Smith & Wesson Collection

Smith & Wesson made revolvers in so many models, frame sizes and variations that a missing piece in a collection can be surprisingly hard to pin down. A Model 2 Army with the wrong barrel length or a top-break with a replaced cylinder can look right in a listing and still disappoint once it arrives. Wild West Treasures buys every revolver for its Smith & Wesson collection in person at arms fairs in the United States and Europe, and describes the model, serial number and condition of each piece.

The early years of Smith & Wesson

Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson founded their company in 1852, and in 1857 they introduced the Model 1, a small .22 rimfire revolver that was the first Smith & Wesson cartridge revolver. Thanks to the Rollin White patent for a cylinder bored through from front to back, the company held a near monopoly on cartridge revolvers in the United States until 1869. The larger .32 calibre Model 2 Army followed and was bought privately by many soldiers, which is why early Smith & Wesson revolvers also feature among the Civil War collectibles for sale. For many collectors, these early tip-up models form the foundation of a Smith & Wesson collection.

Top-break revolvers and the Russian contract

With the Model 3 of 1870, Smith & Wesson introduced a large-frame top-break revolver that ejected all its empty cases at once. The Imperial Russian Army ordered the model in large numbers, chambered for the .44 Russian cartridge, while the US Army adopted the Schofield variant from 1875. These Russian-contract revolvers and the pieces in the Russian-made items category are a fascinating side branch of any Smith & Wesson collection. The current revolvers, from tip-ups to top-breaks and later Safety Hammerless models, are grouped in the Smith & Wesson revolvers section.

Building a Smith & Wesson collection

Most collectors focus on one model line, one frame size or one period, such as the pre-1899 revolvers that count as antiques under US federal law. Matching serial numbers on the frame, cylinder and barrel latch say a lot about originality, and for many models a factory letter from the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation can confirm how a revolver was shipped. Because a Smith & Wesson collection often sits alongside other makers from the same era, the wider range of historic arms and other antique Western firearms offers plenty of material for comparison.

Name the model you are still missing

From early tip-ups to large top-breaks, a single gap can hold up a whole collection. Contact us about the revolver you are looking for, and you will hear personally about its serial number, condition and availability. Every revolver in the Smith & Wesson collection can be enquired about without obligation, and the selection changes after every fair.