Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson is a manufacturer of handguns located in Springfield, Massachusetts.

History of Smith & Wesson

In 1852 partners Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson formed a company to produce a lever action pistol nicknamed "The Volcanic". The company formed by the partners came to be known as the ""Volcanic Repeating Arms Company", and due to financial difficulties this company came into the majority ownership of investor Oliver Winchester.

In 1856 the partners left the Volcanic Company to begin a new company and manufacture a newly designed revolver and cartridge combination. The timing of the founding of this new company was quite fortuitous, as the arrival of the Civil War five years later produced a great demand for Smith & Wesson's products.

(post-1856 history needed)