Smith and Wesson | Martin Rywell

Smith & Wesson: The Story of the Revolver, published in 1953, provides a detailed history of the groundbreaking handguns produced by the world's most famous gun manufacturer (from 1857 to the early 1950s). In addition, numerous illustrations depict the development of the company's revolvers. In 1857, business partners, Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson introduced the Model One, which used a self-contained metal cartridge, offering much improved reliability and reloading times over handguns using black powder, percussion caps, and round balls. In 1880, the company released their first double-action revolver, chambered for the . 32 caliber. This was followed in 1887 by their first hammerless revolver. It made carrying the weapon much safer by eliminating the danger of the hammer snagging when the gun was drawn. In 1899, the company released the revolver that would make Smith & Wesson a household name: the Model 10. It had fixed sights, a cylinder chambered for six . 38 caliber rounds, and a fluted, side-ejected cylinder. The U. S. military immediately ordered 3,000, and firmly established Smith & Wesson as a leader in revolver design, a tradition which continues to the present day.