Unexpectedly coming hard on the heels of my recent purchase of a Smith & Wesson First Model Schofield revolver (read about it here: Schofield), comes an very fine example of what the Schofield was modeled from -The Smith & Wesson Number 3 "American" revolver.

In 1869 Smith & Wesson introduced a new cartridge revolver that would become the basis for at least five other models, and that would remain in production in one form or another for four decades. The Model No 3, which eventually received the moniker “American” sometime in 1872, was the prototypical large frame Smith & Wesson handgun of the old west period.

The Model #3 was a single action revolver with a six-shot fluted cylinder and a ribbed round 8" barrel chambered for the .44 S&W American cartridge. Standard finishes were either blued or nickeled, with smooth two-piece walnut grips. Sights were rudimentary at best with a small notched rear sight on the top of the barrel release catch and a round steel front sight blade.

The revolver incorporated a number of “firsts’ for the company, as it was the first center fire revolver that Smith & Wesson produced. It was also the first .44 caliber handgun, the first “large frame” handgun and most importantly the first gun to feature a tip down barrel with simultaneous extraction.

The revolver was originally designed for the 1870 US Ordnance Board handgun trials, and performed well enough that a contract for 1,000 guns were received by Smith & Wesson in December of 1870, with the deliveries made in March of 1871. One of the features that made the #3 so appealing was the “simultaneous’ extraction system. By lifting a latch at the top rear of the frame, the action of the revolver was opened and allowed the barrel to be tipped down. This action caused a star extractor, powered by a ratchet mechanism, to withdraw the cartridges from the cylinder, and expel the empty cases. It was then an easy matter to replace any spent rounds, close the action, and be ready to use the revolver again. By comparison, Colt’s competing design, the Single Action Army, released in 1873, required a slow process of manual extraction of each spent case one at a time, with an equally slow loading process. The simultaneous extraction system would be so successful and popular that a number of Smith & Wesson models in multiple frame sizes and calibers would utilize it, well into the 20th century.

In all, Smith & Wesson would produce about 8,000 Model # 3 “American” First Model revolvers between 1870 and 1872, when a refined version (the “Second Model American”) would replace it. Many of the small design changes and improvements can be credited to changes requested by the Russian government, who had ordered some 20,000 #3 Revolvers in 1871.

The initial successes of the #3 made the gun very popular in a number of circles. Major George W. Schofield of the 10th US Cavalry, one of the famous regiments of “Buffalo Soldiers’ was one of those people who had a great fondness for the Smith & Wesson design. Schofield suggested a number of improvements to make the revolver more user friendly for the cavalry, and the end results was the Schofield, which was a modified #3 American.

Many western luminaries were very fond of the Smith & Wesson design, including William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, "Texas Jack" Omohundro, John Wesley Hardin, Cole Younger, Frank James and frontier lawman Wyatt Earp. Earp and his brother Virgil each carried a #3 American at the famous shootout at the “O.K. Corral.”

Over the next four decades thousands of #3 variants would be produced, in a variety of calibers and some even fitted with shoulder stocks and long barrels as revolving rifles. The success of the design was resounding, and in the end the average frontiersman was about as likely to have a Smith & Wesson #3 (or some variant thereof) in his holster as a Colt Single Action Army.

All of that, however, started with the Smith & Wesson Model #3 American Revolver in 1870.

This model is a "second model" Number 3 "American." It retains a goodly percentage of it's original factory nickel finish and functions exactly as it did when it left the Smith & Wesson factory in 1873. I have requested a letter of authenticity from the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation in hopes that I may better determine where it was originally shipped to (likely a large distributor similar to early Colt 1873s but will have to see).

I'm proud to add it to my meager collection of guns that "won the West", and hope you've enjoyed learning about where many of S&W's modern revolvers descended from.

my meager collection of guns that "won the West",

I am not certain that “meager” would be considered the exact correct word.

“Impressive”? Sure. “Amazing”? I’ll allow it. “Capable of causing budget risking levels of envy in one and all”? The mot juste, no doubt.

But meager? Just nope, nope, nope!

Bill R

That’s awesome.

I have an acquaintance that owns a #2 that was one of 300 sent from Benicia arsenal to San Francisco “police”. Wasn’t really the PD. More of a militia/vigilance committee

That's pretty cool. I thought about buying one that was issued to a prison in Missouri in the early 1870s (the Walls) but decided on this one. Hope to get the letter sooner than later.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mojojojo,