Smith & Wesson · Revolver

S&W Model 1

Name: S&W Model 1
Brand: Smith & Wesson

Single action · .22 Short · introduced 1857

Also known as Smith & Wesson Model No. 1, S&W No. 1

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About the S&W Model 1

The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first firearm produced by Smith & Wesson and the first commercially successful revolver to use a self-contained metallic rimfire cartridge rather than loose powder, ball, and percussion caps. A single-action, seven-shot tip-up revolver chambered in .22 Short, it was loaded by unlatching and tipping the barrel up so the cylinder could be removed and recharged. Exploiting Rollin White's bored-through-cylinder patent, it launched in 1857 and proved enormously popular through the American Civil War, with production continuing until 1882.

Smith & Wesson built the Model 1 around Rollin White's patent for a bored-through cylinder, which they had secured exclusive rights to, blocking competitors from making cartridge revolvers in the United States until the patent expired in 1869.

S&W Model 1 specifications

General

Type: Revolver
Action: Single action
Firing mechanism: Hammer-fired
Trigger: Single action
Calibres: .22 Short
Magazine capacity: 7 rounds
Magazine: Revolving cylinder

Dimensions

Barrel length: 83 mm (3.3 in)
Overall length: 178 mm (7.0 in)
Weight (empty): 0.31 kg (0.69 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Right hand

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Brass
Stock: Walnut
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 230 m/s (755 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 50 J (37 ft·lb)
Effective range: 15 m

History

Introduced: 1857
Discontinued: 1882
Production status: Discontinued
Country of origin: US
Designer: Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson

Features

Tip up barrel
Removable cylinder
Spur trigger
Bored through cylinder

Produced in three issues: 1st Issue (~12,000), 2nd Issue (~110,000), and 3rd Issue (~131,000). The .22 rimfire cartridge it introduced was the first American metallic cartridge.