Smith & Wesson

By Roy G. Jinks and Sandra C. Krein

Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson shared a dream of manufacturing a firearm that could fire repeatedly, using a new and self-contained cartridge. In 1852, the dream became a reality with the founding of Smith & Wesson Firearms Company. Over the next 154 years, the company grew to be one of the most innovative and respected firearms manufacturers in the world. The story of Smith & Wesson is not only about two knowledgeable and enterprising men but also the story of generations of creative and dedicated men and women. The spirit of innovation generated by the partners has long outlived them. Today Smith & Wesson is synonymous with quality, performance, and durability. Smith & Wesson explores the company history, its people, and significant products from the partners' first venture in 1852 to the sale of the Wesson family business in 1965. This book features rarely seen historical photographs, advertisements, and company documents culled from the company archives, museums collections, and the private collections of Smith & Wesson collectors.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439633847

Roy G. Jinks

Roy G. Jinks, the Smith & Wesson company historian, is considered the foremost expert on the company. He is the author of several titles on Smith & Wesson and is an avid collector and shooter. Sandra C. Krein, an independent historian, is the curator of the exhibition No thing of importance can be done without effort: Working at Smith & Wesson.

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Jinks.

INTRODUCTION

This book is a pictorial sketch of one of the world’s most successful and well-recognized companies, Smith & Wesson. The story begins with two men who shared a dream of developing a firearm that could use a fully self-contained cartridge, eliminating the need to load a firearm with loose ball and powder. It was a unique relationship since the two men, Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson, were 18 years apart in age, Wesson being the youngest. Both men grew up in the arms industry; Smith learned the trade at the National Armory in Springfield as well as working with other manufacturers as a subcontractor, and D B. Wesson served his apprenticeship working for his oldest brother, Edwin, a maker of fine target firearms.

Horace Smith was born in Cheshire, Massachusetts, in 1808. At the age of four, his family moved to Springfield and his father soon took a job in the Water Shop of the National Armory in the city. At the age of 16, Smith joined his father at the armory as an apprentice to a bayonet-forger and held that position for four years. At 20, Smith became a journeyman tool and die maker for the armory. Over the next 14 years, Smith showed his ability and is credited with the development of several machines to improve production of the United States muskets manufactured by the armory.

Daniel Baird Wesson was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1825. His father was well known in the area as a skilled wooden plow maker, and by the time D. B. was 10 years old, his older brother Edwin was establishing himself as a fine rifle maker. D. B. showed an early propensity for mechanical ability. A Wesson family letter from October 1842 mentioned that while D. B. enjoyed hunting, he would rather be at work in the shop on gunlocks, springs or something of that kind. Two months later, D. B.’s natural inclination was put to work. At the age of 17, D. B. was apprenticed to his brother in consideration of $250 paid by Edwin to their father, Rufus Wesson. Edwin agreed to teach his brother the craft of gun making as well as house, clothe, and educate him until he reached the age 21.

In 1848, Edwin Wesson moved his shop from rural Northboro, Massachusetts, to the growing industrial center of Hartford, Connecticut, and the newly married D. B. joined him. Edwin Wesson’s Rifle Works was near Samuel Colt’s Armory, and the two collaborated on the production of arms for the Mexican War. Edwin Wesson died suddenly of a heart attack in January 1849 at the age of 37. His unexpected death and recent business expansion left his estate in chaos with debts totaling over $15,000. D. B. soon found himself without a job or tools and with a pregnant wife and infant daughter to support.

Smith and Wesson had the opportunity to meet in 1850 at the Robbins and Lawrence Company in Windsor, Vermont, where both men were working as subcontractors supervising the manufacturing of the different firearms produced at this facility. It is speculated that they had the opportunity to discuss their dream of producing a firearm that was a repeater and would use a full self-contained cartridge. By 1852, the men had a model of a lever action-repeating pistol and had formed a partnership to produce the new style firearm in Norwich, Connecticut. Although this design was an important innovation, the firm failed, and by 1854, they were forced to sell the company to Oliver Winchester, a shirt manufacturer from New Haven, Connecticut. The original Smith & Wesson design reached its full fame in 1866 when it emerged as the basic design of the famous Winchester Repeating Rifle.

Smith returned to Springfield after the sale of the original Smith & Wesson Company to Winchester, while Wesson stayed and worked as plant superintendent to help Oliver Winchester to get his new plant operating. While in his employment, Wesson designed a small revolver that fired a rim fire cartridge that he and Smith patented in 1854. After discussing the design with Horace, they decided to reform Smith & Wesson in Springfield.

The first order of business for them was to obtain the rights to a patent belonging to Rollin White that covered the process of boring a cylinder straight through—a necessity for the use of their cartridge. On November 17, 1856, the two partners signed an agreement with Rollin White for the exclusive use of his 1855 patent. The agreement paid Rollin White 25¢ per revolver, but White had to defend the patent against all infringements. This was an important part of the agreement since it saved the

Reviews for Smith & Wesson

[ericcostello-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing look at the history of the firearms maker. Not deep, by any means, but a number of interesting photographs, which is pretty much the m.o. for the Images of America series.