Smith & Wesson: a buyer's guide
Smith & Wesson has been making revolvers since the 1850s and gave the world the .357 and .44 Magnum. Today it's America's second-largest gun maker, known as much for the M&P pistol line as for its wheelguns.
A short history
Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson went into business together in 1852 and formed the Smith & Wesson Revolver Company in 1856. For most of its history the company was synonymous with Springfield, Massachusetts. Today Smith & Wesson is headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, and trades on Nasdaq as SWBI. In 2020 it spun off its outdoor-products business as American Outdoor Brands to focus on firearms.
In 2024 Smith & Wesson built 970,160 firearms in the U.S., second only to Ruger, and was the second-largest maker of both pistols and revolvers (see the full ranking).
The revolvers
S&W sorts its revolvers by frame size, which is the easiest way to make sense of them:
- J-frame: small five-shot carry revolvers, starting with the Model 36 in 1950. Still one of the most popular pocket guns made.
- K-frame: the Model 10 (".38 Military & Police"), with more than six million made, served generations of police officers.
- L-frame: the stainless Model 686 in .357 Magnum, a favorite for home defense and the range.
- N-frame: big-bore revolvers like the Model 29 in .44 Magnum, made famous by Dirty Harry.
- X-frame: the Model 500 in .500 S&W Magnum, built to be the most powerful production handgun.
Smith & Wesson also introduced or co-developed several cartridges you still see on every ammo shelf: the .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum among them.
The M&P pistols and rifles
The polymer-framed M&P pistol arrived in 2005, aimed at police departments, and the M&P15 AR-15 rifle line followed in 2006. The slim M&P Shield became one of the best-selling concealed-carry pistols in the country, and the M&P line now runs from full-size duty guns to compact carry models.
Buying a used Smith & Wesson
- Model numbers and dash numbers. The number after the dash (686-4, for example) is the engineering change. Collectors care about it; shooters mostly don't.
- Revolver checks: cylinder timing, end shake, and the forcing cone, just like any wheelgun.
- Internal lock. Many revolvers made since the early 2000s have a key-operated lock above the cylinder release. Some buyers prefer "no-lock" guns; both shoot the same.
Smith & Wesson at Trademark Guns
We don't have any Smith & Wesson items on the rack right now. Ask us about the model you want, or buy it online and have it shipped to us for a $25 FFL transfer.
Common questions
- Where is Smith & Wesson made?
- In the United States. The company is headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, and is historically based in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- What is the difference between a J-frame and a K-frame?
- Size. J-frames are small five-shot carry revolvers; K-frames like the Model 10 are medium-size six-shot service revolvers.
- What does M&P stand for?
- Military & Police, a name S&W first used on its .38 revolver and now uses for its polymer pistols and AR-15 rifles.
Sources
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