S&W #3 contractors

[walnutred]

Recently I looked at a Belgian copy of the S&W Model 3. The owner claimed that after 1878 S&W actually licensed production of this model to companies in other countries. Belgium being one of these countries. As I have never heard this story I though I would ask here?

What say ye, yea or nay?

 

[walnutred]

Recently I looked at a Belgian copy of the S&W Model 3. The owner claimed that after 1878 S&W actually licensed production of this model to companies in other countries. Belgium being one of these countries. As I have never heard this story I though I would ask here?

What say ye, yea or nay?

 

[opoefc]

The owner is pulling your leg. S&W never licensed any foreign maker to produce any commercial S&Ws. Sellers who claim that are looking for a sucker to buy their gun. Having said all that, there are 100s of copies of many models of S&W made all over the world, that are very interesting items. They range fron junk (usually) to a few very excellent English and Spanish made revolvers. Markings can range from close to almost exact copies of S&W markings and it can take a real expert to tell the difference. I've had a Spanish copy of a T-Lock that the only way I was able to tell it wasn't the real thing, was that the screw threads were metric. Ed.

 

[cgt4570]

The factory did authorize two companies to make licenced copies for the Russian military contract, since S&W was unable to produce enough. They were Ludwig Lowe in Berlin, and Tula Arsenal in Russia. But like Ed said, they weren't commercial.

 

[walnutred]

Thanks,

I had heard of the Tula made guns but not the German made guns. I thought the story sounded suspicious but knew someone here would have an answer.

 

[Texas Star]

I have never seen the Lowe or Tula guns except in photos, but do know that Lowe made excellent Mauser rifles.

Some of their 7mm rifles were of steel so soft that it created headspace problems. Don't think that would happen at revolver ammo pressures, if the steel was softer than S&Ws, and it may not have been.