Smith & Wesson Model 1

Smith & Wesson Model 1
A Smith & Wesson Model 1, 2nd Issue. This is a two patent date variety shown next to a period box of .22 short black powder cartridges.
Type	Revolver
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Manufacturer	Smith & Wesson
Produced	1857-1882
No. built	approx. 12,000 (1st Issue), 110,000 (2nd Issue), 131,000 (3rd Issue)
Specifications
Caliber	.22 Short Blackpowder
Action	Single Action
Feed system	7-round cylinder
Sights	Fixed

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 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 Model 1 had three issues or major variants, with each subsequent issue introducing significant technical changes.

The 1st Issue of the Model 1 was the first major iteration (and the least common), with approximately 12,000 produced over a three year period. The features that easily distinguish the 1st issue are the flared, square cornered shaped grip (also seen in the 2nd Issue), the small round side plate, the round profile of the frame between the back of the cylinder and the grip, a split articulated hammer, and the flat spring barrel latch seen in some early variants.

There are six known variations of the Model 1, first identified in an article by John Kountz in the April 1956 issue of "The Gun Report". In this article, Kountz noted specific differences in the recoil shield, the barrel latch (the first two variations used a dart style flat spring catch, while later variations used a larger bayonet release), the rifling and other subtle differences.