Smith & Wesson is America's largest manufacturer of handguns, located in Springfield, Massachusetts.

History of Smith & Wesson

In 1852 partners Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson formed a company to produce a lever action pistol nicknamed "The Volcanic". The company formed by the partners came to be known as the ""Volcanic Repeating Arms Company", and due to financial difficulties this company came into the majority ownership of investor Oliver Winchester.

In 1856 the partners left the Volcanic Company to begin a new company and manufacture a newly designed revolver and cartridge combination. The timing of the founding of this new company was quite fortunate, as the arrival of the Civil War five years later produced a great demand for Smith & Wesson's products.

In 1964 the company passed from the Wesson family control, and was subsequently controlled by a number of conglomerates. From 1996 to 2001 Smith & Wesson was owned by Tomkins PLC, a British Company.

Smith & Wesson is famous for the many types of ammunition it has introduced over the years, for its first double action high capacity pistol and for its revolver know-how.

Ammunition types introduced by S&W

• .22 Short (the popular .22 Long Rifle, based on the .22 Short, was actually developed by the J.Stevens Arms & Tool Co.)
• .32 S&W (sometimes called .32 Short)
• .32 S&W Gallery
• .32 S&W Long
• .35 S&W Automatic
• .38 S&W
• .38 S&W Special
• .357 S&W Magnum
• .40 S&W
• .41 Remington Magnum (while the ammunition developed by Remington, the first revolvers to chamber this cartridge were made by S&W)
• .44 S&W American
• .44 S&W Russian
• .44 S&W Special
• .44 Remington Magnum (see note at .41 Remington Magnum)
• .45 S&W Schofield
• .460 S&W Magnum
• .500 S&W Magnum

Famous S&W revolvers

• Model 3 (First automatic ejection of used ammunition)
• Model 10 (First .38 Special)
• Model 19 (First low weight .357 Magnum)
• Model 27 (First .357 Magnum)
• Model 60 (First stainless made .357 Magnum)
• Model 29 (First .44 Magnum)
• Model 1917 (First revolver that could fire .45 ACP pistol ammunition)
• Model 586 (First heavy duty medium weight .357 Magnum)
• Model 625 (Holds the world record for 2 x 6 shoots with reload)
• Model 500 (First .500 Magnum)
• Model 340PD (First revolver made of Scandium alloy, very light, possibly the final evolution of the classic J-frame Chief's Special introduced over 60 years before)

Famous S&W pistols

Classic pistols

• Model 39 (First US designed double action pistol in 9mm Luger/Parabellum).

• Model 59 (First high capacity double action pistol in 9mm Luger/Parabellum).

Sigma series

The Sigma series of recoil operated, locked breech semi-auto pistols was introduced in 1994, with the Sigma 40, followed by the Sigma 9. Sigma pistols bore so much similarity to GLOCKs, that a lawsuit was raised against S&W by GLOCK. Smith & Wesson paid an undisclosed sum (some millions of dollars) to GLOCK for infringement of their patents, and then S&W received the rights to continue the production of Sigma line.

The gun frame is manufactured from polymer, while the slide and barrel can be manufactured from either stainless steel or carbon steel. The Sigma series was improved in 1999, including shortening the barrel and slide, addition of an accessory rail under the barrel, incorporating more comfortable grip checkering and enlarging the ejection port.

• Sigma 9: Uses the 9mm Luger/Parabellum ammunition.

• Sigma 40: Uses the .40 S&W ammunition.

• Sigma 380: Uses the .380 ACP ammunition.

External links

• Smith - Wesson Firearms - American Made Firearms and Handguns
• Photos and information about current Smith and Wesson pistols
• Photos and information about current Smith and Wesson revolvers
• Unofficial Smith & Wesson Home Page