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Old 02-24-2021, 02:01 PM
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I don't own any clones of Smith & Wesson firearms, but I do own a few of Smith & Wesson's derivatives of other firearms...

Whats Your S&W EDC-edc_duo_hq-jpg
The Smith & Wesson Sigma SW40VE, a clone of the Glock 23. As most folks know, the first generation Sigma SW40F was actually so similar to the Glock 22 that Glock filed a lawsuit against S&W for patent infringement. The case was ultimately settled out of court, but the exact terms of the settlement are unknown. Supposedly Smith & Wesson paid Glock royalties on every Sigma sold up until that point then redesigned the second generation SW40E models so that they weren't as similar internally to the Glock. In exchange, Glock stopped threatening to halt business with any retailers who carries the Sigma.
My example is a third generation SW40VE, so it lacks whatever internal similarities the original had, but the overall similarities are still present externally.

Knife + handgun photo thread-20201226_124035-jpg
The Smith & Wesson PPK/S-1, manufactured under license during a time in which S&W was the licensed importer of Walther brand firearms, the S&W PPK(/S)-1 sported a number of internal and external modifications to the design in attempt to modernize it, much to the chagrin of Walther Purists. S&W modified the hammer strut to reduce the weight of the DA Trigger, modified the feed ramp to more reliably feed JHPs, and extended the length of the beavertail to address the infamous "Walther Bite" which often left a pair of bloody tracks on the web between the thumb and forefinger of those with larger hands.
Although these modifications were largely criticized by Walther Purists as unnecessary and aesthetically displeasing, Walther themselves has since adopted Smith & Wesson's modifications to the design, so evidently Walther approved of them.

I know this goes against the grain of the thread a bit, but I figured why not showcase a couple examples of firearms designs which Smith & Wesson drew inspiration from and produced their own derivatives of, with or without authorization.
Of course, these aren't the only examples of Smith & Wesson making derivatives of other companies firearms, such as the Model 39 which was derived from the Walther P38, the Model 59 which was a derivative of the Browning Hi-Power, or more recently the Governor which was derived from the Taurus Judge. Unfortunately, I don't own either of those though, (although I do own a 4006 which was a successor to the Model 59, and a Judge) so I'll leave that to someone else.
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