If "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"

[Kurusu]

My very first revolver was Rossi's version of the Smith & Wesson model 63 that I bought in the early 80s. Curiously they had an ejector rod shroud long before Smith & Wesson added one to the 63.

Complete with a set of target stocks that I bought. Reliable and very accurate.

 

[Kurusu]

Would my SW9VE count as a copy?
Geoff
Who is easily amused.

Glock apparently thought so.

 

[Mbrgr1]

My very first revolver was Rossi's version of the Smith & Wesson model 63 that I bought in the early 80s. Curiously they had an ejector rod shroud long before Smith & Wesson added one to the 63.

Complete with a set of target stocks that I bought. Reliable and very accurate.

That is a really good looking revolver!

 

[Golddollar]

Mikhail Kalashnikov, I believe, accounts for the most copied design with his AK-47 and all the derivatives.

It should be noted that during the Cold War not all of that copying was voluntary.

 

[SweetMK]

When I first got married, I had never owned a revolver, other than a couple Saturday Night Specials that a local sheriff had given me.
Those guns were knockoffs,, I guess, but, they were all so dangerous, scary, and loud, that I had soon thrown them away.

As a youth I had fired my BIL's S&W 22LR revolver that he had purchased in the 1940's.
I liked that gun.

Well in 1982, my wife and I were in a gun store looking for a shotgun to shoot clay targets with.
My wife spied a revolver, and remembered that I liked my BIL's 22LR revolver,,
She bought this one for me,, is it a knock-off??

Even to this day, this gun shoots very nicely,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Echo40]

I don't own any clones of Smith & Wesson firearms, but I do own a few of Smith & Wesson's derivatives of other firearms...

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.

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.

 

[Kurusu]

When I first got married, I had never owned a revolver, other than a couple Saturday Night Specials that a local sheriff had given me.
Those guns were knockoffs,, I guess, but, they were all so dangerous, scary, and loud, that I had soon thrown them away.

As a youth I had fired my BIL's S&W 22LR revolver that he had purchased in the 1940's.
I liked that gun.

Well in 1982, my wife and I were in a gun store looking for a shotgun to shoot clay targets with.
My wife spied a revolver, and remembered that I liked my BIL's 22LR revolver,,
She bought this one for me,, is it a knock-off??

Even to this day, this gun shoots very nicely,,,,,,,,,,

As far as I know that is not a knock off. It is not a copy of anything other than another Colt. And Colt being first older than Smith & Wesson as a revolver manufacturer. And then having produced a swing out cylinder double action revolver before Smith & Wesson.

 

[Tom K]

M'kay, here are a few. First, a couple of Spanish copies of the S&W Triple Lock in .44 Special.

Taurus versions of the Model 14, 16 and 17 (.38 Special, .32 H&R Magnum, and .22 LR):

.44 Magnums, from back to front:
S&W Model 29-2
Llama Super Comanche
Astra Model 44
High Standard Crusader
RG Model 57 (!)

A copy of the S&W Ladysmith, the Rossi Princess in .22LR.

And finally, Italian Uberti copies of the S&W Schofield in .45 Colt (back), and the Model 3 Russian in .44 Russian (front).

 

[CH4]

May we discuss favorite S&W copies? If not, shut me down.

I don’t see why not, we regularly talk about Taurus, the biggest S&W knock off champion, not to mention their imitation Beretta.

 

[Moo Moo]

Maybe my Sig P230 is just a copy of the Walther PPK/s (by S&W and others).