Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson stand among the titans of 19th century American gunmaking. They worked on early lever actions and the metallic rimfire cartridge and landed Rollin White’s patent that changed the way revolvers worked.

From the first lever action pistol produced in 1854 all the way to today, the partnership of Smith & Wesson and the company they founded have long been leading innovators among American gun manufacturing. Their guns are legendary, like the New Model No. 3 of the 19th century, and the .44 Magnum of the 20th century.

This sampling of Smith & Wesson firearms available in Rock Island Auction Company’s Aug. 23-25 Premier Auction is a tour through the innovative history of American gunmaking.

Smith & Wesson No. 1 Lever Action Repeating Pistol

This legendary Smith & Wesson pistol had a short production life, from 1854-1855, with about 1,200 manufactured. The gun’s design utilized the toggle lever action, a spring-loaded magazine, and fired self-contained primed cartridge, all highly significant developments in the evolution of repeating firearms.

Before designing this pistol, Smith and Wesson both worked on early lever actions, like the important Hunt Volitional and Smith-Jennings rifles. This pistol is touted as the first repeating American firearm capable of firing a fully self-contained cartridges. The design, utilizing a six-shot magazine, was solid but it suffered from reliability issues due to underpowered ammunition.

Hampered by sluggish sales, the company was reorganized and Smith and Wesson were briefly on the outside looking in. The men turned their attention to developing the .22 Short rimfire cartridge and a revolver to fire it, utilizing White’s patent for a bored-through cylinder that allowed for breech loading.

This .31 caliber Smith & Wesson No. 1, once part of the Mac McCroskie Collection, features scroll and leaf engraving, standard engraving on most of these pistols.

Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3

Jumping ahead two decades, Smith & Wesson’s New Model No. 3 arrived after the company stopped making other models of the No. 3 like the American, Russian and Schofield in 1877. The gun continued with a hinge at the bottom of the frame for the barrel and cylinder but the new design redesigned the extractor, improved the cylinder retention and changed the mainspring. It had the longest production life of any single action revolver in Smith & Wesson’s history.

Smith & Wesson enjoyed an audience outside the United States. Of the 35,796 New Model No. 3 revolvers made between 1878 and 1912, about 40 percent went to foreign countries like Russia, Turkey, Japan, Australia, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Argentina and China, among others. Japan purchased about one-third of the total production and in 1902 the company advertised the New Model No. 3 as the sidearm of choice for the Japanese Navy. The New Model No. 3 was sold from stock parts starting in 1898, so the entire production run is classified as antiques for collectors.

This historically significant “sample” New Model No. 3 has a 6 1/2-inch barrel and chambered in .44 Smith & Wesson Russian. It was sent to the U.S. Treasury Department in March 1881 where it was received by H.F. French, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. A year later, at least 10 others were shipped to the Treasury Department and delivered to U.S. Postmaster George Cook.

Smith & Wesson Tiffany-Embellished .32 Safety Hammerless First Model

Smith & Wesson’s first hammerless model was for police officers required to carry a gun. The gun’s hammer is concealed so it wouldn’t snag on a pocket flap or holster. It was also known as the ‘lemon squeezer” because of its grip safety.

Tiffany adorned firearms for Colt, Winchester and Smith & Wesson from the 1880s to the early 1900s. Examples of the famous American luxury jeweler can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. How many guns adorned by Tiffany is unknown, but Smith & Wesson benefitted the most from the partnership.

Compared to the classic Model No. 3 or a double action revolver, this Safety Hamerless might be an odd canvas for embellishment but makes it all the more rare and desirable. Its aged silver grips that have the appearance of pouring off the grip frame and highlighted by borders and a single large scroll engraved on the right and a similar scroll on the left intertwined with the original owners initials.

This nickel-finished .32 Safety Hammerless has sterling silver grips with etched Art Nouveau style floral scrollwork with the original owner’s initials, “P.D.O.” among the engraving on the left side.

Smith & Wesson Model 1917 Double Action Revolver

As the winds of war in Europe swirled, Smith & Wesson experimented with .45 cartridges in its .44 hand ejector second model; and was able to load the Colt M1911’s .45 ACP using half-moon clips. Despite production of the M1911 by a number of companies, the U.S. Army needed more handguns so it approached Colt and Smith & Wesson to produce the Model 1917 revolver. What would come to be called Smith & Wesson’s Model 1917 started as the .44 Hand Ejector Second Model.

The company delivered its first revolver to the U.S. Army in Sept. 1917. A year later just two months short of the end of the war, the U.S. government took control of the factory to increase production. During World War 1, Smith & Wesson manufactured 163,476 Model 1917 revolvers.

This Model 1917’s factory letter doesn’t list a shipping date, but Smith & Wesson historian Roy Jinks estimates it was likely made in the mid-1950s. It was delivered to Smith & Wesson assistant sales manager Fred H. Miller chambered in .45 Long Colt, a true rarity.

This Model 1917 was delivered to Smith & Wesson Assistant Sales Manager Fred H. Miller in .45 Long Colt. “This rare revolver was specially built for Mr. Miller who could have any special he wanted assembled by the company. This is certainly one of the rarest variations of the .45 Hand Ejector Model of 1917 known,” wrote S&W Historian Roy Jinks.

Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum

Based on Smith & Wesson’s .38 Special cartridge, the .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced by the company in 1935 after lobbying by handloaders like Elmer Keith and Phillip B. Sharpe. Smith & Wesson offered its .357 Registered Magnum with numerous ways to customize the pistol, from barrel length to grip style, finish and sight options. Smith & Wesson president Douglas Wesson selected three of his finest craftsmen to assemble the guns, making them some of the smoothest actions to leave the factory.

Douglas Wesson was friends with Col. Alexander “Sandy” MacNab, a big game hunter, career U.S. Army officer and expert shot who was also known as “the man who taught the (American Expeditionary Force) to shoot.” In the early 1930s, MacNab was preparing for a hunting trip to Alaska when Wesson asked him to try out a revolver and provide his opinion. When MacNab returned, Wesson asked about the gun, to which MacNab replied “It’s pretty nice; I think I’ll keep it.” Wesson said, “The hell you will, that’s the prototype. I’ll give you one when it goes into production. It was the .357 Registered Magnum prototype. Wesson kept his promise and presented MacNab with a Registered Magnum.

The Registered Magnum offered customers a bespoke premium revolver with a remarkable level of customization. This .357 Registered Magnum presented to Sam D. Myres by Douglas Wesson has an 8 3/4-inch barrel, a pinned blade front sight and standard Smith & Wesson factory markings. It is accompanied by a full coverage floral tooled holster manufactured by S.D. Myres Saddle Co.

Certificates were provided to purchasers who sent in an optional registration card to the company. The first Registered Magnum was presented to J. Edgar Hoover in April 1935. By 1938, approximately 5,500 Registered Magnums were manufactured, but due to costs the registration practice was halted along with the registration number stamping on the gun.

Certificates received by the registering gun owners had Douglas Wesson’s personal signature, the owner’s name and the revolver’s registration number, serial number, barrel length, front and rear sight type, the distance the revolver was sighted, plus the type of hold and ammunition. Of the 5,500 produced only half of the owners sent in their registration cards to Smith & Wesson.

Joining MacNab among those who received a Registered Magnum were Gen. George S. Patton, fast-shooting legend Ed McGivern, and actors Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart and Gary Cooper. Wesson presented one to Sam D. Myres who founded Myres Saddle Company. Myres, whose career making saddles and holsters spanned more than four decades, knew Tom Mix, Buffalo Bill, Ed McGivern, Gene Autry and many other Western figures. He made holsters for Patton and Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Manuel Gonzaullas. He made a special order saddle for Joe Miller of the 101 Ranch that cost $10,000 in 1910. Myres’ Magnum is one of 11 in the August Premier.

*The Registered Magnum of Col. Alexander “Sandy” MacNab and is one of 1,518 Registered Magnums manufactured with 6 1/2 inch barrels, and it features a McGivern front sight, adjustable “U” notched rear sight and standard S&W factory markings with “REG. 1183” stamped on the yoke.

Smith & Wesson .44 Hand Ejector 4th Model Target “Club Gun”

Smith & Wesson introduced the 4th Model of its .44 Hand Ejector in September 1950 and dubbed it the Model 24 in 1957. The company manufactured 5,050 between 1950 and 1966. A Club gun was intended to be given or loaned to shooting clubs and individuals as test guns, with some going to notable shooters.

This gun is inscribed to “Cecil R. King” who served in Congress from 1942 to 1969, after serving for five years in the California State Assembly. King fought in World War 1 and was appointed to Congress following the death of his predecessor. He was an early proponent of Medicare and voted for the Civil Rights Acts of the 1950s and 1960s.

This .44 Hand Ejector 4th Model is inscribed to U.S. Rep. Cecil R. King. He received it while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives where he served the state of California for 27 years. It has a matching “Club Gun” serial number of 0472 stamped on the butt, cylinder and barrel.

Smith & Wesson Model 13 Aircrewman Revolver

In the 1950s, the U.S. Air Force wanted survival guns for its strategic bomber crews. The revolvers had to be lightweight and fit in a chest pocket on their flight suits. A heavy gun could injure a crew member if they had to bail out because of the parachute straps. Smith & Wesson made its Aircrewman’s on a J-frame of aluminum along with an aluminum cylinder and steel barrel. Over time, the cylinder would crack and bulge, so the Air Force eventually rejected the revolvers and all the remaining Aircrewmen were to be destroyed, making surviving examples rare and desirable to collectors.

This Smith & Wesson Aircrewman is marked “PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE” on the backstrap. The factory letter confirms the gun’s configuration and it being shipped to Norton Air Base, in San Bernadino, Calif., in January 1954.

Smith & Wesson .38/44 Outdoorsman Double Action Revolver

First came the cartridge, then came the gun. The .38/44 came at the request of law enforcement wanting ammunition companies to create a round with more penetrating power than the .38 Special cartridge. Built on the N-Frame, the .38/44 Heavy Duty was born in 1930. Introduced in November 1931, the Outdoorsman was for competitive target shooting or handgun hunting. More than 4,600 of the Outdoorsman were produced by 1941 when it was discontinued because of World War 2. Production resumed in August 1946 and 2,326 were manufactured. When pre-war parts for the Heavy Duty ran out in 1949, and new parts went into production, they offered a modern update on the Outdoorsman, with a ribbed barrel, new micrometer sight and a short throw hammer.

This pre-war .38/44 Outdoorsman was embellished by Master Engraver Russ Smith after World War 2 for Charles “Trigger” McGowan, a Smith & Wesson service department employee who served the company for more than half a century. The gun has carved grips with crisp floral design and checkering. The floral scrollwork, geometric line patterns and animal scenes engraved on the barrel, frame and cylinder pop from the revolver’s immaculate blued finish. The right side plate is engraved with a scene of a bear in a tree, while the left side is engraved with a wild cat in tall grass.

Smith & Wesson Model 76 Submachine Gun

Denied the use of the Carl Gustaf M45 “Swedish K” submachine gun by the neutral Swedish government during the Vietnam War, the U.S. military turned to Smith & Wesson for a lightweight stamped metal submachine gun. The U.S. Navy SEALs liked the Swedish gun for its reliability in the jungle, its 600 rounds per minute rate of fire and the plausible deniability that came with it.

The U.S. Navy provided a list of characteristics it wanted in Smith & Wesson’s SMG. Despite claims to the contrary, the Smith & Wesson prototype delivered in January 1967 shared the M45’s tubular shape, 9mm chambering, size, and distinct folding metal stock with the Swedish gun. This open bolt SMG could spray bullets at 720 rounds per minute.

The Model 76 was an open bolt submachine gun that featured an ambidextrous selector switch, perforated heat shield, smooth pistol grip, and grooves in the receiver to keep maintenance minimal. One thing it didn’t have was the Navy’s interest. A small number did make it into the Navy arsenal, but they were also sold to police agencies and the general public. About 6,000 were made by the time production ended in 1974.

Smith & Wesson’s Model 76 submachine gun is similar to Sweden’s Carl Gustaf M45 “Swedish K” SMG. The “K” stands for Kulsprutepistole, translating to “bullet-squirting pistol.”

Smith & Wesson Model 38 Bodyguard Airweight Double Action Revolver

The Bodyguard Airweight is another Smith & Wesson hammerless revolver intended for law enforcement with the protected hammer. Built on an aluminum J-Frame to keep the weight down, this gun wasn’t destined for police, but for a U.S. Marine Corps commandant.

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover presented the revolver to U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Leonard F. Chapman, a World War 2 veteran who served in the Pacific and was decorated for his actions in the Battle of Peleliu and the Battle of Okinawa. Nominated by President Lyndon Johnson, Chapman served as the 24th Marine Corps Commandant from 1969 to 1972. After retiring from the Marine Corps after 37 years, he served as the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

This Model 38 Bodyguard Airweight double action revolver is inscribed on the side plate “To General/Leonard F. Chapman Jr./Commandant/United States Marine Corps/From his FBI Friends.” Factory records show the gun being shipped in December 1967 to Special Agent Henry Sloan, Quantico, Va. A carbon file copy of a memorandum to file by Chapman’s personal aide notes that FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover presented the gun on April 4, 1968.

Smith & Wessons for Sale

Whether it’s the company’s oldest model or a 20th century classic, Smith & Wesson has long been at the forefront of firearms development with a tremendous legacy that deserves examination. This sampling of guns is only a small taste of the Smith & Wesson offerings in Rock Island Auction Company’s Aug. 23-25 Premier Auction in Bedford, Texas.

Sources

"History of Smith & Wesson," by Roy G. Jinks