmiths. R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 4 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Models That Should Qualify For Section 7.3 For First Time Buyers Note: Some firearms that should qualify were designed to use Black Powder only and are not suitable to reproof for Nitro cartridges and therefore are NOT included in this summary. Smith and Wesson.44 Hand Ejector 1st Model 'New Century' (Triple Lock) Its popular name refers to its extra (third) locking lug on the cylinder crane. This extra locking mechanism was deemed necessary due to the increased power of the.44 Special cartridge (a lengthened.44 Russian, and itself the parent of the.44 Magnum), first chambered in the Triple Lock. The.44 is part of the model name, regardless of the actual chambering of any individual revolver, and Hand Ejector is to differentiate the new design from Smith and Wesson's earlier top break revolvers. These Smith and Wesson.44 Hand Ejector 1st Model 'New Century' (Triple Lock) 19th century designs had an automatic ejector mechanism actuated when the frame was tipped up. The newer Hand Ejector models required the user to depress a plunger to eject spent casings. These.44 s were the fourth Hand Ejector models introduced around the turn of the century. The.32 HE s came first in 1892, followed by the eternally popular.38 HE s in 1899, and the short-lived.22 HE s in 1902. The New Century designation was in recognition of its status as Smith and Wesson's first 20th century design. It was only manufactured between 1908 and 1915, for a total of 15,376 revolvers, a stock that sold out completely by 1917. It was replaced by a.44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model, most visibly different in lacking the ejector shroud and third locking lug. Smith and Wesson.44 Hand Ejector 1st Model 'New Century' (Triple Lock) Showing the 3rd locking pin in front on the cylinder R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 5 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Smith and Wesson.44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model From 1914 the British and Canadian forces were entrenched on the Western Front furiously fighting the Imperial German Army. There was a drastic shortage of revolvers for the various troop formations as Webley & Scott Ltd could not keep up with demand for the MkVI in.455. Both Colt and were approached to supply revolvers in this calibre and they responded with the Colt New Service and the Mk2 Hand Ejector respectively. It was the concerns voiced by experienced officers in the Allied Armies that persuaded the War Department purchasing departments to request that the Hand Ejector be supplied without the third lock and ejector shroud. The concerns were twofold, cost being one and the belief that the additional lock could be fouled by the conditions in the mud of Flanders. However, the realities of war meant that the first Hand Ejectors supplied (with the full knowledge of HMG) were Mk1 s which were fitted with.45 barrels and new cylinders. In the great hurry to produce the guns, the factory converted any unfinished frame on hand to the British calibre. As a result, the first group of 666 frames was completed and serial numbered within the.44 Hand Ejector series. The new production frames that had not been serial numbered were assigned a new serial number series beginning at 1. This resulted in a duplication of serial numbers for the first 666 frames. Smith and Wesson.44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model The.455 Hand Ejector built upon Smith & Wesson's triple lock system is known as the.455 Hand Ejector First Model. The change from the first model type having the shrouded extractor rod, to the light weight barrel lacking the shroud (called the.455 Hand Ejector Second Model) began in January 1915 as the first of the new barrels and frames were being completed. By the time this change occurred, the serial number series for the.455 Hand Ejector had reached 5,000, and the changeover from the heavy, lugged barrel to the lighter barrel with no lug takes place between serial numbers 5,000 and 6,000 as the factory used up the older parts. When production ended on September 14, 1916, had manufactured some 74,755.455 Hand Ejectors, of which 69,755 were the Second Model type. R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 6 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Military and Police Model The history of one of the most successful revolver designs of all times, the 's "Military and Police began in 1899, when S&W began to manufacture its "Hand Ejector" model in.38 Long Colt calibre. In 1902, S&W introduced the.38 hand Ejector revolver in its new chambering, the.38 Special, and during the following years continued to slightly improve the design. The 38 Hand Ejector took its shape in 1915. In 1920s, renamed the 38 Hand Ejector into Military and Police model. During the century, the total numbers of the M&Ps manufactured by S&W could be estimated at six millions plus. Technically, all M&P revolvers are double action, swing-out cylinder revolvers. All M&P family revolvers featured similar medium sized frame (S&W nomenclature code: K-frame). All M&Ps featured dual-locked six chamber cylinders (one lock is manually operated by the latch, located at the left side of the frame behind the cylinder and locks the rear part of the cylinder axis; another lock is a spring-loaded one that locks the front part of the cylinder axis/ejector rod under the barrel). Standard M&Ps featured fixed front sight and fixed rear sight, in the form of the groove, cut in the top of the frame. Some target versions featured a ramp front sight with adjustable rear sights. Original material of the frame was the carbon steel, blued or parkerized; later, lightweight aluminium alloy frames and stainless steel frames were introduced. Original barrels were from 2 to 8 1/2 inches long, of thin profile, with exposed ejector rod. Later, "heavy barrel" models were introduced. Some later models also featured barrels with upper rib and / or enclosed ejector rod. In general, the M&P was one of the most popular police revolvers in the USA. Some sources said that at some time, some 80% of ALL US Police departments were armed with M&P revolvers! These guns were also used by US Military, especially in US Air Force and US Navy. The M&Ps were widely copied by numerous manufacturers in Spain, France and other countries. Military and Police Model in 38/200 One million or so revolvers were delivered to the US Government during the WW 2, and a large numbers were manufactured for export into British Commonwealth countries. The British were concerned that the.38 S&W ammunition was not powerful enough for military use and had the guns supplied to Allied forces re-chambered for the heavier 38/200 round used in the Webley MKV and the Enfield MK2. Due to the huge numbers produced, to qualify for Section 7.3 a Military & Police model has to have an interesting and valid history or provenance. R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 7 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Model 547-9mm Revolver The 547 revolver was produced by Smith and Wesson to solve a problem that did not really exist. It has been suggested that in the late 1970's, the Israelis wanted to arm the Palestinian Police force with a 9mm handgun, but didn't trust them with an semi pistol. Instead, they wanted a simple-to-use a revolver chambered in 9mm (and by "simple-to-use", they meant "no moon-clips"). They contracted with to make it for them. Soon after delivered the first shipment of these revolvers, the Israeli government, in a move reminiscent of the Webley/ Enfield saga, cancelled the rest of the order and instead bought an IMI revolver that was a copy of the Model 547. S&W released the remaining guns to the civilian market. Whether or not this version of events is true the 547 is a unique firearm and should qualify for section 7.3 on technical interest and rarity reasons. There are two problems that have to be solved before you can make a moon-clip-less 9x19 revolver: How do you extract the cases? How do you keep a tapered cartridge from backing up when fired and locking up the cylinder? How do you extract the cases? - was answered by Roger J. Curran of Stratford, CT in the form of patent number 4127955 - Extractor assembly for rimless cartridges. Instead of the usual "star" type extractor, the Model 547 features a horn-shaped extractor with small beryllium-copper spring tabs that grab the rim of each case. This assembly is for extraction only; the cartridges headspace on the mouth. The device works really well. The Unique Extractor of the Model 547 The second problem - tapered cases backing out and locking up the cylinder - was a familiar one to S&W. This same issue killed the Model 53 (.22 Jet) revolver. S&W overcame this in the 547 by adding a pin (above the firing pin) that prevents the fired case from backing up. The firing pin in the 547 is a floating pin. While this is common to most new S&W revolvers, it was unique to the 547 back in the day. Additional pin to stop fired cases jamming R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 8 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Hand Ejector Mk 2 Examples Held Under Section 7.3 Model Hand Ejector Mk 2 Date of Manufacture 1915 Barrel Length 6.5 Weight Unloaded 2lb 6oz Calibre.455 Length 11.75 Manufacturer Serial Number 47217 R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 9 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Model Hand Ejector Mk 2 Date of Manufacture 1915 Barrel Length 6.5 Weight Unloaded 2lb 6oz Calibre.455 Length 11.75 Manufacturer Serial Number 23760 R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 10 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Model M&P Date of Manufacture 1942 Barrel Length 5 Weight Unloaded 2lb 2oz Calibre 38-200 Length 10.75 Manufacturer Serial Number 703828 R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 11 Last updated: 27/05/2013
Model 745 The 745 is a secondgeneration semiautomatic pistols which predates Smith & Wesson's 4500 series of handguns. The S&W 745 is chambered for the.45 ACP cartridge. The S&W 745 has a stainless steel frame and a blued carbon steel slide. The S&W 745 was produced from 1986 to 1990, primarily as a single-action competition gun for IPSC shooting. S&W began experiments with.45 ACP firing pistols in 1984, and produced their first one, the Model 645, in 1985. Public demand led to the development of this series. The series is a.45 ACP version of their 9mm Parabellum weapons. They are normally double-action weapons, or what S&W refer to as a traditional double action. They generally have a barrel bushing press fitted into the muzzle end of the slide instead of a separate barrel bushing like a 1911 pistol. Like many Smith & Wesson models, each variant was generally in production for only a few years. The Model 745, built from 1986-1990, was a singleaction target version of the Model 645, with a match barrel, Novak sight (an adjustable rear sight was optional), an adjustable trigger stop, and walnut grip plates. It does not have ambidextrous controls, but does have a half-cock safety. The model that qualifies for Section 7.3 is the 10th Anniversary IPSC model of which just over 5000 were produced, making it a very rare firearm this side of the Atlantic. Model 745 Date of Manufacture 1986 Mag. Capacity 8 rounds Weight Unloaded 38.75 oz Calibre.45 ACP No. Manufactured 5362 Barrel Length 4.75 inches Serial Number DVC 5038 R O Harget - Written for Interest Only 12 Last updated: 27/05/2013