Smith & Wesson 1st model - 2nd Issue Revolver / SOLD

Smith & Wesson 1st model - 2nd Issue Revolver - Inventory Number: HAN 108 / SOLD  

Very nice antique Smith & Wesson 1st model 2nd issue revolver. It’s a .22 cal short 7 shot revolver that has a 3-3/16 inch barrel and rosewood grips. The action is strong, and the hinge is tight. Manufactured in early 1860’s with serial number is 81,653.  

The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first firearm manufactured by Smith & Wesson, with production spanning the years 1857 through 1882. It was the first commercially successful revolver to use rimfire cartridges instead of loose powder, musket ball, and percussion caps. It is a single-action, tip-up revolver holding seven .22 short stack black powder cartridges.

As Samuel Colt’s patent on the night revolver was set to expire in 1856, Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson were researching a prototype for a metallic cartridge revolver. When they discovered that a former Colt employee named Rollin White held the patent for a “Bored-through” cylinder, a component needed for this new invention, the two partners approached White to manufacture a newly designed revolver-and-cartridge combination.

Rather than make White a partner in their company, Smith and Wesson paid him a royalty of $0.25 on every “Model 1” revolver that they made. It would become White’s responsibility to defend his patent in any court cases which eventually led to his financial ruin, but was very advantageous for the new Smith & Wesson Company.

The 2nd Issue of the Model 1 looked similar to the 1st Issue, with several notable differences. The side plate on the 2nd Issue was much larger and irregularly shaped. The profile of the frame was flatter, and the hammer was now made in one piece. Model 1 2nd Issues still had the flared, square cornered shaped grip and the octagonal tip-up style frame.

There were approximately 110,000 2nd Issues produced from 1860 through 1868, with serial numbers ranging from approximately 12,000 (following the 1st Issue) through to approximately 120,000.

Inventory Number: HAN 108 / SOLD