Smith & Wesson
Smith Wesson Guns and Equipment
Horace Smith and Daniel B Wesson began working together in 1852 in Norwich, Connecticut, aiming to produce a lever action repeating pistol, with a completely self-contained cartridge. The Volcanic Rifle was their first major creation, with a new cartridge design. Smith’s new Volcanic cartridge was patented in 1854, and Smith and Wesson rebranded themselves under the Volcanic Repeating Arms in 1855, when Smith left the company to return to his hometown. A year later, they returned to work together to capitalise on the expiration of Samuel Colt’s patent on the revolver, by developing their prototype for the cartridge revolver they originally designed. These revolvers became a huge part of the American Civil War, with both sides of the war using the Model 1 for self-defence and close-quarters conflict. Today Smith & Wesson Holding are still a major manufacturer of firearms, and recently paid $130.5 million for Battenfeld Technologies, a designer of hunting and shooting accessories, further stamping their place in the firearms industry.