However, the success did not come without a fight. For more than one decade Smith & Wesson was the sole manufacturer of this technological improvement. In return, White agreed to pay any legal fees associated with the defense of his patent against any infringements. Smith & Wesson negotiated with Rollin White for assignment of the patent, agreeing to pay him a 25-cent royalty on every pistol sold. A gunsmith by the name of Rollin White had patented his invention (patent #12,648, 3 April 1855) on bored-through revolver cylinders.
The success of Model 1 was due to a combination of new innovations, the bored-through cylinder and the self-contained metallic cartridge. In 1856 the partners left the Volcanic Company to begin a new company and to manufacture a newly designed revolver-and-cartridge combination which would become known as the Smith & Wesson Model 1. After Edwin Wesson's death, that firm continued under the supervision of Thomas Warner. Previously, in the late 1840s, Daniel Wesson's brother Edwin, of Hartford, Connecticut, had manufactured revolvers under the name of Wesson & Leavitt. The company became known as the "Volcanic Repeating Arms Company" financial difficulties caused it to come into the majority ownership of investor Oliver Winchester, who renamed the company The Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Wesson formed a company to produce a lever-action pistol that was later nicknamed the Volcanic pistol. In 1852 partners Horace Smith and Daniel B. Smith & Wesson factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, circa 1908.
They are also used by sport shooters and have been featured in numerous Hollywood movies, particularly Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Smith & Wesson ( S&W) is a manufacturer of firearms in the United States. Springfield, Massachusetts, United States For Strunk & White's Elements of Style, see The Elements of Style. Generally, we charge a 20% restocking fee unless the fault was entirely our own."S&W" redirects here. However, if you are dissatisfied with your product for any reason please email or give us a call and we’ll try and work something out. We have auctions on gunbroker - usually once a month. If there are multiple of the same item being stocked, you will receive the best-conditioned product we have until they are depleted.Īlso, peruse the 24-hour gun show to see what else we have to offer. On the right hand side of the slide there are no markings - below on the frame is the standard S&W monogram logo.Ĭheck out the picture(s) so you know what you’re getting - they are the best indication of the condition of the product.