Smith & Wesson began in 1852 with the partnership of Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson. Out there. Unfortunately, at 25 yards, they lay about three inches to the left of the target. SMITH AND WESSON REVOLVERS AND CZECH ALFA REVOLVER FOR SALE. I have a collection of American Master Bladesmith bowies, and his is certainly the most beautiful. and yet I still want one! Visit Our Help Center Email To Friend When Bob Ford shot James in the back, he did so with a Schofield. Featured Series Hunting Revolvers LOCATE DEALER GUNSMARTS OUR STORY THE S&W BENCH What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? Their date I believe is 1898 and the 44-40 is not considered an antique so you have to go through everything you do to buy a handgun there. The Smith and Wesson Schofield No.3 break top is copied by several makers, notably the Uberti company. In double action the trigger is horrible but single action it feels like a model 3. There also appears to be a slight thickening of the top strap over the originals, I assume in order to accommodate the larger .45 Colt. It really is a wonderful round for accuracy shooting in a revolver low recoil, low noise, easy to shoot, lots of bullet types available. But it is tough. Top breaks really do it for me but the only one Ive got is a Webley. You have entered an incorrect email address! The Uberti replicas of the Smith & Wesson No. Jim Supica runs Old Town Station Ltd. Auction & Antique Arms and has authored numerous articles on gun collecting. They became very popular with the US marshals, as well as Wells Fargo. We use a lot of titanium screws where I work. Yup, and the cylinder spins either direction when free, so its easy and sure to line up an empty cylinder. Beyond that, it appears to be completely accurate, down to every marking and detail. Smith & Wesson S&W Pistol Gun Case Storage Handgun Box Plastic With Lock & Keys. My better times were around 1.8 seconds. Schofield revolvers were reportedly favorites of the James Gang, with serial numbers 3444 and 5476 attributed to Frank James and serial number 2341 to Cole Younger. Colonel George Schofield himself, as well as the fortuitous arrangement he had with his brother, who headed up the Army Ordnance Board. It would be hard to do such a storied horsemans sidearm justice, but in every way, this Italian-made Uberti replica does just that. The vast majority of the 9,000 guns went to the U.S. Army. History In 1870, the United States Army adopted the 44 calliber Smith and Wesson American top break revolver, being the first standard issue cartridge firing revolver. But they didnt hurt much either, as the tiny amount of recoil exhibited from the three-pound revolver just didnt move the gun enough to matter. The MSRP for pearl grips is actually $1,859! SPONSORED. The Russian government decided to defer paying for revolvers supplied, and then they cancelled their order leaving Smith & Wesson with a lot of revolvers manufactured and no sale. Mag. Then I went out an purchased the estate of a deceased gunsmith. Accuracy * * * * * Checkered grip for Schofield. Theyre not as strong. Answer (1 of 7): Colt SSA v Schofield Short answer: IMHO The Colt SAA fits the hand better than the Scholfield, deals with recoil better, and points more intuitively. Really, the old west guns are by far the most fun to review. Schofields served alongside Colts in the U.S. Cavalry, and for a time, much of the .45 pistol ammunition issued in the frontier army was a shorter cartridge tailored for the shorter Schofield cylinder. In fact, US government arsenals supplied .45 Schofield cartridges for both the Schofield revolver and . yeah,..everythings pretty about that gun. Richard Nahas has conducted extensive research on Smith & Wesson and is a member of the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association and, at the 1994 National Rifle Association's national convention, won an award for his "Smith & Wesson: The Martial Arms" display. Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. Ive always thought that if I fell into the way back machine, a 5 barrel Scofield would be my carry piece. 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This is awesome stuff, man. What more would you want? Even with hot .38SPL+P commercial ammunition, muzzle rise is minimal, including shooting single-handed. I have the mad money for it. Upon release, the muzzle swings down, and the extractor comes up, pushing all of the cases up. He chose to look at the problem not by walking in an infantrymans boots, but from the perch of his 10th Calvary saddle. Thanks, I really struggle with the photos. Numrich Gun Parts Corporation 226 Williams Ln. Both the revolver and the cartridge were named after a major who thought that the model 3 would make for quicker reloads for calvarymen on the move. Weve got a micro anodizer that can put Ti in some pretty cool colors. The cartridge was designated the .45 Schofield. Smith & Wesson Schofield revolvers are single-action top-break cartridge revolvers named after Major George W. Schofield who redesigned the locking mechanism of the S&W Model No. There was only one man who was not only spared such mutilation, but his body was covered with a buffalo robe, which the Indians could not really afford to spare, since this was the Moon of the Strong Cold with temperatures down to about -20F: Adolph Metzger, the bugler for the 2nd Cav. Featured-rich and enhanced for better performance, our firearms maintain production line integrity. He came across the gun many years ago in an auction and was told it belonged to the James gang. Southwest Airlines has a campaign like this. Smith & Wesson Model No. He just had a few changes to make. Learn how your comment data is processed. In the early 1880s the Benet type (internal) cartridge primer was retired and the modern Boxer type (external) primer was adopted for all future military production of revolver ammunition. Much of that time was spent making fixtures, jigs and tools to make the Model 12. A quick tip off to some fakes is the stamping of the company name. Choosing a handgun for its ability to be used as a club wasnt an academic issue of a desk jockey. thats what he was thinking. The Schofield was quite a popular handgun in the old west, and may have been used by General Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. A little more force and the barrel tips back at the shooter, the cylinder comes forward, and all of the cases fly out in front of the shooter. Here's an interesting and rather rare Smith & Wesson revolver. His heirs had no idea what most of the tooling in the wooden toolboxes was. It is believed that these guns were shipped to San Francisco at the time of the Sandlot Riots, and eventually wound up with the California militia. And many of those generals in charge at the time were likely grunts during the civil war, and had a fare share of hand to hand experience from battles like the Bloody Angle. If somebody decides to go for it and can overcome the complicated machining, I expect that it would cost about $1,500 or more. The only actual order I can find with anything from the Army Ordinance Board is for 3,000, which is in the wrong caliber, and the contract was cancelled just 2 years later. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Reliability * * * * * This was problematic for Smith & Wesson as the cylinder of the No. Style and Appearance * * * * * Agreed. I look forward to all your submissions. Click for more info Seller: Alligood's Area Code: 478 $2,495.00 Schofield Second Model .45 Schofield GI#: 102108077 Im sure there are Schofields. I had several shooters try the gun, and the results were the same for all of them. But they rarely agree with each other. I shot it an hour later. Just for visual effect, I moved to shooting steel. Gun #: 919781247 Seller: Wildwood Inc $1,395.00 Full Details 1 Image (s) One handgun that served equally well for soldier and sodbuster alike was Smith & Wesson's single-action Schofield. The upside to you, dear reader, is the knowledge that even after the shooting and drawing and just tons of goofing around, theres still no obvious wear on the gun. I read about them but have never seen one. He found that it could not be done profitably at the price he wanted to put on them. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. Now, if I was going to just have 1 sidearm, a 4 .357Magnum is what Id do (and I will likely end up doing just that). Believe it or not, before they were a bank repeatedly fined for unethical conduct and defrauding account holders, Wells Fargo was pretty well-respected. They are an excellent choice for Cowboy Action shooting and equally at home down in Australia where Cowboy Action shooting has been locally re-modeled to become Colonial Action shooting. Having a revolver you could flip around and use like a war hammer wasnt a bad idea. This is the case with Wells Fargo Schofields, with faked markings not uncommon. The Smith & Wesson Model 3 is a single-action, cartridge-firing, top-break revolver produced by Smith & Wesson (S&W) from around 1870 to 1915, and was recently again offered as a reproduction by Smith & Wesson and Uberti.. The .45 Schofield or .45 Smith & Wesson is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson for their S&W Model 3 American top-break revolver. Overall * * * * General Gorloff understood that this external lubricant would attract dirt and cause functioning problems, so he told Smith & Wesson to create an internally lubricated .44 caliber cartridge. Ive thought about it a bit. I would not expect most commercial .45LC to be any different, and only the .44-40 would likely show a real difference in recoil. Im a bit surprised for historical accuracy that you didnt feed it a few cylinders of black powder loads. After my second shot at 25 yards using Remingtons 130gr FMJ UMC round on a paper, target I was genuinely confused. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The gun shoots nice, tight, consistent groups. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. The Smith and Wesson Model No. You will find the Uberti manual for these replicas if you click here. I was a revolver man just like my dad. Since 1852 Smith & Wesson has empowered Americans with the freedom, equality, and security promised by the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. As these guns hit the surplus market, they began to be picked up by everyday civilians, law enforcement, and companies alike. Based on Taylors & Co.s website, the $1,522 MSRP is for the walnut grips. They likely made it to a lot more places than on that short list. 3's, and many were used by the 4th Cavalry in the Geronimo campaign and by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry. Look for auctions with plenty of firearms I went to one in Rome, Georgia where a Doctor was getting a divorce,, Had over 300 firearms and all were new or almost new,,, I bought a Uberti Scholfield 45LC taxes and all for $530.00. They had purchased a thousand of the original revolvers in the .44 Smith & Wesson American cartridge but were not impressed. The Smith & Wesson Schofield loaded, unloaded, and fired perfectly every single time, no matter what I put through it. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Most common is the small size, about the same size as the company name abbreviation. BE . Smith & Wesson handguns are reliable and safe to use when the basic firearm safety rules are followed. Schofields were used by the U.S. Army for only a few years before being sold as surplus on the civilian market and used in the West by Wells Fargo express agents and many others. Major George W. Schofield, a U.S. Army ordinance officer assigned to the 10th Cavalry, sought to improve on Smith & Wesson's Model No. All good firearms and I like dealing with the friendly folks that work for them. The problem with many of these efforts by people who dont have experience in gunsmithing/gunmaking to reproduce historic guns is this: they dont know what they dont know. Traded for a mint colt 4 in diamond back. Can you shoot .45 ACP using moon clips? $6.99 shipping. The only thing I did to pimp my revolver was to change out the wooden grips for after-market hard rubber ones. The army were not impressed and standardized on the 1873 Colt single action in .45 Colt. No Serial Number WE DO NOT SHIP INTERNATIONALLY $30 Shippin, RARE CIVILIAN Antique SMITH & WESSON 2nd Model .45 Cal. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online. US Firearms "Custer Battlefield" single action .45. Some years ago I purchased a replica S&W New Frontier #3 top-break revolver in .45 Colt with a blue finish. The Schofield Revolver was a top break single action revolver produced by Smith and Wesson . My time to draw and fire six shots into the same 10-inch circle at 15 yards averaged 4.56 seconds. This is going to sound a little silly, but right now I have at least 120 guns, and not a single one of them in .357Magnum. Taylors & Company picked a good one. So how many actually got delivered in total? As a result, by the late 1880s the army finally standardized on a .45 cartridge designed to fire in both revolvers, the M1887 Military Ball Cartridge. Wow! As to the nickle finish on your test gun, Ive read that this finish was popular with shooters because it resisted corrosion from shooting black powder cartridges. Let us help! A SMITH WESSON MODEL 3 SCHOFIELD pistol currently has too little sold data to calculate an average price. Jul 12, 2020. That lighter weight Remington round scored 3/4. Its a great look back into history at one of the competitors of the Colt, and one of the foundations of the Smith & Wesson legend as well. Constitution Avenue, NW The most dangerous thing in the military is a two and a half ton truck with 18yo Joe driving. They requested that it be produced for the .45 Colt cartridge. The M1887 was made at Frankford Arsenal, and was issued only to the military. Way up there behind the muzzle is a simple, thin metal blade front sight. However, in 1874 the Army purchased 8,000 Colt Single Action Army models, noting a preference for their strength and simplicity. 3 top-break revolver was introduced by them in 1870. Schofield Revolver: S&Ws Most Famous Top-Break, Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 4th Edition, Smith & Wesson EQUALIZER Review: Crafted For Carry, Smith & Wesson Announces M&P FPC 9mm Carbine. Smith and Wesson OEM Medium Pistol Case Up to 6" Barrel (112) 112 product ratings - Smith and Wesson OEM Medium Pistol Case Up to 6" Barrel. It is an exceptional revolver. How, then, did I miss the paper entirely? Shooting four rounds of five shots from each manufacturer, not a single one averaged larger than one inch at 25 yards. I know right? I used that term based on other items they sell, but I was seriously doubtful as to if I was right or not. This particular one is a First Model Schofield (s/n 273) manufactured in 1875. Its actually heavier than that, measuring at 3lbs 10oz. For low pressure loads theyre fine. Unsurprisingly, my hands were a little sweaty during a few of the courses of fire, and the smooth grips didnt help. Capacity: 6 Some claim that the revolver can then be reloaded again entirely with just one hand although I certainly cant figure out how, especially on horseback. Smith & Wesson must have had a what a good idea moment and the new cartridge was created and came to be known as the .44 Russian. This was found acceptable, and 3,000 S&W Schofields were initially ordered in 1875. Apparently the Smith & Wessons two-piece frame had a tendency to come apart when used as a bludgeon, whereas the Colt remained togethera big win for the Colt. In Army tests of this era, S&W Americans and Russians passed the firing and functioning criteria, but were criticized for their complexity and number of parts. Jeremy is rewarding my grumbling with sending prettier stuff my way. . While Colt and Remington revolvers loaded one round at a time through a side-mounted loading gate, the Schofield was a top-break gun, popping open in the middle and allowing for simultaneous ejection of spent cartridges or quick reloading. By all accounts, George Schofield was a frenetic inventor, and likely suffered from significant manic depression. Schofield sold more than one hundred Smith & Wesson #3 American revolvers between the fall of 1870 and spring of 1871. 3 and the 1873 Colts the Army had in .45 Colt. I always liked the top break action. It was one of the foundational models of the Smith & Wesson enterprise, even though it was never much of financial success. The greater ease and speed of reloading was noted, but was not given much credence as a tactical advantage. Reproduction gun and profit!. I like my Webleys. The first Russian model which followed the original design and then two variants with modifications ordered by the Russian Ordnance Inspectorate. Cavalrymen would have been issued walnut grips on their service revolvers, and these authentic grips are available from Taylors & Company as well. Until i saw the price. I might point out that the photo of Annie Oakleys revolver does not show a #3 Schofield, but rather a #3 New Frontier model it has a different top latch and grip shape than the Schofield. I have drawers in my roll-arounds filled with widgets and gadgets that Ive made to do one specific job on one specific make/model of firearm. Thanks for doing reviews of pretty guns. As early as 1871, Schofield had been working on improvements to the S&W American that he felt would render it more suitable for military usage. Further minor modifications were made, and an additional 5,000 in the Second Model configuration were delivered in 1877. The rear sight is integral to the cylinder release latch. Many saw service in the Indian Wars, though they were reported in use as late as the Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection. However, the .38SPL is only one of the chamberings offered by Taylors & Company. Junk. The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, Smith & Wesson Handguns and one of my absolute favorites, Age of the Gunfighter. -Smith & Wesson 1911 Grips. I. It would be hard to do such a storied horseman's sidearm justice, but in every way, this Italian-made Uberti replica does just that. I just didnt realize how precise that really was. This article is from the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 4th Edition. The Schofield versionswere favored by many famous professional gunslingers on both sides of the law. The Smith & Wesson Schofield (usually pronounced SKO-field rather than SHOW-field) revolver is probably the best known by the general public of any of the Model Threes, and the one most associated with the Old West in the collective American imagination. Also the grips arent real mother of pearl, but imitation. I would have guessed the trigger pull weight was about 2.5lbs with no creep and a clean break. 3 revolvers in different variations. Available in dozens of calibers and frame sizes for concealed carry, home . Because of the original design by Smith and Wesson, the Schofield is somewhat heavier on the end than say a sing-action-army style revolver. 3 and their variations, the Frontier and Target models. This is a Smith and Wesson Schofield Second Model Revolver that was originally purchased by the U.S. Government. Veteran, army medic, proud Texas son. Plus, its just fun to shoot. Get the 76th edition of the World's Greatest Gun Book. In 1855, Smith & Wesson sold their interest to the newly-organized Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. Here are the features to watch out for. Too many people think in terms of only what the CNC machine can do, and what tooling they can buy. : SCH-003 . The only thing more I could ask for are super high-res photos that would fill a 15 laptop screen. Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 02:36, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=.45_Schofield&oldid=1141244355, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 02:36. 3 top-break revolver was introduced by them in 1870. Sadly, he ended his life with one of his own revolvers. SMITH & WESSON BIG FRAME SINGLE ACTION SPRINGS: MAINSPRING (fits old old model Russian-1st model American-2nd model American for Schofield shorten base approx. The Frontier was in 44-40 and is said to be the model that John Wesley Hardin was carrying when he was killed. Smith & Wesson Baby Russian Grips. Such is its popularity that some gun enthusiasts who are not familiar with the older S&W . 7 INCH BARREL A RARE US .45 SMITH & WESSON SCHOFIELD FIRST MODEL REVOLVER, SERIAL NO. On my Schofield 5 in 38. Sure enough it hung up . Today, that bugle is one of the most important artifacts of Wyoming history: http://www.buffalobulletin.com/article_6a18f6c0-7ab3-11e6-aa39-533499b42034.html. JRMc. Taylors & Company sells several versions of the S&W Model 3, including a few Schofields. By the way, most of the these photos were taken after the first 100 shots, and the gun was only wiped down with my T-shirt. The Schofield is derivation of the famous Smith & Wesson Model 3. Actually there were speed loaders back then. The demand of used SMITH WESSON MODEL 3 SCHOFIELD pistol's has not changed over the past 12 months. Calibers available are .38 Special, .44 Russian, 44-40 and 45 Colt. There is very little recoil. Only 3 left. The Smith and Wesson Model No. Check to compare Smith & Wesson 629 44 Mag Revolver 4" Barrel. Back up and zoom out. I don't have one of the 2000 Schofields, but the tabs on the latch of this 1st Model Schofield do not contact the cylinder when the gun is closed. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), International Media Interoperability Framework. Quantity: Buy now. All of the screws on the frame are colored a beautiful blue. This noticeable feeling faded . Those first 100 were all lead cast rounds, so I fully cleaned the bore after that, prior to shooting the commercial loads and testing for accuracy. (It turns out, I cant.) 1930 Lincoln Model L Convertible Roadster, Aston Martin DB5 James Bond 007 Movie Car. Grip/Stock:2-piece Walnut or Pearl I, another gunsmith, have figured out only about half of the tools he made what they were for, etc. $5.00 shipping. A few guns were made for the civilian market, but the vast majority of Schofields were military guns. The more things change, the more they stay the same. 3s original cartridge the .44 Smith & Wesson American however. I have the 45LC and one side has 1877 with letters under it in a box and the other side has letters in a box,, The Schofield revolver (a variant of the Smith & Wesson Model 3) was patented in the USA on 20 June 1871 and 22 April 1873 by Smith & Wesson. @TaylorsFirearms version of a Smith and Wesson Number 3 Schofield by @Uberti_USA With a flick of the wrist, the break-open revolver never failed to eject all cases cleanly. 2: 459: Ruger Revolvers, H&K VP9LE, Ruger American 45acp. Smith & Wessons No. 3 Schofield was greatly improved over the Model No. I put screws like that on custom guns, and I do this by nitre blueing. 3s marked Schofields patents went to the US Army for use by the cavalry. Many saw service in the Indian Wars, though they were reported in use as late as the Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection.