1.
Revolver
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A revolver is a repeating handgun that has a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. Revolvers might be regarded as a subset of pistols, or as a subset of handguns. Though the term revolver usually only refers to handguns, other firearms may also have a revolving chamber and these include some models of grenade launchers, shotguns, and rifles. Most revolvers contain five or six rounds in the cylinder, though the original name was revolving gun, the short-hand revolver is universally used. The revolver allows the user to fire multiple rounds without reloading, each time the user cocks the hammer, the cylinder revolves to align the next chamber and round with the hammer and barrel, which gives this type of firearm its name. In a single-action revolver, the user pulls the back with his free hand or thumb. In a double-action revolver, pulling the trigger moves the back, then releases it. Loading and unloading a double-action revolver requires the operator to swing out the cylinder and insert the proper ammunition, the first guns with multichambered cylinders that revolved to feed one barrel were made in the late 16th century in Europe. They were expensive and rare curiosities, not until the 19th century would revolvers become common weapons of industrial production. One of the first was a flintlock revolver patented by Elisha Collier in 1814, the first percussion revolver was made by Lenormand of Paris in 1820 and the first percussion cap revolver was invented by the Italian Francesco Antonio Broccu in 1833. He received a prize of 300 francs for his invention, although he did not patent it, however, in 1835 a similar handgun was patented by Samuel Colt, who would go on to make the first mass-produced revolver. The first cartridge revolvers were produced around 1854 by Eugene Lefaucheux, revolvers soon became standard for nearly all uses. In the early 20th century, semi-automatic pistols were developed, which can hold more rounds, Automatic pistols also have a flat profile, more suitable for concealed carry. Automatic pistols have almost completely replaced revolvers in military and law enforcement use, revolvers still remain popular as back-up and off-duty handguns among American law enforcement officers and security guards. Also, revolvers are still common in the American private sector as defensive, in the development of firearms, an important limiting factor was the time it took to reload the weapon after it was fired. While the user was reloading, the weapon was useless, several approaches to the problem of increasing the rate of fire were developed, the earliest being multi-barrelled weapons which allowed two or more shots without reloading. Later weapons featured multiple barrels revolving along a single axis, the earliest examples of what today is called a revolver were made in Germany in the late 16th century. These weapons featured a barrel with a revolving cylinder holding the powder
2.
Smith & Wesson
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Smith & Wesson is a manufacturer of firearms in the United States. The corporate headquarters are based in Springfield, Massachusetts, founded in 1852, Smith & Wessons pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world, in addition to their popularity among sport shooters. Apart from firearms, Smith & Wesson has been known for the types of ammunition it has introduced over the years. Wesson founded the Smith & Wesson Company in Norwich, Connecticut in 1852 to develop the Volcanic rifle, Smith developed a new Volcanic Cartridge, which he patented in 1854. The Smith & Wesson Company was renamed Volcanic Repeating Arms in 1855, Smith left the company and returned to his native Springfield, Massachusetts, Wesson stayed on as plant manager with Volcanic Repeating Arms. As Samuel Colts patent on the revolver was set to expire in 1856 and his research pointed out that a former Colt employee named Rollin White held the patent for a Bored-through cylinder, a component he would need for his invention. Wesson reconnected with Smith and the two partners approached White to manufacture a newly designed revolver-and-cartridge combination, rather than make White a partner in their company, Smith and Wesson paid him a royalty of $0.25 on every revolver that they made. It would become Whites responsibility to defend his patent in any court cases which led to his financial ruin. The orders for the Smith & Wesson Model 1 revolver outpaced the production capabilities. In 1860 demand was so great that Smith & Wesson expanded into a new facility, at the same time, the companys design was being infringed upon by other manufacturers which led to numerous lawsuits filed by Rollin White. In many of these part of the restitution came in the form of the offender being forced to stamp Manufactured for Smith & Wesson on the revolvers in question. Whites vigorous defense of his patent caused a problem for armsmakers in the United States at the time as they could not manufacture cartridge revolvers, at the end of the war the US Government charged White with causing the retardation of arms development in America. Demand for revolvers declined at the close of the Civil War, in 1870 the company introduced a large frame revolver in heavier calibers than the pocket sized revolvers it had been making. The design was known as the Smith & Wesson Model 3, after an organized campaign by the NRA and NSSF, thousands of retailers and tens of thousands of firearms consumers boycotted Smith & Wesson. On 11 May 2001, Saf-T-Hammer Corporation acquired Smith & Wesson Corp. from Tomkins plc for US$15 million, Saf-T-Hammer assumed US$30 million in debt, bringing the total purchase price to US$45 million. The acquisition of Smith & Wesson was chiefly brokered by Saf-T-Hammer President Bob Scott, after the purchase, Scott became the president of Smith & Wesson to guide the 157-year-old company back to its former standing in the market. On 15 February 2002, the name of the newly formed entity was changed to Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, about 2006 Smith & Wesson refocused its marketing on big box retailers, according to Smith & Wesson CEO Mike Golden in a 2008 conference call with investors. In December 2014, Smith & Wesson Holding announced it was paying $130.5 million for Battenfeld Technologies, the company made the acquisition with the eventual intent to merge all its existing Smith & Wesson, M&P and Thompson Center Arms accessories into a single division
3.
Stainless steel
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In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French inoxydable, is a steel alloy with a minimum of 10. 5% chromium content by mass. Stainless steel is notable for its resistance, and it is widely used for food handling. Stainless steel does not readily corrode, rust or stain with water as ordinary steel does, however, it is not fully stain-proof in low-oxygen, high-salinity, or poor air-circulation environments. There are various grades and surface finishes of stainless steel to suit the environment the alloy must endure, Stainless steel is used where both the properties of steel and corrosion resistance are required. Stainless steel differs from carbon steel by the amount of chromium present, unprotected carbon steel rusts readily when exposed to air and moisture. This iron oxide film is active and accelerates corrosion by making it easier for more iron oxide to form, since iron oxide has lower density than steel, the film expands and tends to flake and fall away. In comparison, stainless steels contain sufficient chromium to undergo passivation and this layer prevents further corrosion by blocking oxygen diffusion to the steel surface and stops corrosion from spreading into the bulk of the metal. Passivation occurs only if the proportion of chromium is high enough, Stainless steel’s resistance to corrosion and staining, low maintenance, and familiar lustre make it an ideal material for many applications. Storage tanks and tankers used to transport orange juice and other food are made of stainless steel. This also influences its use in kitchens and food processing plants, as it can be steam-cleaned and sterilized. High oxidation resistance in air at ambient temperature is achieved with addition of a minimum of 13% chromium. The chromium forms a layer of chromium oxide when exposed to oxygen. The layer is too thin to be visible, and the metal remains lustrous, the layer is impervious to water and air, protecting the metal beneath, and this layer quickly reforms when the surface is scratched. This phenomenon is called passivation and is seen in other metals, corrosion resistance can be adversely affected if the component is used in a non-oxygenated environment, a typical example being underwater keel bolts buried in timber. When stainless steel parts such as nuts and bolts are forced together, when forcibly disassembled, the welded material may be torn and pitted, a destructive effect known as galling. Galling can be avoided by the use of materials for the parts forced together, for example bronze and stainless steel. However, two different alloys electrically connected in a humid, even mildly acidic environment may act as a voltaic pile, nitronic alloys, made by selective alloying with manganese and nitrogen, may have a reduced tendency to gall. Additionally, threaded joints may be lubricated to provide a film between the two parts and prevent galling, low-temperature carburizing is another option that virtually eliminates galling and allows the use of similar materials without the risk of corrosion and the need for lubrication
4.
Gun barrel
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A gun barrel is a part of firearms and artillery pieces. The hollow interior of the barrel is called the bore, a gun barrel must be able to hold in the expanding gas produced by the propellants to ensure that optimum muzzle velocity is attained by the projectile as it is being pushed out by the expanding gas. Modern small arms barrels are made of known and tested to withstand the pressures involved. Artillery pieces are made by various techniques providing reliably sufficient strength, early firearms were muzzle-loading, with powder, and then shot loaded from the muzzle, capable of only a low rate of fire. During the 19th century effective mechanical locks were invented that sealed a breech-loading weapon against the escape of propellant gases, the early Chinese, the inventors of gunpowder, used bamboo, a naturally tubular stalk, as the first barrels in gunpowder projectile weapons. Early European guns were made of iron, usually with several strengthening bands of the metal wrapped around circular wrought iron rings. The Chinese were the first to master cast-iron cannon barrels, early cannon barrels were very thick for their caliber. Bore evacuator Bore snake Cannon Muzzle Polygonal rifling Rifling Slug barrel Smoothbore
5.
Cartridge (firearms)
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Military and commercial producers continue to pursue the goal of caseless ammunition. A cartridge without a bullet is called a blank, One that is completely inert is called a dummy. Some artillery ammunition uses the same concept as found in small arms. In other cases, the shell is separate from the propellant charge. In popular use, the bullet is often misused to refer to a complete cartridge. The cartridge case seals a firing chamber in all directions excepting the bore, a firing pin strikes the primer and ignites it. The primer compound deflagrates, it does not detonate, a jet of burning gas from the primer ignites the propellant. Gases from the burning powder pressurize and expand the case to seal it against the chamber wall and these propellant gases push on the bullet base. In response to pressure, the bullet will move in the path of least resistance which is down the bore of the barrel. After the bullet leaves the barrel, the pressure drops to atmospheric pressure. The case, which had been expanded by chamber pressure. This eases removal of the case from the chamber, brass is a commonly used case material because it is resistant to corrosion. A brass case head can be work-hardened to withstand the pressures of cartridges. The neck and body portion of a case is easily annealed to make the case ductile enough to allow reforming so that it can be reloaded many times. Steel is used in some plinking ammunition, as well as in military ammunition. Steel is less expensive than brass, but it is not feasible to reload, Military forces typically consider small arms cartridge cases to be disposable, one-time-use devices. However, case weight affects how much ammunition a soldier can carry, conversely, steel is more susceptible to contamination and damage so all such cases are varnished or otherwise sealed against the elements. One downside caused by the strength of steel in the neck of these cases is that propellant gas can blow back past the neck
6.
.357 Magnum
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The.357 S&W Magnum, or simply.357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge with a. 357-inch bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B, Wesson of firearms manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wessons earlier.38 Special cartridge, the.357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in 1934, and its use has since become widespread. This cartridge started the Magnum era of handgun ammunition, the.357 Magnum cartridge is notable for its stopping power. The.357 Magnum was collaboratively developed over a period in the early to mid-1930s by a group of individuals in a response to Colts.38 Super Automatic. Tests at the revealed that those vests defeated any handgun cartridge traveling at less than about 1,000 feet per second. Colts.38 Super Automatic just edged over that velocity and was able to penetrate car doors and vests that bootleggers and gangsters were employing as cover. Though.38 and.357 would seem to be different diameter chamberings, they are in fact identical, the.38 Special nomenclature relates to the previous use of heeled bullets, which were the same diameter as the case. Thus, the only difference in the two cartridges is a slight difference in length, solely for safety purposes. Much credit for the. 357s early development is given to hunter and experimenter Elmer Keith, the. 38-44 HV load used the. 38-Special cartridge loaded to a much higher velocity than standard. 38-Special ammunition. The. 38-44 revolvers were made by using a.44 Special size gun with the barrel bored to accept. 357-caliber bullets, since the frame, cylinder, and barrel were much stronger than the standard.38 Special components, it was capable of withstanding much higher pressures. The. 38-44 HV round, while no longer available, was in most cases the equal of the later.357 Magnum, which works at more than double the pressure of standard.38 Special. Elmer Keith also contributed the Keith-style bullet, which increased the mass of bullet located outside the cartridge, the Keith bullet also employed a large, flat meplat, thus enabling rapid energy transfer for greater wounding properties. At the same time, this design does not deform like a hollow point. These characteristics of the Keith bullet make it suitable for hunting applications as well as for target shooting. In order to reassert itself as the leading law-enforcement armament provider, Smith & Wesson developed the.357 Magnum, Wesson leading the effort within Smith & Wesson, along with considerable technical assistance from Phillip B. Sharpe, a member of the Technical Division staff of the National Rifle Association, the new round was developed from Smith & Wessons existing.38 Special round. It used a different powder load, and ultimately the case was extended by 1⁄8 inch, the case extension was more a matter of safety than of necessity
7.
.38 Special
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The.38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols, in other parts of the world, it is known by its metric designation of 9×29. 5mmR or 9. 1×29mmR. Noted for its accuracy and manageable recoil, the.38 Special remains the most popular cartridge in the world more than a century after its introduction. It is used for shooting, formal target competition, personal defense. Despite its name, the caliber of the.38 Special cartridge is actually. 357–.358 inches, except for case length, the.38 Special is identical to the.38 Short Colt.38 Long Colt, and.357 Magnum. This allows the.38 Special round to be fired in revolvers chambered for the.357 Magnum. Upon its introduction, the.38 Special was originally loaded with black powder and this.38 Special variant incorporated a 200 grains round-nosed lead Lubaloy bullet, the.38 Super Police. Remington-Peters also introduced a similar loading, testing revealed that the longer, heavier 200 grains. 357-calibre bullet fired at low velocity tended to keyhole or tumble upon impact, providing more shock effect against unprotected personnel. This cartridge was called the.38 S&W Super Police or the. 38/200, britain would later adopt the. 38/200 as its standard military handgun cartridge. In 1930, Smith & Wesson introduced a large frame.38 Special revolver with a 5-inch barrel and fixed sights intended for police use, the following year, a new high-power loading called the. That same year, Colt Firearms announced that their Colt Official Police would also handle high-speed.38 Special loadings, the. 38/44 high-speed cartridge came in three bullet weights,158 grains,150 and 110 grains, with either coated lead or steel jacket, metal-piercing bullets. The media attention gathered by the. 38/44 and its ammunition eventually led Smith & Wesson to develop a new cartridge with a longer case length in 1934—this was the.357 Magnum. During World War II, some U. S. aircrew were issued.38 Special S&W Victory revolvers as sidearms in the event of a forced landing, the new military.38 Special loading propelled its 158 grains bullet at a standard 850 ft/s from a 4-inch revolver barrel. During the war, many U. S. naval and marine aircrew were also issued red-tipped.38 Special tracer rounds using either a 120 or 158 gr bullet for emergency signaling purposes. In 1956, the U. S. Air Force adopted the Cartridge, Caliber.38, Ball M41, a military variant of the.38 Special cartridge designed to conform to the rules of land warfare. By 1961, a slightly revised M41.38 cartridge specification known as the Cartridge, Caliber.38 Ball, Special, a variant of the standard M41 cartridge with a semi-pointed, unjacketed lead bullet was later adopted for CONUS police and security personnel. At the same time.38 tracer cartridges were reintroduced by the US Navy, Marines, tracer cartridges in.38 Special caliber of different colors were issued, generally as part of a standard aircrew survival vest kit. A request for more powerful.38 Special ammunition for use by Air Police and security personnel resulted in the Caliber.38 Special, Ball, in 1972, the Federal Bureau of Investigation introduced a new.38 +P loading that became known as the FBI Load
8.
Action (firearms)
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In firearms terminology, an action is the mechanism that handles the ammunition or the method by which that mechanism works. Breech-loading weapons have actions, actions are not present on muzzleloaders. The mechanism that fires a muzzle-loader is called the lock, actions can be categorized in several ways, including single action versus double action, break action versus bolt action, and others. The term action can also short, long, and magnum if it is in reference to the length of the rifle’s receiver. The short action rifle usually can accommodate a cartridge length of 2.8 in or smaller, the long action rifle can accommodate a cartridge of 3.34 in, and the magnum action rifle can accommodate cartridges of 3.6 in, or longer in length. Manual operation is a term describing any type of firearm action that is loaded one shot at a time by the user rather than automatically. For example, break action is a form of operation using a simple hinge mechanism that is manually unlatched by the operator. These are actions wherein the breechblock lowers or drops into the receiver to open the breech, there are two principal types of dropping block, the tilting block and the falling block. In a tilting or pivoting block action, the breechblock is hinged on a pin mounted at the rear, when the lever is operated, the block tilts down and forward, exposing the chamber. The best-known pivoting block designs are the Peabody, the Peabody–Martini, the original Peabody rifles, manufactured by the Providence Tool Company, used a manually cocked side-hammer. The 1871 Martini–Henry which replaced the trapdoor Snider–Enfield was the standard British Army rifle of the later Victorian era, charles H. Ballards self-cocking tilting-block action was produced by the Marlin Firearms Company from 1875, and earned a superlative reputation among long-range Creedmoor target shooters. Surviving Marlin Ballards are today highly prized by collectors, especially those mounted in the elaborate Swiss-style Schützen stocks of the day. A falling-block action is a firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breech of the weapon. Examples of firearms using the falling block action are the Sharps rifle, in a rolling block action the breechblock takes the form of a part-cylinder, with a pivot pin through its axis. The operator rotates or rolls the block to open and close the breech, it is a simple, rugged, a break action is a type of firearm where the barrel are hinged and can be broken open to expose the breech. The earliest metallic-cartridge breechloaders designed for military issue began as conversions of muzzle-loading rifle-muskets. The upper rear portion of the barrel was filed or milled away, an internal angled firing pin allowed the re-use of the rifles existing side-hammer. The Allin action made by Springfield Arsenal in the US hinged forward, france countered in 1866 with its superior Chassepot rifle, also a paper-cartridge bolt action
9.
Trigger (firearms)
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A trigger is a mechanism that actuates the firing sequence of a firearm or crossbow, a trigger may also start another mechanism such as a trap or a quick release. A small amount of energy applied to the causes the release of much more energy. In double action firearm designs, the trigger is used to cock the firearm -. Firearms use triggers to initiate the firing of a cartridge in the chamber of the weapon. This is accomplished by actuating a striking device through a combination of spring and kinetic energy operating through a pin to strike. There are two types of striking mechanisms, hammers and strikers. Hammers are spring-tensioned masses of metal that pivot on a pin when released, strikers are, essentially, spring-loaded firing pins that travel on an axis in-line with the cartridge eliminating the need for a separate hammer. The connection between the trigger and the hammer is generally referred to as the sear surface, variable mechanisms will have this surface directly on the trigger and hammer or have separate sears or other connecting parts. There are numerous types of action, where action refers to the mechanism or to the logic of how it is built and they are categorized according to which functions the trigger is to perform. Most modern firearms use the trigger to deactivate passive safeties but this does not change how they are identified, a single-action trigger is the earliest and mechanically simplest of trigger types. Almost all rifles and shotguns use this type of trigger, the term single-action wasnt in use until weapons with double-action triggers were invented, which didnt occur until the mid-19th century, before that, all triggers were single-action. Although these weapons dont require the user to physically cock the hammer, manually cocked hammers lasted a while longer in some break-action shotguns, and in dangerous game rifles, where the hunter didnt want to rely on an unnecessarily complex or fragile weapon. In modern usage, the terms single-action and double-action almost always refer to handguns, while a single-action revolver or semi-automatic must always be cocked prior to firing, most double-action handguns are capable of firing in both single- and double-action modes. Only double-action only weapons are incapable of firing from a cocked hammer. Thereafter, every time a round is fired, the hammer is recocked by the cycling slide, after the first shot, they would fire as single-actions. These double action, or double action, pistols rapidly gained popularity. A double-action/single-action firearm combines the features of both mechanisms, and is called traditional double-action. In simple terms, double-action refers to a gun trigger mechanism that both cocks the hammer and then releases the sear, thus performing two actions, hence double action
10.
Cylinder (firearms)
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In firearms, the cylinder is the cylindrical, rotating part of a revolver containing multiple chambers. The cylinder revolves around an axis in the revolver to bring each individual chamber into alignment with the barrel for firing. Each time the gun is cocked, the cylinder indexes by one chamber, cylinders typically hold six cartridges, but some small frame revolvers only hold 5 cartridges, due to the smaller overall size of the gun and reduced space availability. The Nagant M1895 revolver has a 7 shot cylinder, the Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver has an 8-shot cylinder in.38 caliber, several models of.22 rimfire caliber revolvers have cylinders holding 9 or 10 rounds. As a general rule, cylinders are not designed to be detached from the firearm, rapid reloading is instead facilitated by the use of a speedloader or moon clip, although these only work on break-top and swing-out cylinder revolvers, for obvious reasons. The first generation of cartridge revolvers were converted caplock designs, in many of these, the pin on which the cylinder revolved was removed, and the cylinder taken from the gun for loading. Most revolvers using this method of loading are single action revolvers, because of this, many modern large caliber hunting revolvers tend to be based on the fixed cylinder design. The next method used for loading and unloading cartridge revolvers was the top break design, in a top break revolver, the frame is hinged at the bottom front of the cylinder. Releasing the lock and pushing the barrel down brings the cylinder up - this exposes the rear of the cylinder for reloading, fresh rounds are then placed into the cylinder, either one at a time or all at once with either a speedloader or a moon clip. The barrel and cylinder are then rotated back and locked in place, since the frame is in two parts, held together by a latch on the top rear of the cylinder, top break revolvers cannot handle high pressure or magnum-type rounds. Top break designs are largely extinct in the world of firearms, one of the most famous break top revolvers is the Webley service revolver, used by the British military from 1889-1963. The most modern method of loading and unloading a revolver is by means of the swing out cylinder, the cylinder is mounted on a pivot that is coaxial with the chambers, and the cylinder swings out and down. An extractor is fitted, operated by a rod projecting from the front of the cylinder assembly, when pressed, it will push all fired rounds free simultaneously. The cylinder may then be loaded, singly or again with a speedloader, closed, the pivoting part that supports the cylinder is called the crane, it is the weak point of swing-out cylinder designs. Lack of alignment between chamber and barrel is a condition, as it can impede the bullets transition from chamber to barrel. This gives rise to higher pressures in the chamber, bullet damage, the shock of firing can exert a great deal of stress on the crane, as in most designs the cylinder is only held closed at one point, the rear of the cylinder. Stronger designs, such as the Ruger Super Redhawk, use a lock in the crane as well as the lock at the rear of the cylinder and this latch provides a more secure bond between cylinder and frame, and allows the use of larger, more powerful cartridges. Swing out cylinders are rather strong, but not as strong as fixed cylinders, Firearm cylinders were first developed in the 16th century and, over time, had anywhere from three to twelve chambers bored into them
11.
Iron sights
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Iron sights are typically composed of two component sights, formed by metal blades, a rear sight mounted perpendicular to the line of sight and a front sight that is a post, bead, or ring. Open sights use a notch of some sort as the rear sight, civilian, hunting, and police firearms usually feature open sights, while many military battle rifles employ aperture sights. The earliest and simplest iron sights are fixed and cannot be easily adjusted, many iron sights are designed to be adjustable, so that the sights can be adjusted for elevation or windage. On many firearms it is the sight that is adjustable. For precision applications such as hunting or sniping, the sights are usually replaced by a telescopic sight. Iron sights may still be fitted alongside other sighting devices for back-up usage, iron sights provide horizontal and vertical reference points that allow the shooter to train the weapon. Rear sights are mounted in a dovetail on the barrel or receiver, closer to the eye of the shooter. Front sights are mounted to the barrel by dovetailing, soldering, screwing, or staking close to the muzzle, frequently on a ramp. Some front sight assemblies include a detachable hood intended to reduce glare, with typical blade or post iron sights, the shooter would center the front post in the notch of the rear sight and the tops of both sights should be level. Since the eye is capable of focusing on one plane, and the rear sight, front sight. At 1,000 m, that same misalignment would be magnified 100 times, sights for shotguns used for shooting small, moving targets work quite differently. The rear sight is completely discarded, and the reference point is provided by the correct. A brightly colored round bead is placed at the end of the barrel, often, this bead will be placed along a raised, flat rib, which is usually ventilated to keep it cool and reduce mirage effects from a hot barrel. This method of aiming is not as precise as that of a front sight/rear sight combination, but it is faster. Some shotguns also provide a mid-bead, which is a smaller bead located halfway down the rib, open sights generally are used where the rear sight is at significant distance from the shooters eye. They provide minimum occlusion of the view, but at the expense of precision. Open sights generally use either a square post or a bead on a post for a front sight, to use the sight, the post or bead is positioned both vertically and horizontally in the center of the rear sight notch. For a center hold, the front sight is positioned on the center of the target, for a 6oclock hold, the front sight is positioned just below the target and centered horizontally
12.
S&W Model 581
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The Smith & Wesson Model 586, is a six- or seven-shot double-action revolver chambered for the.357 Magnum cartridge. It is essentially the same weapon as the S&W Model 686, also, since the 586 was directed more to law enforcement, most have shorter barrels than the 686. It will chamber and fire.38 Special cartridges, as the.357 Magnum was developed from the.38 Special, the magnum case is slightly longer to prevent magnum rounds from being chambered and fired in handguns chambered for the.38 Special. The Model 586 uses S & Ws L revolver frame, with a K-Frame sized grip mated to a larger diameter cylinder, during the 1980s, Smith & Wesson developed its L-Frame line of.357 Magnums, the Model 581, Model 586, Model 681 and Model 686. The Model 581 had a fixed notch type rear sight, whereas the 586 used a target style adjustable rear sight and these handguns had a major effect on both law enforcement and sporting markets. The 586 was introduced in 1980 and the 581 was discontinued in 1988, according to Jim Supica and Richard Nahas in their book Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 3rd Edition The K-frame.357 magnum revolvers became immensely popular as police revolvers. However some felt that extensive firing of full power.357 ammunition in the relatively light framed guns was wearing on both gun and shooter. There appeared to be a demand for a.357 that handled like a K frame but offered the heft, the L frame was introduced as this compromise size, with design input from Roy Jinks, and quickly established itself in the law enforcement and hunting markets. L frames also feature a full-length under-barrel lug, which adds recoil-absorbing weight to the gun. It was manufactured in blue or nickel-plated versions. A stainless steel version exists as the Model 686, other variations, such as the Model 686+, chambered for 7 rounds, are available. In the late 1990s, Smith & Wesson discontinued production of all but a few blued revolvers, thus the Model 686, in 2012, Smith & Wesson brought back the 586 in its 4-in. and 6-in. Barrel lengths as part of its Classic line of revolvers, the 586-8 features a redesigned and improved yoke. 586,1981 Intro 586-1,1986 Radius stud package, floating hand, 586-2,1987 Change hammer nose and associated parts. 586-M,1987 Product warning by S&W, M overstamp to indicate factory mod 586-3,1988 New yoke retention system,1992 Delete 8 3/8 barrel and four-position front site. 1992 Delete nickel finish 586-41994 Drill and tap, synthetic grips, change rear sight,1997 Delete 8 3/8 barrel, change to MIM thumb piece. 586-5,1998 Change design to eliminate cylider stop stud, Change to MIM hammer with floating firing pin, change to MIM trigger, change internal lockworks. 586-8,2012 Reintroduced under Smith & Wessons Classic lineup, the Smith & Wesson Model 686 is a stainless-steel version of the post-1980 L-frame revolver.357 Magnum ammunition for L-frame revolvers manufactured before August 1987
13.
Smith & Wesson Model 686
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The Smith & Wesson Model 686 is a six- or seven-shot double-action revolver manufactured by Smith & Wesson and chambered for the.357 Magnum cartridge. It will chamber and fire.38 Special cartridges, as the.357 Magnum was developed from the.38 Special, the magnum case is slightly longer to prevent magnum rounds from being chambered and fired in handguns chambered for the.38 Special. The 686 has been available with 2-1/2 in, barrel lengths as standard models and other barrel lengths either by special order from S&Ws Performance Center custom shop, or acquired from or built by after-market gunsmiths. The Performance Center made a number of 686 in.38 Super for competitive shooters. Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 686 in 1980 and it is the stainless steel version of the 586, which was a blued steel finish. It was chambered for.357 Magnum and.38 S&W Special +P calibers and they are available ported and unported with a choice of 6 or 7 round cylinders. The Model 686 is based on S&Ws K/L revolver frame, during the 1980s, Smith & Wesson developed its K/L-Frame line of.357 Magnums, the Model 581, Model 586, Model 681 and Model 686. The Models 581 and 681 have fixed sights, whereas the 586 and 686 use adjustable sights. S&W Model 686 S&W Model 686P S&W Model 686PP The Model 686 has a rear sight, and until 1992. They had Goncalo alves hardwood grips until 1994, when the grip was replaced by a rubber Hogue grip. Through the years, there have been variations on the Model 686. 5-inch, 3-inch, 4-inch, or 6-inch barrel, adjustable sights, 7-shot cylinder. As with all current Smith & Wesson revolvers, the 686 Plus now has a key lock integral to the frame of the gun, united States -Used by U. S. Border Patrol. Used by legacy U. S. Customs Service, Used by the legacy U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Used by U. S. Navy Special Operations during waterborne missions. Used by some police departments and by individual officers in larger departments. Luxembourg - Used by the Luxemburg Grand Ducal Police as duty weapon, in 1987, seven years after the release of the Model 686, there were reports of cylinder binding with some types of standard.357 Magnum ammunition for L-frame revolvers manufactured before August 1987
14.
Nickel
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Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the metals and is hard and ductile. Meteoric nickel is found in combination with iron, a reflection of the origin of elements as major end products of supernova nucleosynthesis. An iron–nickel mixture is thought to compose Earths inner core, use of nickel has been traced as far back as 3500 BCE. Nickel was first isolated and classified as an element in 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt. The elements name comes from a mischievous sprite of German miner mythology, Nickel, an economically important source of nickel is the iron ore limonite, which often contains 1–2% nickel. Nickels other important ore minerals include garnierite, and pentlandite, major production sites include the Sudbury region in Canada, New Caledonia in the Pacific, and Norilsk in Russia. Nickel is slowly oxidized by air at room temperature and is considered corrosion-resistant, historically, it has been used for plating iron and brass, coating chemistry equipment, and manufacturing certain alloys that retain a high silvery polish, such as German silver. About 6% of world production is still used for corrosion-resistant pure-nickel plating. Nickel-plated objects sometimes provoke nickel allergy, Nickel has been widely used in coins, though its rising price has led to some replacement with cheaper metals in recent years. Nickel is one of four elements that are ferromagnetic around room temperature, alnico permanent magnets based partly on nickel are of intermediate strength between iron-based permanent magnets and rare-earth magnets. The metal is valuable in modern times chiefly in alloys, about 60% of world production is used in nickel-steels, other common alloys and some new superalloys comprise most of the remainder of world nickel use, with chemical uses for nickel compounds consuming less than 3% of production. As a compound, nickel has a number of chemical manufacturing uses. Nickel is a nutrient for some microorganisms and plants that have enzymes with nickel as an active site. Nickel is a metal with a slight golden tinge that takes a high polish. It is one of four elements that are magnetic at or near room temperature. Its Curie temperature is 355 °C, meaning that bulk nickel is non-magnetic above this temperature, the unit cell of nickel is a face-centered cube with the lattice parameter of 0.352 nm, giving an atomic radius of 0.124 nm
15.
Popular Mechanics
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Popular Mechanics is a classic magazine of popular science and technology. First published by Henry Haven Windsor, January 11,1902, there are nine international editions, including a now-defunct Latin American version that had been published for decades, and a newer South African edition. The Russian edition of Popular Mechanics has been issued since 2002, in 2013, the US edition changed from twelve to ten issues per year. Popular Mechanics features regular sections on automotive, home, outdoors, science, a recurring column is Jay Lenos Garage featuring observations by the famed late-night talk show host and vehicle enthusiast. Popular Mechanics was established in 1902, the first issue appeared on January 11,1902. The magazine was originally self-published by the Popular Mechanics Company but in 1958 became a subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, a nearly complete archive of Popular Mechanics issues from 1905 through 2005 is available through Google Books. Popular Mechanics Show is the weekly podcast of Popular Mechanics magazine. Enthusiasts and Innovators, Possible Dreams and the Innovation Station at the Henry Ford Museum, society for the History of Technology. Possible Dreams, Enthusiasm for Technology in America, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village
16.
Smith & Wesson Model 1
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The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first firearm manufactured by Smith & Wesson, with production spanning the years 1857 through 1882. It was the first commercially successful revolver to use rimfire cartridges instead of powder, musket ball. It is a single-action, tip-up revolver holding seven.22 Short black powder cartridges, as Samuel Colts patent on the night revolver was set to expire in 1856, Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson were researching a prototype for a cartridge revolver. Rather than make White a partner in their company, Smith and it would become Whites responsibility to defend his patent in any court cases which eventually led to his financial ruin, but was very advantageous for the new Smith & Wesson Company. The Model 1 had three issues or major variants, with each subsequent issue introducing significant technical changes, the 1st Issue of the Model 1 was the first major iteration, with approximately 12,000 produced over a three year period. There are six variations of the Model 1, first identified in an article by John Kountz in the April 1956 issue of The Gun Report. In this article, Kountz noted specific differences in the shield, the barrel latch. Serial numbers were issued sequentially for the Model 1 1st Issues ranging from 1 through approximately 12,000, the 2nd Issue of the Model 1 looked similar to the 1st Issue, with several notable differences. The side plate on the 2nd Issue was much larger and irregularly shaped, the profile of the frame was flatter, and the hammer was now made in one piece. Model 1 2nd Issues still had the flared, square cornered shaped grip and the octagonal tip-up style frame, there are several variations of the 2nd Issue guns. Variants between serial numbers 12,000 through to about 20,000 involve the shape of the plate, the design of the trigger spring. There was also a decrease in the size of the barrel roll stamps at around serial number 95,000, 2nd Issue marked 2D QUALTY are also seen occasionally. There were approximately 110,000 2nd Issues produced from 1860 through 1868, the Model 1, 3rd Issue represented a substantial redesign for the Model 1, with a fluted cylinder, a round barrel and a rounded birds head style grip. Finishes included full nickel plating, full blued steel, and a half plate nickel/blue combo, variants include the square and triangular top strap design that changed around serial number 9,500. The 3rd Issue guns were produced from 1868 through 1882 with serial numbers from 1 through approximately 131,000 and this popularity led to numerous knockoffs and patent infringements by other armsmakers. Rolin White and S&W brought infringement cases against Manhattan Firearms Company, Ethan Allen, Merwin & Bray, National Arms Company, the courts mostly allowed these manufacturers to continue production runs, with a royalty on each revolver paid to White. In some cases, Smith & Wesson bought the back to remark and sell
17.
Smith & Wesson Model 1 1/2
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Chambered in.32 Rimfire, its cylinder held 5 shots. It was produced in three varieties from 1865 through 1892, with production exceeding 223,000. The Model 1 1/2 had three issues, the first issue of the Model 1 1/2 can be identified by its smooth cylinder, and the square shape of the grip butt. Models were available in blued or nickel-plated finishes, and the majority were produced with 3 1⁄2-inch barrels, a less common 4-inch barrel variety was also sold. Serial numbers range from 1 through to approximately 26,300, the second issue of the Model 1 1/2 can be identified by its fluted barrel and the rounded shape of the grip butt. Like the 1st Issue, it was produced in blued steel and nickel-plated varieties. 2nd Issue guns were numbered consecutively after the 1st Issue. There is also a transitional model 2nd issue that uses the unfluted 1st issue barrels, the serial numbers for these transitional models span approximately 27,200 through 28,800. The third issue of the Model 1 1/2 is known as the Model No.1 1/2 Single Action Revolver and it differs substantially from the first two issues by breaking at the top, consistent with the design of the Safety Hammerless or S&W.38 Single Action. The grip is rounded at the butt, and is similar in appearance to that on the 2nd Issue and this revolver marked the debut of the.32 S&W centerfire cartridge. Serial numbers ranged from 1 to approximately 97,500
18.
Smith & Wesson Model 3
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Schofield, who made his own modifications to the Model 3 to meet his perceptions of the Cavalrys needs. Smith & Wesson incorporated these modifications into an 1875 design they named after the Major, the S&W Model 3 was originally chambered for the.44 S&W American and.44 Russian cartridges, and typically did not have the cartridge information stamped on the gun. Model 3 revolvers were produced in an assortment of calibers, including.44 Henry Rimfire. 44-40. 32-44. 38-44. The design would influence the smaller S&W.38 Single Action that is referred to as the Model 2. Smith & Wesson produced large numbers of the Model 3, in three models, for the Russian Empire by special order. The Russian and European copies of the S&W Model 3 revolver were generally of high quality. This led to the Imperial government cancelling the order for significant quantities of Smith & Wesson–made revolvers, and delaying payment for the handguns that had already been delivered. The U. S. Army adopted the.44 S&W American caliber Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver in 1870, most military pistols until that point were black powder cap and ball revolvers, which were slow, complicated, and susceptible to the effects of wet weather. Smith & Wesson instead developed their own, slightly shorter.45 caliber round, when it became obvious in the field that the two cartridges would not work interchangeably in the Schofield, the U. S. Government adopted the shorter.45 Schofield cartridge as the standard cartridge. Despite the change, old stocks of the longer.45 Colt rounds in the line caused the Army to drop most of the Schofields. Many of the S&W Model 3 Schofield revolvers saw service in the Indian Wars, the Smith & Wesson No.3 revolver was famously used by Wyatt Earp during the OK Corral Gunfight with the Clanton Gang. While the standard length was 7, many Schofields were purchased as surplus by distributors, and had the barrels shortened to 5. After the Spanish–American War of 1898, the US Army sold off all their surplus Schofield revolvers and these revolvers were then inspected by the Wells Fargo armorer and uniquely stamped W. F. Lieutenant Colonel Schofield shot himself on December 17,1882, with a S&W Schofield revolver after suffering a bout of illness, stress. The Schofield was produced in various versions, the First Model Schofield has a latch configuration that is rather pointed at the top and has a circle around the screw head at the bottom. The Second Model latch has a raised circle at the top of the latch. In the previous engineering, the posts of the frame would wear out after heavy usage, Schofields improvement called for heat treated, replaceable components at this sensitive wear area of the catch and latch. The serial number range also will give an indication of whether it is First or Second Model, in 1877, S&W discontinued production of its other Model 3s such as the American, Russian, and Schofield—in favor a new improved design called the New Model Number Three
19.
Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless
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The Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless or Smith & Wesson New Departure is a double-action revolver that was produced from 1887 to 1940 by Smith & Wesson. The revolver incorporated an internal hammer and a grip safety on its backstrap. It was chambered in.32 S&W and.38 S&W calibers, the grip safety made a brief return to Smith & Wessons revolvers in 1952 with the release of the Models 40 and 42. The Smith & Wesson.38 Safety Hammerless models were produced from 1887 to just before World War II and they were chambered in either.32 S&W or.38 S&W with a five-shot cylinder. They were most often produced with a 2-inch, 3-inch, or 3. 5-inch barrels and these top-break revolvers were designed for fast reloading and concealed carry as the hammer was internal and would not snag on drawing the revolver from a pocket. They were known as The New Departure to reflect the new approach to designing revolvers. Minor design changes were made to these revolvers over the years, resulting in different design models. The first model was manufactured between 1887-1902, the 38 was based on S&Ws medium frame, while the 32 was based on the smaller sized 1½ frame. In 1952 the safety hammerless concept was applied to Smith & Wessons J-frame, the finished product became the Model 40 and 42 chambered in.38 Special and is alternately known as the Centennial as it was produced in the 100th anniversary of the founding of Smith & Wesson. While few competitors replicated the grip safety, the hammer or hammerless design proved popular with other manufacturers such as Iver Johnson and Harrington & Richardson. The concept is still maintained by numerous modern double-action revolver manufacturers
20.
Smith & Wesson Model 30
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The Smith & Wesson Model 30 is a small-frame, six-shot, double-action revolver chambered for the.32 Long cartridge. It was based on the Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector Model of 1903 and it was a round butt I-frame and was produced from 1948 to 1976. From 1948 to 1957, this model was known as the Model.32 Hand Ejector and was built on the 5-screw I-Frame, in 1958 the frame was redesigned to use four screws and a coiled mainspring as opposed to a flat or leaf spring and called the Improved I-Frame. Three years later in 1961, the I-Frame was discontinued and the slightly longer 3-screw J-Frame replaced it. A square butt version first known as the Model.32 Regulation Police was made during the time period as the Model.32 Hand Ejector and was eventually replaced by the Model 31 in 1958. The Model 31 followed the path as the Model 30 with regard to production dates.32 Long Smith & Wesson
21.
Smith & Wesson Model 36
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The Smith & Wesson Model 36 is a revolver chambered for.38 Special. It is one of models of J-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers. It was introduced in 1950, and is still in production, the Model 36 was designed in the era just after World War II, when Smith & Wesson stopped producing war materials and resumed normal production. For the Model 36, they sought to design a revolver that could fire the more powerful.38 Special round in a small, since the older I-frame was not able to handle this load, a new frame was designed, which became the Smith & Wesson J-frame. The new design was introduced at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in 1950, a vote was held to name the new revolver, and the name Chiefs Special won. A three-inch barreled version of this went into production immediately. It was available in either a blued or nickel-plated finish and it was produced as the Chiefs Special until 1957, when it then became the Model 36. The Chiefs Special continued to be manufactured as a separate variant, in 1951, Smith & Wesson introduced the Airweight Model 37, which was basically the Model 36 design with an aluminum frame and cylinder. The aluminum cylinders proved to be problematic and were abandoned in favor of a steel cylinder, in 1989, Smith & Wesson introduced the LadySmith variant of the Model 36. This was available with a 2-inch or 3 inch barrel and blued finish and this model also featured special grips designed specifically for women, and had LADYSMITH engraved on the frame. Approximately 615 Model 36-6 Target variations were produced and this variant had a 3-inch full lug barrel with adjustable sights and a blued glass finish. In 2002, Smith & Wesson reintroduced the Model 36 with gold features, the gold color was actually titanium nitride. In 2005, Smith & Wesson produced the Texas Hold Em variant and this was produced with a blued finish, imitation ivory grips, and 24k gold plate engraving. A large number of Model 37 variants with a ring attached were made for Japan. Part of this contract was cancelled, resulting in a number of these being sold to a wholesaler. These entered the market in 2001. In 2006, the Model 37 was dropped from Smith & Wessons catalog, serial number 337 was shipped to J. Edgar Hoover and is engraved with his name. In 1958, Spanish manufacturer Astra developed a high quality revolver line based on this weapon, under the name of Astra Cadix, Astra 250, designed to be small and compact, the Model 36 is available with a 1.875 inch barrel
22.
Smith & Wesson Bodyguard
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The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard is a family of small J-frame revolvers with shrouded hammers manufactured by Smith & Wesson. They are available chambered in either.38 Special or.357 Magnum, the Model 38 is aluminum-framed, has a carbon steel cylinder with a five round capacity and barrel. The Model 49 is a revolver chambered in.38 Special. The Model 638 is aluminum-framed with stainless steel cylinder and barrel, the Model 649 is an all stainless-steel framed revolver. The M&P Bodyguard 38, introduced in 2014, is the latest incarnation of a Smith & Wesson revolver using the Bodyguard moniker and it is a polymer framed revolver chambered in.38 Special, and is only available with a Crimson Trace laser sight integrated in to the grip. Like previous Bodyguard models, it has a five round cylinder and a hammer but unlike the previous models. The lockwork is different than any other Smith & Wesson revolver, chambered in.38 special, it is only available with a Crimson Trace red-dot laser sight integrated in to the grip. It is most closely related to the Centennial models, clyde A. Tolson, special assistant to FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, owned a Model 38 Airweight, serial number 512236, with his name engraved on the side. Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, South Vietnams chief of National Police, was photographed using a Model 38 Bodyguard to execute a Viet Cong prisoner, Nguyễn Văn Lém, the picture, which earned photographer Eddie Adams a Pulitzer Prize, is credited with increasing public antipathy towards the Vietnam War. On December 22,1984, Bernhard Goetz used a Model 38 Airweight in the shooting on a New York subway train of four men who he believed were about to rob him.357 Magnum Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380
23.
Smith & Wesson Model 60
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The Smith & Wesson Model 60 revolver is a 5-shot revolver that is chambered in either.38 Special or.357 Magnum calibers. It was the first revolver produced from stainless steel, the Model 60 has a swing-out cylinder, and features an exposed hammer. It has been in production since 1965, and holds the distinction of being the first regular production all stainless steel revolver ever made, the 1965 models stainless steel production proved so popular that there was a waiting list at gunshops for up to six months to purchase one. At that time the Model 60 featured a 1.875 barrel and was chambered solely for the.38 Special, in 1996, the stronger J-Magnum frame was introduced and the cylinder was lengthened to support the.357 Magnum round. The new model replaced the.38 Special-only version and is available in either a 2.125 or a 3 barrel, with a 5 barrel introduced in 2005. Older versions of the Model 60 were produced with only fixed sights, modern productions are made with an adjustable rear sight
24.
Smith & Wesson Model 317 kit gun
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The Smith & Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun is the current version of over 60 years of the companys kit gun line. The current version is a light, versatile, eight-shot, double-action revolver chambered for the.22 Long Rifle cartridge, manufactured by Smith & Wesson. Due to its low weight, it can be carried for hiking or camping and used for recreational shooting, due to this light weight and small size, the Model 317 is quite easily concealed. With this in mind, an area of the butt of the gun is hollowed out, a transverse pin allows the use of a lanyard to carry the Model 317 under clothing. The 317 was designed to be lighter than previous Smith & Wesson kit guns carried for outdoor activities, steel was replaced by titanium and aluminum for this purpose. Between World War I and World War II, the kit bags carried by hunters, hikers, campers and these kit bags carried many of the necessary items one might need when alone in the open country or forest. In 1935, the.357 Magnum was released by Smith & Wesson and it was said to be “The World’s Most Powerful Revolver. ”After this came the more compact. 22/.32 Target I-frame revolvers. The. 22/.32 Kit Gun was so named because it was intended to be carried in a kit bag, the Kit Gun line began as an I-Frame.22 caliber 6-shot revolver in 1953, and its model designation at the time was Model of 1953. This is sometimes called the pre-34, in 1958, S&W renamed it as the Model 34 and began stamping the models thus. This production continued till the early 1960s, when the pistol was redesigned using the larger J-frame J-frame and marketed as the model 34-1. Due to the popularity of stainless steel revolvers, the. 22/.32 Model 63 Kit Gun was released in 1977, the.22 WMR Model 651 in 1983. There was a Kit Gun Airweight and a Kit Gun chambered in.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, all three were available with adjustable sights. The Model 34 continued to be manufactured until 1991, but Model 43 and 51 production stopped in 1974, the model 63 stainless was replaced by the significantly lighter model 317 in the late 2000s. Older Kit Guns have been replaced, and though some come in larger calibers and this is due to advances in titanium and aluminum construction. There is the Model 317.22 Long Rifle AirLite Kit Gun, the Model 337.38 Special AirLite Kit Gun, and a.44 Special Kit Gun and these revolvers have aluminum alloy frames and cylinders made of titanium. While titanium is considerably lighter than steel, it is just as strong, the aluminum barrels have a steel liner. The Smith & Wesson Model 317 is the lighter, shorter version of the Model 317 Kit Gun and it is extremely light at just 10.8 oz /306.2 g. The model 63 stainless also comes in a 8-shot, 3-inch-barrel version, http, //www. smith-wesson. com Guns Magazine, Oct,2000 http, //www. gunblast. com
25.
Smith & Wesson Model 340PD
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The Smith & Wesson 340PD is an ultra-light J-frame five shot snubnosed revolver chambered for.357 Magnum. It has a constructed of scandium enhanced aluminum alloy, a titanium alloy cylinder. Unloaded it weighs only 12 ounces and when loaded remains under 1 pound, with no external hammer it operates double action only. A variant of the Model 340 is the M&P340, part of Smith & Wessons M&P line of handguns and it features a PVD coating and stainless steel cylinder. It has XS Sights® 24/7 Tritium Night sights and weighs 13.3 ounces and it is available with or without an internal lock. Another warning in the manual is recoil may pull the cases of unfired rounds in the cylinder rearward with enough force to unseat the bullets. It has also said that accuracy is compromised in these types of ultra-light revolvers since the barrel is a steel sleeve liner rather than a single solid piece of steel
26.
Smith & Wesson Centennial
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S&W Centennial is a family of revolvers made by Smith & Wesson on the J-Frame. Depending upon caliber, the cylinder holds either 5,6,7, or 8, centennials feature a fully enclosed hammer, which makes them Double Action Only firearms. Like all other J-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers, they have a swing-out cylinder, the Smith & Wesson Model 40 originally debuted as the Centennial in 1952 and was renamed the Model 40 in 1957. The Model 40 is chambered in.38 special and has a five-round capacity and it is a snub-nose revolver with a 1 7/8-inch barrel. It is built on Smith & Wessons J-frame and weighs 21 oz. empty, the revolver was made with a grip safety as some shooters could not get used to the idea of firing a revolver without cocking the hammer. Smith & Wesson reintroduced this model in 2007 as a piece with some models featuring a case hardened finish by Doug Turnbull. The Model 42 came out in 1952 as the Airweight Centennial but was changed in 1957 to the Model 42, the gun was the same design as the Model 40 except the frame was made of an aluminum alloy, resulting in a lower weight than the Model 40. The Model 42 was discontinued in 1974, the Model 640 revolver has been in production since 1990 and was chambered for.38 Special. It was fitted with a barrel of 1-7/8 inch length. The second model had a heavier and longer barrel of 2-1/8 inch length. A3 barreled version was offered until 1993, when it was dropped from production, in 1996 S&W began chambering the 640 in.357 Magnum. Because of the power of the.357 magnum cartridge, the frame is strengthened just in front of the release on those models. The 442 has a frame and blued carbon steel cylinder. The 642 has a frame and stainless steel cylinder. In 1993 S&W introduced the Model 940, similar in appearance to the 640, in 1996 the 940 was dropped from production. In 2001 a Scandium framed version was introduced in.357 Magnum designated as the Model 340. The model M&P342 was introduced in 2001 as a run of revolvers that are identical to a Model 340. Another warning in the manual is that recoil may pull the cases of unfired rounds in the cylinder rearward with enough force to unseat the bullets causing the cylinder to jam
27.
Smith & Wesson Model 640
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The Smith & Wesson Model 640 revolver is a 5-shot snubnosed revolver that is chambered in either.38 Special or.357 Magnum caliber introduced in 1990. Like other J-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers, it has a cylinder, but this model features a concealed hammer. The first model was chambered in.38 Special and fitted with a barrel of 1-7/8 inch length. The second model had a heavier and longer barrel of 2-1/8 inch length. The gun was constructed entirely of stainless steel, in 1995 the model 642 was introduced which was made in aluminium and designated airweight. A3 barreled version was offered until 1993, when it was dropped from production and that same year S&W introduced the Model 940, similar in appearance, but chambered in 9mm Luger. In 1996 the 940 was dropped and S&W began chambering the 640 in.357 Magnum, because of the power of the.357 magnum cartridge, the frame is strengthened just in front of the cylinder release on those models. In 2001 a Scandium framed version was introduced in.357 Magnum designated as the Model 340, in spite of its small frame and short barrel the revolver is durable and fairly accurate. Firearms writer Joe Gorman fired 500 full power rounds through the revolver and it survived still tight, the Model 640 is an approved off-duty/back-up weapon for the New York City Police Department
28.
Smith & Wesson Model 10
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In production since 1899, it is a six-shot double-action revolver with fixed sights. Over its long run it has been available with barrel lengths of 2 in,3 in,4 in,5 in. Barrels of 2.5 inches are also known to have made for special contracts. Some 6,000,000 of the type have been produced over the years, making it the most popular centerfire revolver of the 20th century. In 1899, the United States Army and Navy placed orders with Smith & Wesson for two to three thousand Model 1899 Hand Ejector revolvers chambered for the M1892.38 Long Colt U. S, in 1902 the.38 Military & Police was introduced, featuring substantial changes. These included major modification and simplification of the internal lockwork and the addition of a locking underlug on the barrel to engage the previously free-standing ejector rod, barrel lengths were 4,5,6, and 6.5 inches with a rounded butt. Serial numbers for the Military & Police ranged from number 1 in the series to 20,975, most of the early M&P revolvers chambered in.38 Special appear to have been sold to the civilian market. By 1904, S&W was offering the.38 M&P with a rounded or square butt, and 4-, 5-, heat treating of cylinders began in 1919. The S&W Model 10 military revolvers produced from 1942 to 1944 had serial numbers with a V prefix and it is noteworthy that early Victory Models did not always have the V prefix. Most Victory Models sent to Britain were fitted with 4-inch or 5-inchbarrels, the Victory Model was used by United States forces during World War II, being chambered in the well-known and popular.38 Special cartridge. Some of these remained in service well into the 1990s with units of the United States Armed Forces. Until the introduction of the Beretta M9 9mm pistol in 1990, U. S. Army helicopter crew members, criminal Investigation Division agents were issued.38 caliber revolvers with two inch barrels. The Victory Model remained in use with Air National Guard tanker, rechambering of. 38-200 cylinders to.38 Special results in oversized chambers, which may cause problems. Lee Harvey Oswald was carrying a re-chambered Victory Model when he was apprehended on November 22,1963, other distinguishing features of the Victory Model revolver are the lanyard loop at the bottom of the grip frame, and the use of smooth walnut grip panels. However some early models did use a grip, most notably the pre-1942 manufacture. After World War II, Smith & Wesson returned to manufacturing the M&P series, in 1957, Smith & Wesson adopted the convention of using numeric designations to distinguish their various models of handguns, and the M&P was renamed the Model 10. The M&P/Model 10 has been available in blued steel finish and nickel finish for most of its production run. The model has also offered throughout the years with both the round butt and square butt, i. e. grip patterns
29.
Smith & Wesson Model 12
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The Smith & Wesson Model 12 is.38 Special revolver on Smith & Wessons medium-sized K-frame. It is an aluminium alloy-frame version of the Model 10 and it was made from 1953 to 1986 in both two- and four-inch barrel configurations. Early models used a cylinder as well as frame.38 Special. Some 40,000 Smith & Wesson M13 revolvers were produced, a civilian model of the M13 was released in 1953, called the Military & Police Airweight. This designation was changed in 1957 to the Model 12 Airweight, the Military & Police Airweight initially used both an aluminum cylinder and frame, and weighed only 14.5 ounces. The Model 12 variants 12-1, 12-2, and 12-3 used a hammer and had an aluminum grip frame that was 0. 08-inch narrower than the standard steel K-frame. The final version, the Model 12-4, used the standard frame dimension of the other K-frames and it also featured a rounded butt. Pre-Model 12 - predates model number markings and it has an alloy cylinder and will be a 5 screw design with 4 sideplate screws and a screw in front of the trigger guard. This is apparent when the primers have elongated firing pin marks, very early versions have aluminum cylinders and should not be fired. The two-inch barrel Model 12 is also called a snub-nose and it is also a proven performer as a back-up pistol for some officers, who carry a larger caliber pistol at their waist. The Model 12 is most often found to have some wear on its due to age. An important earmark is the factory stamp Mod-12 on the frame inside the yoke, also on the inside of the yoke is the revolvers serial number, which is repeated verbatim on the base of the butt. The Model 12 holds its market value nicely and is highly collectible, as with most older revolvers, a reputable gunsmith should check its functioning prior to purchase
30.
Smith & Wesson Model 13
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The Smith & Wesson Model 13 is a.357 Magnum revolver designed for military and police use. It is based on Smith & Wessons K-frame—specifically, it is a.357 Magnum version of the variant of the.38 Special Model 10. This is a revolver with a capacity of six rounds. Barrel lengths are 3-inch and 4-inch with fixed sights, both round-butt and square-butt versions were produced. The Model 19 is essentially the same gun with adjustable sights, the M13 has a blued finish, the Model 65 is a variant in matte finish stainless steel. The Model 13 was manufactured from 1974 to 1998, the Model 65 was manufactured from 1972 to 2004. The original Model 13 used no designation and was known as the Air Crewman Model 13. Alternate generations of the model 13 are as follows, 1st Gen. -1974- Introduced, 2nd Gen. -1977- Change back to gas ring on cylinder, both models were issued by police agencies and federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. The Model 13 was requested by the New York State Police in order to have a.357 Magnum revolver to replace their.38 Special Model 10, the Model 65 in stainless steel came about at the request of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The FBI issued the Model 13 with round butt and 3 heavy barrel shortly before switching to semi-automatic pistols, the Model 65 is used by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Netbook of Modern Firearms entry S&W Model Changes
31.
Smith & Wesson Model 14
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The Smith & Wesson Model K-38 Target Masterpiece Revolver Model 14 is a six-shot, double-action revolver with adjustable open sights built on the medium-size K frame. It is chambered for the.38 Special cartridge, and most were fitted with a 6 in or 8 3⁄8 in barrel, a small batch were made with 4 in barrels, and even fewer were made with 5 in barrels. First produced in 1947 and originally known as the K-38 Target Masterpiece and it is built on the same medium-sized frame as the seminal Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver. The K-38 model was authorized for duty with the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1960s, the Model 14 Masterpiece Single-Action was available in 1961 and 1962. It came with a 6 in barrel and functioned in single-action only and it was otherwise identical to the rest of the Model 14s. Smith & Wesson also released a Model 14 in their Classics line, a nickel-plated version has since been discontinued, but the blued-steel version is still available. Other than the finishes, the revolvers were identical with 6 in barrels, a pinned Patridge front sight, a rear sight. Smith & Wesson Model 15 Smith & Wesson Model 17 List of firearms
32.
Smith & Wesson Model 15
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The Smith & Wesson K-38 Combat Masterpiece, Revolver Model 15 is a six-shot double-action revolver, with adjustable open sights, built on the medium-size K frame. It is chambered for the.38 Special cartridge and is fitted with a 4-inch barrel, originally known as the K-38 Combat Masterpiece, it was renamed the Model 15 in 1957 when all Smith & Wesson revolvers were given numerical model numbers. The main production run of the Model 15 was from 1949 through 1999 and it was discontinued for approximately a decade until 2011, when a re-tooled version was re-released under S&Ws Classics Revolvers line. The Smith & Wesson K-38 Combat Masterpiece Revolver Model 15 is a derivative of the classic 1899 K-frame Military, the M&P underwent steady evolution throughout the 20th century and S&W spun off several variations as separate models in the post World War II years. One of these was the K-38 Target Masterpiece, which production in 1947. 375” short-throw hammer, a trigger adjustment for overtravel. Noting the accuracy of the Target Masterpiece, a number of departments and the FBI soon requested the same revolver with a four-inch barrel. The result was the K-38 Combat Masterpiece, the major distinction between the K-38 Target Masterpiece and the K-38 Combat Masterpiece is the barrel length and the front sight. In 1957 the K-38 Combat Masterpiece was renamed the Model 15 when all Smith & Wesson revolvers were given model numbers. The model number is stamped on the frame behind the cylinder yoke, a number of production and engineering changes have been made throughout the years, some of which are noted by a dash number suffixed to the Model number. Over the years the Model 15 has been produced with several barrel lengths, in 1972 S&W released a stainless steel version as the Model 67. These two safety systems work oppositely, but achieve the goal of only allowing the gun to fire when the trigger is pulled all the way. The Model 15 was a sidearm for law enforcement and was the standard issue sidearm of the U. S. Air Force Police from 1962 until 1992 when it was replaced by the Beretta M9 pistol. Production of the Model 15 was discontinued in 1999 when Smith & Wesson was purchased and reorganized, in 2011 Smith & Wesson re-introduced the Model 15 under their Classics Revolvers line, newly machined, with a shrouded redesigned barrel, and a built-in trigger lock. Caliber.38 S&W Special Capacity,6 Barrel, 4” Length overall,9 1/8” With 4” barrel Weight loaded,34 oz, with 4” barrel Sights, Front – 1/8” Baughman Quick Draw on plain ramp. Rear, S&W Micrometer Click Sight, adjustable for windage and elevation.38 S&W Special.38 S&W Special Mid Range, 15-9, Limited run Lew Horton Heritage Series McGivern Models from the S&W Performance Center. 3 Models commemorating Ed McGivern’s world speed records in 1934 with a revolver, from 1960 to 1969 the Air Force bought large numbers of Model 15-1, 15-2, and 15-3 revolvers with a 4 barrel. The only distinctive markings are U. S. A. F on the side of the frame. Originally all were blued, though some were reparkerized while in Air Force service, the Model 15 was the standard issue sidearm of the U. S. Air Force Air/Security Police from 1962 until 1992
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Smith & Wesson Model 17
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The Smith & Wesson Model 17 is a six-shot double-action revolver chambered for.22 LR. It is built on Smith & Wessons medium-sized K-frame, Smith & Wessons Models 16 and 17 have their origins with the companys Pre-World War 2 Hand Ejector series in the 1930s. These two revolver models debuted as companion pieces known as the Models K-32 and K-22 after World War 2, the K-32 Masterpiece debuted in 1935 and was chambered in.32 S&W Long caliber. Production ceased during World War 2 and the revolver was reintroduced in 1947 along with the K-22 Masterpiece in.22 Long Rifle caliber, the Model 17 has an adjustable rear sight and an un-pinned, fixed ramp or Patridge style front sight. It was designed as a revolver and could be ordered from S&W with The Three Ts, Target Trigger, Target Hammer. Standard barrel lengths were 4,6 and 8 3/8, the 4 model 17-6 is infrequently seen, as S&W produced the almost identical,4 barrelled, Model 18. The Model 18 was a Model 17 copy- except the 4 barrel was tapered where the Model 174 barrel was not. Many collectors believe the Model 17-6 with the 4 non-tapered barrel was a bit of a production oddity, in 1990, S&W also shipped the Model 17 featuring a 4,6 or 8 3/8 full under lug barrel. The under lug was a solid, blued steel, circular rod, cast as part of the barrel, the under lug not only enclosed the ejector rod, it also added considerable weight to the gun itself. The under lug model shipped with a round butt wood grip that featured inletted finger grooves. The 4 Model 17 Under Lug is infrequently seen and quite possibly manufactured as an afterthought using factory shortened 6 or 8 3/8 under lug barrels. Model 617 - At the same time S&W introduced the Model 17 full Under Lug and this is the stainless steel version of the blued steel Model 17.22 LR, however all Model 617s have full, Under Lug barrels. Offered in the same three barrel lengths as the Model 17, the 617 is still in current production and is shipped with rubber grips, the Model 617 is found with a six-shot or ten-shot, steel.22 LR cylinder. The only exception is the early production Model 617-2 which was made with a ten-shot, later dash 2 617s were shipped with stainless steel cylinders. Photograph of Model 53 with cylinder inserts. Model 53 in.22 Jet with cylinder inserts to use.22 Rimfire The Smith & Wesson Model 53 was introduced in 1961 in the.22 Jet caliber. It is a revolver of six round capacity built on the small K frame using a double action trigger, the.22 Jet cartridge had a listed velocity of 2460 fps using a 40 grain bullet, but actually reached 1700-1800 this in the revolver. The Model 53 can also fire the.22 Short, Long, the hammer had a two position firing pin to allow it to be switched from rimfire to centerfire as needed. The handgun came with target handgrips and sights an in barrel lengths of 4,6 and 8.3 inches, in the late 1950s there was considerable interest in the shooting community for revolvers chambered in various.22 caliber wildcat cartridges
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Smith & Wesson Model 19
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The S&W Model 19 is a revolver produced by Smith & Wesson on its K-frame. The model 19 is chambered for.357 Magnum, the K-frame is somewhat smaller and lighter than the original N-frame.357, usually known as the S&W Model 27. The.357 Magnum is the oldest magnum handgun cartridge, Smith & Wesson played a major part in the development and success of the cartridge and revolver that went with it. Firearms writer and experimenter Philip Sharpe is credited for its development during the 1930s when police agencies were asking for a more powerful round. S&Ws Dan Wesson agreed to produce a new revolver that would handle high-intensity.38 Special loads, but only if Winchester would develop a new cartridge. Winchester introduced the.357 Magnum, which was identical to the.38 Special except for a.125 inch longer case. Retired Assistant Chief Patrol Inspector of the U. S, border Patrol, famous gunfighter, and noted firearms and shooting skills writer Bill Jordan consulted with Smith & Wesson on the design and characteristics of the Model 19. Jordans idea for a peace officers dream sidearm was a heavy-barreled four-inch K-Frame.357 Magnum with a shrouded barrel like the big N-frame.357 and adjustable sights. The.357 Magnum, four-inch barreled model was standard issue to uniformed officers of the former U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as well as Patrol Agents of the U. S, border Patrol until both agencies adopted.40 caliber semi-automatic pistols. The.357 Magnum,2. 5” barreled model was standard issue to Special Agents of the former U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as well as Patrol Agents of the U. S. Border Patrol working plain clothes assignments until both agencies adopted.40 caliber semi-automatic pistols.5,4, or 6-inch barrel lengths, the weights are 30.5 ounces,36 ounces, and 39 ounces, respectively. The 2. 5- and 3-inch barrel versions had round butts, the Model 19 was produced from 1957 to November 1999. The Model 66 was produced from 1970 until 2005, the Model 66 differed by its use of stainless steel and its smooth target-type trigger. The Model 19 and the Model 66 had the same trigger options, engineering changes were designated with a dash- number after the model number. The engineering changes are as follows,19, Stamping of model number, 19-1, Change extractor rod, right to left-hand thread. 19-2, Cylinder stop changed, deleted triggerguard screw,50 manufactured with 2.5 barrel, serial range K544672–K544721. 19-3, Relocation of rear sight leaf screw, 19-4, Change gas ring from yoke to cylinder. 19-5, Eliminate cylinder counterbore and pinned barrel, small change in length to 1.62
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Smith & Wesson Model 64
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The Smith & Wesson Model 64 Military and Police revolver is the stainless steel version of its Model 10. The Model 64 was the second all stainless steel revolver made by Smith & Wesson and it is a six shot revolver chambered in.38 Special. It was widely used by several U. S. police, sheriff, the Model 64 was a popular choice in high humid states because the stainless model 64 was more corrosion and rust resistant than the blued model 10. Originally offered in two variants, a 4 taper barrelled square butt or a 2 round butt, the Model 64 has since been offered in numerous configurations, the 4 heavy barelled version, introduced in 1974, became a favorite with many police agencies. It was the first stainless steel revolver authorized for use by NYPD as well as the last revolver approved for use being replaced by 9mm semiautomatic pistols in 1993. Noted for its accuracy, dependability and manageable recoil, the Model 64 is still in use for security, inmate transportation, target shooting, formal target competition, caliber.38 S&W Special Capacity,6 Rounds Barrel Length, varies Frame, Medium Material, Stainless Steel
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Smith & Wesson Model 619 & 620
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The Smith & Wesson models 619 &620 are 7 shot revolvers introduced by the company in 2005. The 619 has fixed rear sights while the 620 comes with rear sights. They are very similar and often mistaken for members of the 686 family, in actuality they are descendants of S&Ws model 65 &66. The 65 &66 models were discontinued and the 619 &620 filled their place as the next generation and they were updated to current S&W standards with the addition of a key lock safety as well as 7 round cylinders. The K-Frame of the 65 &66 was replaced with the newer reinforced L-Frame and these handguns share many common traits but are easily distinguished by key differences. Both models are based on the Smith & Wesson L-Frame and are available in 4 barrels with 7 shot capacity, the 686 features a full-underlug barrel made of one piece whereas the 620 sports a half-lug and two piece barrel. The 620 weighs in at 37. 9oz, just a lighter than the 686s 38oz. The lighter model also shaves 1/8 off of the 686s 9 5⁄8 overall length
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Smith & Wesson Model 646
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The Smith & Wesson Model 646 is a six-shot, double-action revolver chambered for the.40 S&W pistol cartridge, manufactured in 2000 and 2003 by the U. S. company Smith & Wesson. The 646 was offered in a stainless steel finish with titanium cylinder, production was limited to 900 guns. It was offered in a Performance Center version in 2000 as a space-age looking stainless steel revolver with a heavy barrel. In 2003 a limited run was made with a more traditional underlug barrel design, the 646 is unusual in that it is a revolver chambered for a rimless cartridge generally used only for semi-automatic pistols. In order to use the rimless.40 S&W cartridge, the revolver utilized moon clips. But unlike other moon clip revolvers such as the 610 and 625, the non PC version works flawless with correct moonclips. Smith & Wesson Model 686 Smith & Wesson Moon clip
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Smith & Wesson Ladysmith
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The S&W Ladysmith and LadySmith are a series of handguns manufactured by Smith & Wesson starting early in the 20th century. Smith & Wesson has produced firearms over the years in standard frame sizes. M-frame refers to the small early Ladysmith frame, later LadySmith small revolvers were made on the somewhat larger J-frame, the standard S&W small-frame revolver. The tiny M-frame.22 hand-ejector Ladysmith revolver was produced from 1902 through 1921, during the 1980s, prior to the 1986 FBI Miami shootout, the Federal Bureau of Investigation adopted a revolver very similar to the Model 65 Ladysmith, but without the moniker. Smith & Wesson Model 60 LadySmith, known as the Chiefs Special LadySmith and it has a stainless steel slide with an aluminum alloy frame. The 3913LS had a different look to the slide and frame and it is chambered for 9mm only. It has a 3.5 inch barrel and the magazine holds eight rounds and it is one of their third generation semi-automatic pistols that S&W refers to as a traditional double action. After the pistol fires that first time, the pistol is in what is called single action, wherein the hammer stays cocked and it is the firing pin block that makes dropping the hammer with the decocker safe, albeit somewhat unnerving. The original 3913 has been popular with law enforcement officers that need to carry their primary sidearm concealed, the Lady Smith is very flat because it has a single-stack magazine and only a single thumb safety on the left side compared to the two-sided ambidextrous safety on the 3913NL. As of 2013, the models still in production are the 60LS
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Smith & Wesson Triple Lock
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The Triple lock, officially the Smith & Wesson.44 Hand Ejector 1st Model New Century, is a double-action revolver. It was and is considered by many, including handgun enthusiast and expert Elmer Keith and its popular name refers to its extra locking lug on the cylinder crane. This extra locking mechanism was deemed due to the increased power of the.44 Special cartridge. These 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 cartridge casings. The New Century designation was in recognition of its status as Smith & Wessons first 20th century design and 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, the British and Canadian militaries pressed for the removal of the third locking lug and shroud due to concerns the precision mechanism would collect dirt and malfunction. Additionally, the change simplified manufacturing, allowing Smith & Wesson to drop the price of the gun by $2, the ejector shroud was reintroduced in 1926, with the Hand Ejector 3rd Model, but the Triple Lock feature was never used again. To cover manufacturing shortages of the Webley Mk VI, early in the war the Ministry of Munitions contracted Colt, subsequent orders, lacking the third locking lug and ejector shroud, totalled 69,755 and were known as the Mark II. Jan.2000 American Handgunner June 2004 American Handgunner
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Smith & Wesson .38/44
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High-pressure. 38/44 loadings represent a transition between conventional.38 Special ammunition and the.357 Magnum. Revolvers were manufactured from 1930 to 1941, and after World War II until lower-priced.357 Magnum revolvers became widely available. In 1930, Smith & Wesson chambered their large framed.44 Special revolver for.38 Special with a 5-inch barrel and fixed sights intended for police use, a 4-inch barrel was offered in 1935 for users willing to accept the reduced ballistic performance of a more compact firearm. The media attention gathered by the. 38/44 and its ammunition encouraged Smith & Wesson to develop the longer.357 Magnum cartridge in 1935, the. 38/44 was an option for purchasers unwilling to pay the premium pricing of.357 Magnum revolvers. Revolvers were available with blue or nickel finish. Production was interrupted by the world war. Postwar production serial numbers are prefixed with the letter S, the Outdoorsman with adjustable sights became the Smith & Wesson Model 23 after 1957 and the fixed sight Heavy Duty version was marketed as the Smith & Wesson Model 20
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Smith & Wesson Model 22
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The Smith & Wesson Model 22 series of revolvers is a refined, commercial version of the M1917 revolver issued during World War I. The Model 22 was built to directly chamber rimless pistol cartridges like the.45 ACP, the Model 22 is a large frame double-action revolver chambered in.45 ACP using half or full moon clips. It may also use.45 Auto Rim as they were designed for revolvers chambered in.45 ACP or.45 GAP using the half or full moon clips. Built around Smith & Wessons large N frame, it was sold as the Model 1950 and is normally fitted with a 5½ barrel with no under lug. Target models are the models 25 and 26, the Model 22 was re-introduced as the second limited production Thunder Ranch revolver in 2007. This gun features a 4 match barrel with under lug, fixed sights, cocobolo grips, the popularity of this revolver led S&W to continue its production in its classic line as the 22-4. It is quite an accurate revolver and has a trigger pull than the original. A limited production run of bright nickel-plated, non–Thunder Ranch models were made, only select firearm dealers were considered to be allowed to sell this particular model. A certain number of Model 22s were made with a finish by Turnbull Restorations. These came in both 4 and 5.5 Barrel lengths, the finish done by Turnbull is a true case-hardened finish and not the chemical wash finish found on firearms by other manufacturers
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Smith & Wesson Model 27
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The Smith & Wesson Model 27 is the original.357 Magnum revolver. It was first produced in 1935, and many versions of it are still in production today. The Model 27 was built on Smith & Wessons carbon steel, large N-frame, when first introduced by Smith & Wesson in 1935, it was known as the Registered Magnum. The model was essentially a custom-order revolver, barrel lengths could be had in quarter-inch increments from 3.5 to 8.75 inches in length. In addition to the different lengths of barrels available, there were different grips, front sights, triggers, hammers, each Registered Magnum came with a certificate of authenticity. The Kansas City Police Department issued the Registered Magnum to its officers, in 1939 Smith & Wesson stopped producing the Registered Magnum. It was replaced with the.357 Magnum, the.357 Magnum was available with barrel lengths of 3.5,5,6.5 and 8.75 inches. It has been reported that these were the most popular barrel lengths for the Registered Magnum, essentially the.357 Magnum was still the Registered Magnum, but standardized for ease of production and economy. The Smith & Wesson Model 28 Highway Patrolman was introduced as a lower-cost version of the Model 27 in 1954, stripped of some of the features of the Model 27 and it was noted for its durability and reliability. The 3 1⁄2-inch barrel length was extremely popular with FBI agents from the 1940s through the 1960s, skeeter Skelton considered the Model 27 with a 5-inch barrel as the best all-around handgun. General George Patton carried an ivory-handled Registered Magnum with a 3 1⁄2-inch barrel, the stainless steel Model 627 was introduced in 1989 as the Model of 1989. It featured a 5 1⁄2-inch barrel, a 6-shot unfluted cylinder, in 1996 the Smith & Wesson Performance Center began production of an 8-shot 627. The revolver has a 2. 625-inch barrel with no muzzle brake or ports, the revolver is made of stainless steel, with a matte finish and wood grips. In 2008, the eight-shot, scandium-framed Smith & Wesson Model 327 was introduced, a variant of the 327, the 327NG, is part of the NightGuard line. The Smith & Wesson Model 327PD is an 8-shot double-action revolver that has a 4-inch barrel with no muzzle brake or ports and it has a scandium alloy frame and a titanium cylinder. It comes with rosewood Hogue grips and it uses a light-gathering HI-VIZ front sight and an adjustable V-notch rear sight. The revolver finish is a matte black, with a matte gray cylinder. The S&W TRR8 and M8 are recent advances of the 327 line, Smith and Wesson now include the Model 27 in two variations in their current Classics Line of Revolvers
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Smith & Wesson Model 28
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The Smith & Wesson Model 28, also known as the Highway Patrolman, is an N-frame revolver chambered for the.357 Magnum cartridge, in production from 1954 to 1986. It is a version of the S&W Model 27. The Model 28, also known as the Highway Patrolman, traces its heritage back to the Smith & Wesson Registered Magnum, the Registered Magnum morphed into the Model 27. Law enforcement agencies favored the Model 27, but its high-polish finish, the Model 28 is unusual in that Smith & Wesson removed, rather than added, features to the Model 27 to create it, in order to reduce production costs with no reduction in utility. A classic N frame revolver, the Highway Patrolman is blued, the top strap and frame rounds are bead blasted to achieve a matte appearance. By the early 1950s Smith & Wesson returned to manufacturing many of its pre-World War II models, including the.357 Magnum, however, the.357 Magnum was more costly than the standard.38 special revolver of the time. In the late 1940s and the first part of the 1950s Smith & Wesson was the only American gun company manufacturing a.357 magnum revolver.357 magnum revolver, S&W responded with the Highway Patrolman. The manufacturing changes made for a more affordable revolver, though mechanically the Highway Patrolman is the same as the more ornate Model 27, the Model 28 was in production from 1954 through 1986. For most of its run it was a steady seller with both police officers and civilian shooters. Italy, Used by the Gruppo di Intervento Speciale, norway, Used by the Norwegian Police Service in some municipalities
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Smith & Wesson Model 29
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The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is a six-shot, double-action revolver chambered for the.44 Magnum cartridge and manufactured by the U. S. company Smith & Wesson. The Model 29 was offered with 3,4,5,6, 6½, 8⅜ and, later, other barrel lengths were available either by special order from Smith & Wessons Custom Shop or custom built by gunsmiths. The 5 barreled variant had a full length underlug, finish options available included a highly polished blued or nickel-plated surface. At the time of its introduction, the Model 29 was the most powerful production handgun and it was made famous by association with the fictional character Dirty Harry Callahan. The Model 29 will chamber and fire.44 Special cartridges, the Magnum case is slightly longer to prevent magnum rounds from being chambered and fired in handguns chambered for the.44 Special. Elmer Keiths achievements in maximizing the power and performance of the.44 Special was the inspiration, S&Ws production of a large N-frame revolver in.44 Magnum began in 1955, the Model 29 designation was applied in 1957. At the time of its introduction, the Model 29 was the most powerful production handgun, there were a number of custom calibers that were more powerful, as in the old Howdah pistols of the 19th century. After the movies release, retailers had trouble keeping the Model 29 in stock, the original Model 29 was superseded by the Model 29-1 in 1960, with modifications made to the ejector-rod screw. The Model 29-2 replaced it the year, with one screw that had secured the cylinder-stop spring being deleted. The barrel length was shortened from 6 1/2 to 6 in 1979 and these two versions are known as pinned and recessed. Pinned means that the barrels are screwed in, and secured by a pin driven through the frame, recessed denotes the rear of the bored cylinder holes being countersunk, so that, when loaded, the cartridge rims are fully enclosed by the cylinder. In 1982, the cost-cutting Model 29-3 dropped recessed cylinders and pinned barrels for crush-fit barrels, the -4 and -5, produced from 1988 and 1990 respectively had changes to improve durability for heavy use. In 1994 the 29-6 began production, now fitted as standard with rubber Monogrips from Hogue to replace the wooden items. The 29-7 started production in 1998 with changes to the mechanism, the firing pins attachment. Introduced in 1978, the Smith & Wesson Model 629 is a steel version of the Model 29. The 629 Classic variant features a full-length barrel underlug, other include the 629 Stealth Hunter. Some S&W model 29s were rebuilt by the AAI Corporation to make the Quiet Special Purpose Revolvers and this special ammunition was made by AAI. This pistol was developed from 1967 to 1971 to be used by rats in the Vietnam War
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Smith & Wesson Model 57
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The gun was designed as a weapon for law enforcement agencies. However, due to size and recoil it found favor with civilian target shooters and hunters. In April 1964 Remington responded by introducing the.41 Magnum cartridge, elmer Keith originally proposed the name.41 Police for the new cartridge, but Remington instead chose.41 Magnum, hoping to capitalize on the notoriety and popularity of its earlier Magnum offerings. First introduced in April 1964, the Model 57 was produced with 4,6, 6-1/2, and 8-3/8 barrels in both highly polished blued and nickel–plated finishes. Like the Model 29, the 57 sported a red insert front sight with a white outline adjustable rear iron sight, as well as a target trigger, target hammer. Remington originally offered two ammunition loadings in its.41 Magnum cartridge lineup, the second loading was a less powerful 1,150 ft/s 210 grain lead semiwadcutter intended for law enforcement usage. Due to a number of factors the.41 Magnum unfortunately never became the next great police loading that its developers and supporters envisioned. Also, the decision by S&W and Remington to dub the cartridge a Magnum ended up working against them in their desire to address the law enforcement market. Although the.41 Magnum was adopted as a police departmental standard by a few such as Amarillo and San Antonio TX. In addition, introduced in the shadow of its big brother the.44 Magnum Model 29. This gap widened further when Clint Eastwood used a Most powerful hangun in the world Model 29 in the popular film Dirty Harry. In the aftermath of the release, many contemporaries of the.44 Magnum, including the.41, somewhat fell out of favor with the general public. Finally, a series of popular and successful lighter and smaller-framed revolvers crafted from stainless steel emerged in the mid 1980s. These police-issue oriented firearms, exemplified by such as the S&W Model 66. Overall, the Model 57 and its variants failed to generate the interest which had hoped for. Smith & Wesson offered an all stainless steel version of the Model 57 as the Model 657, the Model 657 was introduced in 1986. A very rare 5 model 57 was produced in the custom shop, all known examples included the traditional short underlug/ejector shroud. On July 10,1964, S&W introduced a more basic and this budget version of the Model 57 was similar in principle of design to the.38 Special S&W heavy-barrel Model 10, or.357 Magnum Model 28 Highway Patrolman
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Smith & Wesson Model 625
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The Smith & Wesson Model 625, is a six-round single- and double-action revolver chambered for the.45 ACP cartridge and.45 Auto Rim. The 625 in.45 ACP will headspace the cartridge in the chambers without use of moon clips and it was equipped with a 5-inch barrel with a full-length underlug. The regular production model of the Model 625 was introduced in 1989 and it was also made with 3-inch and 4-inch barrels. Standard offerings now include the 4-inch and 5-inch barrel. The S&W Model 625 Mountain Gun is a version of the 625, with a shortened underlug and tapered barrel. The standard Model 625 Mountain Gun fires.45 Colt through a 4-inch barrel, in 2001, a limited edition was also built by the Smith & Wesson Performance Center that uses.45 ACP ammunition. Both of these revolvers have adjustable rear sights and Hogue rubber grips, the Model 625-10 is the newest version of this revolver from the Smith & Wesson Performance Center, introduced in 2004. It is a version of the 625. The S&W Model 625-10 is a stainless steel update of the Model 25, another recent Performance Center version, the S&W Model 625 JM, was introduced in 2005. The JM stands for Jerry Miculek, a renowned revolver speed shooter, the Model 625 JM uses a 4-inch barrel with rear adjustable sights and a front gold bead black patridge sight. The Model 625 JM is finished in matte bead-blasted stainless steel, the latest.45 ACP revolver from Smith & Wesson is the Model 325 Night Guard. It is similar to the 625-10 in that the frame is an aluminum-scandium blend and it has a similar grooved rear sight as the 625-10, but the front sight of the 325 Night Guard is a tritium night sight. The model 325 has a black finish. The Model 325 Night Guard has since been discontinued
