Over the past week, I've been putting together an article for future publication in the Blue Press. This is a first draft; comments welcome. I'm indebted (of course) to Roy Jinks in his classic work History of Smith & Wesson for most of the facts contained here. I've tried to make this both succinct and at the same time, comprehensive, which are normally mutually exclusive objectives - still I try. See what you think.
John
The Smith & Wesson Model 1
The Smith & Wesson Model 1 revolver, first offered in 1857, was a landmark handgun in more ways than one. It was the very first Smith & Wesson revolver, and it also introduced the first .22 rimfire cartridge, which was patented earlier by S&W in 1854. That ammunition is still made today and is known as the .22 short. These tiny revolvers were revolutionary when first introduced, and they are collector classics today.
Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson had formed their first partnership in 1852. They were involved in manufacturing a number of guns, notably lever-action pistols and rifles using self-contained caseless cartridges. That same lever-action “Volcanic” operating system ultimately morphed into the Henry and then the Winchester Models 1866 and 1873 rifles. In the middle 1850s, Wesson had begun work on a small revolver to use their new.22 rimfire cartridge. The cylinder was bored clear through with chambers designed to accept these cartridges from the rear. In investigating the possibilities for patenting for his invention, Wesson discovered an existing patent by one Rollin White, a former Colt employee, which covered a revolver with a cylinder bored through end to end. In October of 1856, Wesson wrote to White, expressing interest in using his patent. On November 17, 1856, both Wesson and Smith met with White in person and sealed a deal. This agreement gave Smith and Wesson an exclusive license to manufacture a revolver using the White patent. White was to receive a royalty of 25 cents per handgun produced during the active patent period, which was to expire in 1872.
With the White patent secured, Mr. Wesson and Mr. Smith set up a new partnership, the Smith & Wesson Revolver Factory, based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Wesson contributed the grand sum of $2003.63, and Smith pitched in with $1646.68. By 1857, only four revolvers had been produced, and White was richer for that accomplishment by one dollar. Soon, however, the wheels of industry began to roll at S&W, and a company was moving to become an eventual legend in the firearms world.
That first revolver came to be listed as the Model 1, although originally only the .22 cartridge carried that name. Initially, the gun was known in the factory as the “Seven Shooter,” but it soon acquired the name of the cartridge it fired. Today, that first version is classified by modern day collectors as the Model 1, First Issue. It was a small “tip up” revolver that had a spur trigger and a square butt. A single action design, it had to be cocked each time to fire successive shots. To reload, the user pulled down on a flat latch in front of the frame and tipped or swiveled the hinged barrel upward. Then the cylinder was removed, reversed, and the individual cases were poked out of it by impinging each chamber in turn on the ejector rod under the barrel. Awkward and slow, but it did work. The hammer actuated a spring-loaded cylinder stop located above the cylinder to permit it to rotate, index and lock in place for firing. A small circular plate on the left side of the brass frame allowed access to the lockwork. The early flat release latch was soon replaced with a dual-button latch which was pushed upward to allow the barrel to be swiveled up. The barrel was stamped with the S&W name on top, and the non-fluted cylinder had markings reflecting the patent dates. The barrel measured 3 and 3/16” inches long. The curved convex brass frame was usually silver plated, with a blued cylinder and barrel, but was later available fully plated. This first issue revolver was manufactured with minor changes along the way from 1857 through 1860. Serial numbers of all variations on this first issue ran from 1 through 11,671. The little gun sold to dealers for $12.75, and the dealers could also purchase a $1.25 Gutta Percha presentation case, embossed on its lid with an image of its contents or a heraldic “stand of flags” design.
These first issue guns were somewhat difficult to manufacture, and required careful hand fitting of the round sideplate as well as painstaking and laborious insertion of the lockwork parts through its small underlying cavity. Accordingly, the design was modified to provide for first, a straight-cut sideplate, and then a larger irregular sideplate. The frame had flat sides. It retained the square butt and unfluted cylinder. This is known to collectors as the Model 1, Second Issue. They were made from 1860 through 1868. Serial numbers ran from 11,672 to 126,361, with a total of 114,689 being made. The revolver illustrated is one of these and by its serial number it was shipped from the factory in August of 1866. There were only a few minor changes during this issue’s production life. Interestingly, 4,402 of these guns with casting or cosmetic flaws but which were mechanically sound were stamped “2D.QUAL'TY.” They sold for $2 less. Perversely, these now bring higher prices on the collector market. Unscrupulous individuals have since faked these markings, so beware. Although the two-tone finish of its predecessor was standard, these second issues could be had fully plated with nickel, silver, or gold. Engraving was also an option. Two of them were actually manufactured with solid silver frames, but don’t hold your breath looking for one of them!
Following the Civil War, handgun sales dropped, and S&W looked to update the Model 1 to make it appear more modern and desirable. It was re-designed in early 1868, and is known today as the Model 1, Third Issue. It was made completely of wrought iron, dispensing with the cast brass frame. It had a rounded and pointed “bird’s head” grip, a round ribbed barrel and a fluted cylinder. The finish could be had in blue or nickel, or a nickel frame with a blue barrel and cylinder. Seven were marked “2D.QUAL'TY” for small defects. A shorter-barreled model was also made; the barrel length on that one measured 2 and 11/16”. Here, the maker’s name was shifted to the left side of the barrel due to lack of space on the rib of the short barrel. Production began gradually in 1868, with manufacture in that year numbering only 392 units. However, in 1869, yearly production swelled to 10,000, and in 1870 it was 20,000. The reason for this increase was that S&W expanded into the international market, kicking off its wares at the Paris Exposition of 1867. As other manufacturers jumped on this bandwagon and the Rollin White patent expired, sales began to taper off. In 1882, sales were so slow that production of the Model 1, Third Issue came to a close. The serial number range for this issue ran from 1 to 131,163, and that was the total of these made. In all, a grand total of 257,523 Model 1s of all issues were manufactured.
It should be made clear that these are now very old guns originally designed to fire cartridges loaded with black powder propellant. Under no circumstances should they be fired with modern .22 short rounds containing smokeless powder. These cartridges will fit, but are definitely dangerous to fire in old guns of uncertain strength and often deteriorating condition. They are but collector treasures, and should never be considered as shooters.
They were small guns, and really not all that effective. Famous mountain man Jim Bridger once remarked “Yep, I’ve seen that kind, but never handled ‘em. I was afeared I’d break it.” Still, the little guns launched Smith & Wesson as a powerhouse firearms manufacturer. Collectors’ eyes light up when one of these S&W Model 1s turn up now and then, and values have continued to escalate in recent years. The First Issue is of course the most desirable and rare; it commands four-figure prices in almost any condition. A First Issue, first variation (with the flat latch) was recently sold in the $40,000 range. While not quite as significant, the Second and Third Issue guns are still quite desirable, valuable and historic. All qualify as true classics and milestones in the firearms world. Acquiring one or more of the Model 1s should be a high priority for any collector interested in the history of firearms.
John
The Smith & Wesson Model 1
The Smith & Wesson Model 1 revolver, first offered in 1857, was a landmark handgun in more ways than one. It was the very first Smith & Wesson revolver, and it also introduced the first .22 rimfire cartridge, which was patented earlier by S&W in 1854. That ammunition is still made today and is known as the .22 short. These tiny revolvers were revolutionary when first introduced, and they are collector classics today.
Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson had formed their first partnership in 1852. They were involved in manufacturing a number of guns, notably lever-action pistols and rifles using self-contained caseless cartridges. That same lever-action “Volcanic” operating system ultimately morphed into the Henry and then the Winchester Models 1866 and 1873 rifles. In the middle 1850s, Wesson had begun work on a small revolver to use their new.22 rimfire cartridge. The cylinder was bored clear through with chambers designed to accept these cartridges from the rear. In investigating the possibilities for patenting for his invention, Wesson discovered an existing patent by one Rollin White, a former Colt employee, which covered a revolver with a cylinder bored through end to end. In October of 1856, Wesson wrote to White, expressing interest in using his patent. On November 17, 1856, both Wesson and Smith met with White in person and sealed a deal. This agreement gave Smith and Wesson an exclusive license to manufacture a revolver using the White patent. White was to receive a royalty of 25 cents per handgun produced during the active patent period, which was to expire in 1872.
With the White patent secured, Mr. Wesson and Mr. Smith set up a new partnership, the Smith & Wesson Revolver Factory, based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Wesson contributed the grand sum of $2003.63, and Smith pitched in with $1646.68. By 1857, only four revolvers had been produced, and White was richer for that accomplishment by one dollar. Soon, however, the wheels of industry began to roll at S&W, and a company was moving to become an eventual legend in the firearms world.
That first revolver came to be listed as the Model 1, although originally only the .22 cartridge carried that name. Initially, the gun was known in the factory as the “Seven Shooter,” but it soon acquired the name of the cartridge it fired. Today, that first version is classified by modern day collectors as the Model 1, First Issue. It was a small “tip up” revolver that had a spur trigger and a square butt. A single action design, it had to be cocked each time to fire successive shots. To reload, the user pulled down on a flat latch in front of the frame and tipped or swiveled the hinged barrel upward. Then the cylinder was removed, reversed, and the individual cases were poked out of it by impinging each chamber in turn on the ejector rod under the barrel. Awkward and slow, but it did work. The hammer actuated a spring-loaded cylinder stop located above the cylinder to permit it to rotate, index and lock in place for firing. A small circular plate on the left side of the brass frame allowed access to the lockwork. The early flat release latch was soon replaced with a dual-button latch which was pushed upward to allow the barrel to be swiveled up. The barrel was stamped with the S&W name on top, and the non-fluted cylinder had markings reflecting the patent dates. The barrel measured 3 and 3/16” inches long. The curved convex brass frame was usually silver plated, with a blued cylinder and barrel, but was later available fully plated. This first issue revolver was manufactured with minor changes along the way from 1857 through 1860. Serial numbers of all variations on this first issue ran from 1 through 11,671. The little gun sold to dealers for $12.75, and the dealers could also purchase a $1.25 Gutta Percha presentation case, embossed on its lid with an image of its contents or a heraldic “stand of flags” design.
These first issue guns were somewhat difficult to manufacture, and required careful hand fitting of the round sideplate as well as painstaking and laborious insertion of the lockwork parts through its small underlying cavity. Accordingly, the design was modified to provide for first, a straight-cut sideplate, and then a larger irregular sideplate. The frame had flat sides. It retained the square butt and unfluted cylinder. This is known to collectors as the Model 1, Second Issue. They were made from 1860 through 1868. Serial numbers ran from 11,672 to 126,361, with a total of 114,689 being made. The revolver illustrated is one of these and by its serial number it was shipped from the factory in August of 1866. There were only a few minor changes during this issue’s production life. Interestingly, 4,402 of these guns with casting or cosmetic flaws but which were mechanically sound were stamped “2D.QUAL'TY.” They sold for $2 less. Perversely, these now bring higher prices on the collector market. Unscrupulous individuals have since faked these markings, so beware. Although the two-tone finish of its predecessor was standard, these second issues could be had fully plated with nickel, silver, or gold. Engraving was also an option. Two of them were actually manufactured with solid silver frames, but don’t hold your breath looking for one of them!
Following the Civil War, handgun sales dropped, and S&W looked to update the Model 1 to make it appear more modern and desirable. It was re-designed in early 1868, and is known today as the Model 1, Third Issue. It was made completely of wrought iron, dispensing with the cast brass frame. It had a rounded and pointed “bird’s head” grip, a round ribbed barrel and a fluted cylinder. The finish could be had in blue or nickel, or a nickel frame with a blue barrel and cylinder. Seven were marked “2D.QUAL'TY” for small defects. A shorter-barreled model was also made; the barrel length on that one measured 2 and 11/16”. Here, the maker’s name was shifted to the left side of the barrel due to lack of space on the rib of the short barrel. Production began gradually in 1868, with manufacture in that year numbering only 392 units. However, in 1869, yearly production swelled to 10,000, and in 1870 it was 20,000. The reason for this increase was that S&W expanded into the international market, kicking off its wares at the Paris Exposition of 1867. As other manufacturers jumped on this bandwagon and the Rollin White patent expired, sales began to taper off. In 1882, sales were so slow that production of the Model 1, Third Issue came to a close. The serial number range for this issue ran from 1 to 131,163, and that was the total of these made. In all, a grand total of 257,523 Model 1s of all issues were manufactured.
It should be made clear that these are now very old guns originally designed to fire cartridges loaded with black powder propellant. Under no circumstances should they be fired with modern .22 short rounds containing smokeless powder. These cartridges will fit, but are definitely dangerous to fire in old guns of uncertain strength and often deteriorating condition. They are but collector treasures, and should never be considered as shooters.
They were small guns, and really not all that effective. Famous mountain man Jim Bridger once remarked “Yep, I’ve seen that kind, but never handled ‘em. I was afeared I’d break it.” Still, the little guns launched Smith & Wesson as a powerhouse firearms manufacturer. Collectors’ eyes light up when one of these S&W Model 1s turn up now and then, and values have continued to escalate in recent years. The First Issue is of course the most desirable and rare; it commands four-figure prices in almost any condition. A First Issue, first variation (with the flat latch) was recently sold in the $40,000 range. While not quite as significant, the Second and Third Issue guns are still quite desirable, valuable and historic. All qualify as true classics and milestones in the firearms world. Acquiring one or more of the Model 1s should be a high priority for any collector interested in the history of firearms.
Last edited:
