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Smith And Wesson Model 29 Serial Number Lookup

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Smith And Wesson Model 17 Serial Number Lookup

The gutta percha casing seen here is an original example. Mostof these early thermoplastics have not survived; consequently, theyare rarely seen today. The S&W No. 1, Ist Issue revolver modelinside was manufactured from 1857 to 1860 and about 11,000 weremade.

Smith And Wesson Model 60 Serial Number Lookup

The Smith & Wesson Model No. 1 1st Issue Revolver representstwo significant firsts in the history of firearms - it was thefirst in a long line of revolvers produced by the Springfield gunmakers, and it was also the first U.S.-made arm to employ aself-contained metallic cartridge. The genesis of this new designwas made possible by three factors.
The first was Rollin White's 1855 patent for a cylinder thatfeatured bored-through chambers. Smith & Wesson obtainedexclusive rights to use this innovation in return for royaltypayments of 25 cents on each revolver produced. One year later,Samuel Colt's U.S. patents for revolving arms expired, opening themarketplace to competing designs based on Colt's revolving cylinderprinciple. A third key factor in the development of the No. 1revolver was Daniel Wesson's success in perfecting a self-containedrimfire cartridge based on the French-designed Flobert round.Gunsmiths Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson had collaborated on thedevelopment of a lever-action magazine pistol based on the earlierJennings repeating rifle design.
This pistol, known as the Volcanic, failed in large part to thelack of suitable ammunition, but it later became the basis for theHenry and Winchester repeating rifles. These famous long arms didyeoman service with U.S. Army troops, settlers, and peace officersduring the Civil War and the Westward Movement. Smith left thefinancially-strapped Volcanic Arms Co. in 1855, but Wessoncontinued with the struggling firm. During this period, hecontinued the duo's earlier work on metallic cartridge design. Inlate 1856, the two were re-united and had secured the rights toWhite's cylinder patent.
By the following year, Smith & Wesson's revolver factory inSpringfield, Massachusetts was in operation. Initial No. 1production models featured a square butt with rosewood grip panels;a silver-plated brass frame with rounded surfaces; and bluednon-fluted cylinder and octagonal barrel. The top barrel flat borethe stamping, 'SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS.' Originallypriced at $12.75, the firm later offered an optional gutta perchacase for an additional charge of $1.25. Approximately 5,000 ofthese cases, which were produced by Littlefield, Parsons & Co.,included a bas relief design featuring the revolver and the Smith& Wesson name on the lid. These cases are rarely encounteredtoday.
These seven-shot repeaters were chambered for the equivalent oftoday's .22 short rimfire cartridge, and although they were lackingthe potency of many of their contemporaries, they represented awatershed in the development of personal protection arms. Theirmetallic cartridges were also far more robust than the skin orpaper varieties commonly used with percussion sidearms. Inaddition, they required neither percussion caps nor a powder flask,thus they could be re-loaded much more quickly than thelarger-caliber competitors marketed by Colt, Remington, and otherfirms. Their bottom-break/top hinge tip-up design also added to theease with which re-loading could be performed. Empty cartridgecases could quickly be punched out of the cylinder through the useof short rod mounted beneath the barrel, and fresh loads wereinserted just as quickly. The use of the small 'No.1 Cartridge,'with its light three-grain charge of black powder, was madenecessary by the tendency of the copper cartridge case heads tobulge when used with larger calibers or powder charges. Thiscondition caused the cases to bind against the frame, thuspreventing cylinder rotation.
Aside from the use of a small, low-power cartridge, Smith &Wesson's design also included a rotating recoil shield that wasfitted to the rear of the cylinder to eliminate this problem.Unlike other revolver designs of the time, the No. 1 featured acylinder stop that was mounted to the top strap and activated whenthe two-piece hammer was pulled backward to cock the piece. Thesepistols employed no half-cock or other safety mechanism, and theirsheathed spur trigger had no trigger guard. Several modificationsalso appeared during the production run of the No. 1 revolver,including the replacement of the bayonet-type barrel latch commonto the original design with a spring-loaded side projectionbutton-type catch; inclusion of a non-rotating recoil shield, and achange from three grove/left-hand twist rifling to five grooveswith a right-hand twist.
More significant alterations were incorporated into the No. 1Second Issue and No. 1 Third Issue revolvers. In the former, alarger, irregularly side plate replaced the smaller round platecommon to the First Issue, and the rounded frame was replaced witha flat-sided design. The Third Issue is easily identified by itsbird's-head butt and fluted cylinder. The No. 1 First Issue wasproduced between 1857 and 1860, with a total production ofapproximately 11,671 pistols. Introduced in 1860, the No. 1 SecondIssue enjoyed a production run of approximately 117,000 before itwas discontinued in 1868. The No. 1 Third Issue was producedbetween 1868 and 1881, with a total production of approximately131,000 examples. Serial numbers for the First and Second Issuewere sequential, beginning with #1 and continuing through 11,671for the First Issue, and concluding in the 128,000 range for thelast production Second Issue revolvers. Third Issue serial numbersrange from #1 to 131163.
These revolvers met with widespread popularity, and severalcompanies on both sides of the Atlantic produced counterfeitversions of the No. 1, or they introduced their own metalliccartridge designs in violation of existing patent and licenseagreements. American producers, most notably Manhattan Fire ArmsManufacturing Co., were held by the courts to be guilty of illegalinfringements on Smith & Wesson and Rollin White patents, whileEuropean manufacturers were immune from such lawsuits because U.S.patents were not recognized overseas at that time.
The original Smith & Wesson versions were in such demand thatby 1863, the company was faced with a one-year backlog in orders.Some found their way to the fighting fronts during the Civil War,and noted American humorist Samuel L. Clemens was among those whopurchased these diminutive sidearms. From somewhat humblebeginnings, Smith & Wesson would capitalize on their successeswith the No. 1 series, eventually becoming the dominantmanufacturer of revolvers worldwide.
Although production ceased more than a century ago, interest inthese ground-breaking firearms remains strong among collectors.Popularity is high in a variety of circles, including collectors ofCivil War and Smith & Wesson arms. Prices for survivingexamples in premium-grade condition far exceed their original 19thcentury price tag.