The only "plot" is Smith & Wesson revolvers.
The Smith & Wesson .44 caliber, single-action, six-shot revolver, known in Russia as the "4,2-line Smith & Wesson Model I revolver." Barrel length: 167 mm. Muzzle velocity: 210 m/sec. Penetration: penetrates 3,65-inch pine boards at 25 paces; 2,75 at 50 paces; and 1 25 mm board at 100 paces. Rate of fire: 6 shots in 10 seconds. Manufactured by the Tula Arms Factory.
"And God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1:10
Genesis 1:10
History weapons. At one point, "Military Review" already covered Smith & Wesson revolvers, as well as when, how, by whom, and under what circumstances this company was founded. But... we've never shown ALL the revolvers produced by this company or its other imitators. Admittedly, it should be noted that it's probably impossible to show "all" the revolvers. There were just too many of them. But... a significant portion of them—why not?! So today, lovers of vintage revolvers will be able to sip their coffee and admire their entire arsenal. Admittedly, the very first Smith & Wessons won't be in our gallery. And that's because the collection was already quite large. Instead, we'll start with perhaps the most widely produced and largest series of revolvers, the so-called "Russian model." Incidentally, I've already written here about how this revolver came to be used by the Russian Imperial Army. It's a long time ago, but you can find it. So let's start right with the very first model of the Smith & Wesson revolver, which entered service with our army in 1871.
Model 1874 Model II revolver. Barrel length: 178 mm. Manufactured by Smith & Wesson Arms Factory, Springfield, USA.
A Model III revolver from 1880. Barrel length: 203 mm. Manufactured by Ludwig Loewe in Germany. The "heel" on the grip and the "spur" on the trigger guard are the main distinguishing features of Russian revolvers.
This is how they all unloaded. Revolver "III model" 1880.
Civilian model. The grips have ivory grips, and the body is nickel-plated. Manufactured by "Smith & Wesson Arms Factory, Springfield, USA. Russian model." (Text in English)
For officers of the Russian Imperial Army, a revolver of the "officer's type, triple action" was approved, since its hammer also had an automatic safety cocking mechanism.
The Smith & Wesson "Frontier" revolver. The Russian army officer's revolver looked almost identical.
The Mexicans were so taken with Smith & Wesson revolvers that they began producing them themselves. This is a Type III revolver in Russian caliber .44-45 with a 127mm barrel.
The Smith & Wesson Model 3, American 2nd Model, features a 203mm barrel. Its distinguishing feature is the notch in the hammer head. This notch was devised by General Orlov for a Russian contract and was intended to improve safety by preventing the revolver from closing when the hammer is pulled. The notch was adopted by Smith & Wesson. The buttstock mount is clearly visible on the grip. This model is also called the "three screw" because of the three screws that hold the inspection and lubrication plate in place. Future models will have only two. Caliber: .44 American. Only 200 .44 Henry rimfire pistols were produced for the civilian market. The Russian Army purchased just over 41,000 .44 Russian caliber pistols, while approximately 13,200 American and Russian caliber pistols were sold on the civilian market. It differed from the revolvers of the Russian army mainly by the absence of a protrusion on the handle, which helped to better hold it in the hand.
Scoffield revolver, 1873 model
Smith & Wesson revolvers were also produced by Scofield. The first model was manufactured between 1873 and 1875, with 3035 units produced. The second model was produced in 1876 and 1877, with 5934 units produced in .45 S&W caliber. The first model was serialized from 1 to 3035. The US Department of Defense ordered and purchased the entire batch for the army. These revolvers differed from the basic model in that they had a top-mounted frame. Almost all of the Scofield revolvers were purchased in the late 19th century by the Bannerman Company and restored (given a blue tint, re-stamped, and shortened) so they could be resold on the civilian market, including to the Wells Fargo postal company.
Scoffield frame lock
The Smith & Wesson Model 1 revolver, manufactured by Scoffield for the U.S. Army.
The Smith & Wesson 2nd Model revolver, manufactured by Scoffield
Smith & Wesson 3-Model "Second Type" or "Old Model." Manufactured from 1873 to 1878, chambered for the .44 cartridge. A total of 85,200 "Old Models" were produced. Some of these, probably fewer than 4000, were chambered for the .44 ("Henry") rimfire cartridge or factory-converted to that caliber. The Turkish Army ordered 3000 of these rimfire revolvers, and later another 5000 of the Third Type ("New Model") revolvers with a shorter barrel (6,5 inches). The barrel length was 178 mm. It was a virtually exact copy of the revolver used by the Russian Imperial Army.
A revolver from Orbea Hermanos. This revolver is a Spanish copy of the Smith & Wesson 44 double-action Model 1. It was produced under the name "EUSKARO" and was likely manufactured in the early 20th century.
Smith & Wesson Frontier revolver. Made in Spain circa 1880. 44 Russian caliber. The top of the barrel is inscribed "Fa DE ORBEA HERMANOS EIBAR SPAIN." The barrel is 127 mm long. The revolver is beautifully inlaid with gold and silver scrolls on the frame, barrel, and trigger guard. Ivory grips
Forehand & Wadsworth also produced Smith & Wesson revolvers, which looked like the fruit of a forbidden love between an American Smith & Wesson revolver with a complicated lock and a Colt revolver. The company is little known, but it produced high-quality weapons. It so happened that each of these two men, Forehand and Wadsworth, married the daughters of the famous gunsmith Ethan Allen, and in 1865 they joined the firm, which was renamed Ethan Allen & Co. In 1871, after Ethan Allen's death, the company became Forehand & Wadsworth. Single-action revolvers were produced by this firm from the mid-1870s to the 1880s and were known for their high quality.
Forehand & Wadsworth, 1874. Less than 2000 of all versions produced. It was a very strange revolver!
The same revolver. Right view
Why is it weird? That's why. Look how it unfolds for reloading...
Old Forehand & Wadsworth model single-action army revolver, Russian .44 cartridge, 192 mm barrel, manufactured in 1875. The cylinder could be easily removed for reloading.
And this is also Abadi's door!
Garat & Anitua 1915 revolver chambered for .455 cartridge
A Spanish copy of the Smith & Wesson 3rd Model revolver chambered for the .44 Russian cartridge appeared in 1881. Like the original, this revolver has a grip that covers the entire left side of the frame. This revolver was produced by Garat y Anitua of Eibar and other Spanish manufacturers in .44 Russian and .45 Long Colt calibers. In 1915-1916, the British Army experienced a severe shortage of revolvers. To fill this gap, the British ordered approximately 100,000 of these revolvers from Spain, but in the .455 Webley caliber, which was common in the British army. The Spanish could easily and quickly convert the barrels and cylinder chambers to the British caliber. At the same time, the British ordered 107,000 New Service revolvers of the same caliber from Colt. To fill this massive order, the Colt factory had to turn to the Remington Arms Co., which manufactured some of these revolvers under government control. They were also required to supply the British with civilian versions of this revolver (the 1909 modification). After the war, a large number of these revolvers were returned to Canada.
Revolver rifle chambered for .320
Between 1879 and 1887, Smith & Wesson produced only 977 of these rifles, and by 1890, this model was removed from the catalog. It was produced only in .320 S&W. The revolver was available in blued or nickel-plated finishes, with barrel lengths of 16, 18, or 20 inches (406, 457, or 508 mm). Each gun was equipped with a red hard rubber fore-end and grip. The stock was made of walnut and had a black hard rubber buttplate. All stocks had a screw hole in the fore-end for mounting a telescopic sight.
The first hammerless Smith & Wesson model. This revolver was produced in 1887 in a limited run of 5125. Caliber: .38 S&W. The cylinder was easily removed for unloading and cleaning.
The Lemon Press .38 caliber hammerless revolver features a safety mechanism and a grip safety.
Smith & Wesson produced five different .38 caliber models and three .32 caliber models. However, the differences between them are minor. These revolvers were the last in the swing-cylinder series, appearing immediately before the "Hand-Loading" model with a sliding cylinder. Production began in 1886, and the last of these revolvers left the factory in 1940, many years after production resumed. The third model was introduced in 1890 under serial number 42484 and was produced until 1898. Some revolvers had 152 mm (6 in) barrels, but others had 50,8 mm (2 in) barrels, which were called the "bicycle model."
From a technical standpoint, these revolvers are interesting because they used an inertia-type firing pin developed by Joe Wesson, son of Daniel Wesson. This pin was mounted in the frame and spring-loaded. It could only strike the primer after receiving sufficient force from the hammer, which transferred the momentum from the hammer to the pin itself. When the hidden hammer pressed against the pin, the pin did not protrude beyond the frame.
The Hand Ejector Revolver, Model 1. A double-action, hand-extractor revolver in .32 caliber. Smith & Wesson's first swing-out cylinder revolver. 19,712 were produced between 1896 and 1903.
Smith & Wesson 1917 .45ACP
Smith & Wesson 1st Model New Century with English markings chambered for .455
Smith & Wesson Model 64. A military and police revolver made of stainless steel with a six-shot cylinder chambered for the .38 Special cartridge. The Model 65 was produced from 1972 until 2004-2005. Beginning in 1980, the company also produced revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge with a "medium-large" frame ("L-frame"), which better handled the high stresses of firing a large-caliber revolver. The revolver with a large stainless steel frame was called the Model 686. Next to it is a speedloader.
The same revolver in a holster
P.S. The author and site administration would like to thank Allen Dobress for permission to use his photographs, which were presented in this material.
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