Smith & Wesson

The Smith & Wesson saga begins in 1852, when two men named Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson made an initial bid with Lady Fortune by launching a gun-manufacturing unit called the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. Horace Smith had some background of firearms manufacturing from his stint at Springfield’s National Armory. Daniel Smith had gained his field experience while working with his brother, who manufactured target rifles and pistols. Armed with such a fund of knowledge and know-how, it seemed a given that their venture would face no problems in capturing a decent market base.

However, the Volcanic Company was far from successful, and it was relinquished to investor Oliver Winchester along with its sole product – a lever-action pistol dramatically labeled the Volcanic. However, Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson were far from through yet – they launched another company in 1856, banking on a new handgun and ammunition design they had developed. Fortunately for them, the launch of their company coincided with the advent of the American Civil War, providing the newly-formed Smith & Wesson with a steady stream of orders.

While control of the company has been passed from hand to hand and the name Smith & Wesson has only been a nominal title since 1964, it never lost the winning streak it had embarked on. Today, Smith & Wesson stands to be counted with America’s largest handgun manufacturers and is often said to be the #1 contender for the top slot. This, despite the fact that the company had a major setback in the 1980’s when the monopoly that its revolvers had over the US law enforcement market was broken by companies like Beretta and Glock. American police departments, which were switching to semiautomatic pistols, did not find Smith & Wesson’s products in this category suitable for their needs. This fact sparked off an intensive R&D spree to upgrade their semiautomatic pistol line at Smith & Wesson.

The company has faced a number of problems with boycotts of its products. These began soon after it was bought by American investors from a British company called Tomkins and continue in certain segments of the market even today. However, sheer quality and excellent marketing strategies have ensured Smith & Wesson a niche in both the civilian and law enforcement handgun markets.

Despite the negative marks on its record, Smith & Wesson has undoubtedly contributed significantly to modern firearm technology and design. Sometime in the 1800’s, it introduced a line of hammerless revolvers that became an industry benchmark .The Model 1917 revolver was the first to chamber .45 ACP ammunition and the Model 29 was the first .44 magnum to hit the market. The record of innovations has been steady and there are no signs of it ending, either. The S&W Model 3 was the first revolver to feature an automatic ejection system for used ammunition. The S&W Model 10 was the first ever .38 Special, and has been adopted as the preferred caliber by hundreds of police departments around the world (this model has been seeing uninterrupted production since its launch in 1899).

The S&W Model 3, a so-called J-frame design, was the first .38 Special to be produced in stainless steel. Called the Model 3 American on the US market, it was the world’s very first revolver chambered for large caliber cartridges; with it, Smith & Wesson firmly entrenched itself as a global force in handgun manufacturing. With the Model 27, Smith & Wesson gave the world its first .357 Magnum, which was specifically designed for use by law enforcement personnel and continues to be a favorite among most of today’s testosterone-oriented police officers. The Model 19 K-frame was the first lightweight Magnum in this caliber. Smith & Wesson has made its mark with over 25 bestselling revolver models, and nine semiautomatic pistols that have held their own despite heated competition.