Our revolvers were the Smith & Wesson 617 double-action revolver with single-action capability and Ruger’s New Model Single Six Hunter. When I was growing up during the 1960s and beginning a lifelong interest in revolvers, my grandfather expressed a common opinion. The .32 S&W Long, also known as 7.65x23mm, is a straight-walled, centerfire, rimmed handgun cartridge, based on the earlier .32 S&W cartridge. For one thing, the Colt ejector rod in the front of the cylinder worked fine until you bent it. Much of that movement was on horseback, where the one-handed repeater was ideal. Three years before the more conventional.38-caliber K-Frame, S&W had introduced the I-Frame. In a few years, there was another strong unifying moment in the handgun world. After the war, both companies manufactured distinctive revolvers. At this point in time, the companies were producing revolvers that in many ways were more similar than they differed. and was weened on S&W. He said he remembered that I wanted his Python. I also picked up a 686 a couple years ago . It involved a solid (not hinged) frame with a cylinder that swung outward to the left. By continuing to browse our website you agree to our use of cookies. The Colt .32 Long is smaller in diameter than the .32 Smith and Wesson Long and will not interchange. ( 4″ Model 19, 2″ Model 60, 6″ Model 66. a Model 669 9mm, sadly sold a 4″ Model 686, and a 4″ Model 29,) My Newer S&W’s are a 6″ 686 Custom Shop model, never fired, an M&P 9c, M&P 9, M2,0 ,5″ never fired , M&P Bodyguard .380 carry piece, M&P Shield 9, M&P Shield 9 from the pro shop, never fired, M&P Shield 9 M 2.0 with Crimson Trace laser, Carry Piece. There wasn’t a dime’s worth of difference in the fit and finish of the two makes. Picking one of what I have it would be a 686+ or even a Ruger Match Champion. The older .38s were eclipsed. It is sometimes referred to as a Combat Magnum. I made a comment to my wife once that if we were ever in a pinch the Pythons would bring good money . The only Colt that is superior to similar Smith & Wesson models is the Detective Special which is the best snub for the purpose. I taught my children, and later, my step-children to shoot with that old .45. When Colt’s patent expired in the mid-1850s, it opened the door for rigorous competition from other manufacturers, such as Smith & Wesson … A high primer would hang up in a Colt - a Smith would let you pull it on thru. It was first designed with a 158-grain semi-jacketed soft point( flat) bullet. Earlier this weekend, I was doing some cleaning and organizing, and two similar, yet very different, revolvers ended up side by side. Sam Colt invented the revolver as we know it, offering the first one for sale in 1836. The Colt revolver had to be designed to stabilize the firing hand to allow thumb cocking and to present the sights for proper aiming. I chose a Smith & Wesson model 25.5 chamberd in 45 long colt round. By continuing to browse our website you agree to our use of cookies. From that point in time forward to the 1970s, it was a battle for supremacy. Seems to me, a Colt Python is more coveted and higher priced than an equilivent Smith. Much of that movement was on horseback, where the one-handed repeater was ideal. It was introduced in 1896 for Smith & Wesson's first-model Hand Ejector revolver. 6 inch barrel, chromed. Colt introduced some models such as the Python, but Smith and Wesson introduced more models at more attractive prices. There were high points of production for each company. My home was broken into while no one was home and that wonderful old revolver is in someone else’s hands now but it will always be my favorite. Both companies made their guns in America, forged from steel smelted in this country and put together by Yankee craftsmen who took fierce pride in the product.  But sometimes, it is a Colt Single Action Army .45 or a beautifully smooth Colt .357. During the 1930s the race was real with Colt having an edge. It was also possible to thumb-cock the hammer and then press the trigger to fire. Both companies offered double-action/single-action guns by the 1880s. The Colt action differed, and while smooth enough, the Colt was the more likely to go out of time after hard use. But many of us find the revolver suits our needs well. m&p shield ez pistol important safety recall notice for pistols manufactured between march 1st, 2020 and october 31st, 2020 learn more.. We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. When we went to his car he open the trunk and gave me the Nickle Plated 4 inch Python, a fancy tooled belt and holster, two boxes of ammo, a pair of handcuffs, and a can of del defend. I guess you could say I Love Smith and Wesson Firearms. Smith and Wesson followed suit with the Hand Ejector, a similar size .32 caliber revolver. The .357 Magnum cartridge is a revolver round with a .357 inch bullet diameter. New Revolver, Smith & Wesson VS Ruger? In this case he was on his way to Mt for a new job. The Colt revolver was an offensive firearm and a credible military firearm that hastened the western movement. Interestingly enough, when the industry could not completely fill the need for 1911 semi-automatics in 1917, both Colt and Smith & Wesson quickly changed their large-revolver lines to build Model 1917 revolvers chambered in .45 ACP. Howdy all, I’ve had the notion for a while to buy a 4 inch 44 magnum revolver. It’s a toss up and the differences are minimal but Rugers are cast steel while S&W are forged steeel. My favorite revolver was a WWII era Enfield top break revolver in .455 cal. "Keep Off The Ridgeline" b9904 Member Posts: 43 (11/10/02 3:32:47 am) Reply | Edit | Del Re: Dan Wesson V.S. Smith and Wesson lengthened the .38 Long Colt cartridge slightly and improved performance from a 152-grain bullet at 750 fps to a 158-grain bullet at 850 fps. Carried in custom made Buscalero gunbelt. Of course there were, but whatever differences there may have been, it did not relate to quality. The Colt Python is a 357 Magnum caliber revolver formerly manufactured by Colt’s Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. Ruger introduced the GP100 approximately 1985 and it's still going strong, some thirty-four years later. Will the revolver be a Colt or a Smith and Wesson? The Combat Masterpiece, Shooting Master, Target Masterpiece, Trooper, Highway Patrolman, Python, Detective Special, Chief’s Special, Cobra, Python and Combat Magnum were among them. Before AR vs. AK, 870 vs. 500 and 9mm vs 45 ACP were debated endlessly on forums and social media — there was Colt vs. Smith & Wesson. Most are highly accurate and offer plenty of power. The .38 Colt was a dismal failure in action in the Philippines and at home. The first is double-action, and the second is single-action. I guess we know who won the battle with me but lost the war. I was called to the station. Today we’ll talk about revolvers embellished by Tiffany & Co. In the time of the Indian Wars, Smith & Wesson made some huge sales overseas, so the company’s revolvers were not that well-known in this country. That first Paterson was a five-shot, cap-and-ball revolver. Both companies were more than capable of offering upgraded revolvers for special purposes—the first Registered Magnums from Smith & Wesson as opposed to Colt’s Shooting Master revolvers in a significant amount of chamberings.Â. With all the knowledge this site has to offer I figured this would be the best place to pose my question. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Various models of the, Tournament News & Results – Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Redfish and More. Also, Colt’s quirky action, with a V-shaped mainspring, was … The K frame .38 has a skinny frame for use with Magnums, but the development of target stocks and rubber recoil absorbing stocks went a long way toward taming magnum recoil. I like something on my hip in the wild. When I am hiking or traveling around Appalachia, the Blue Ridge, and the Smokies, I sometimes find myself in the vicinity of feral dogs and other dangerous wildlife. 10) as opposed to gun shops where you sell one a week. While the Colt Single Action Army remained popular past its prime, the primary spear point of competition for the two makers was in double action .38 Special revolvers. Pricey then but nothing like they are today . Shot Master every time,30 years.We could carry anything we wanted. This article is based on the six Tiffany Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers that are consigned to the upcoming September 2020 Rock Island Premier Firearms Auction, as well as Tiffany wheelguns sold during past RIAC auctions. Many young designers were chomping at the bit to break into the revolver market. He told me that he would not flip for the difference between the two. Qualified as a Pistol Expert, and love the way they feel and shoot. With over 165 years of excellence in firearm design and engineering behind them, Smith & Wesson revolvers are the most reliable, versatile, and comfortable to shoot handguns of this platform in existence. Many felt Smith and Wesson had the edge when they reinvested war time profits in new machinery and models after World War II. In short, it was an immensely important invention. Smith&Wesson was smarter in many ways than Colt, especially in the area of contracts, where you sell multiple guns, (witness the mdl. I have pretty much the same preference. I inherited the revolver from my dad and it had been given to him by my great-grandfather. Smith & Wesson used a protected system for this part. However, while Colt ignited the fire, he was not alone. I doubt Colt ever had more than a few police contracts, whereas S&W had, not only most cities and states, but also FBI and other feds. Colt used to call revolvers in the Detective Special and Cobra class D-frames. Just the same, the gun on the hip is usually a Colt Python. The Python I carried for years and finally passed on to my Son last year. Otherwise, they both feature 6″ barrels and full-sized frames. Colt vs. Smith & Wesson on Revolvers. I did get a Colt DSII that’s very nice though. That was 1969, when I became a deputy sheriff and carried a revolver by mandate from the department. I was lucky enough to acquire 2 Pythons some years back . Her response…..” your ass !”. While Smith & Wesson named this new cartridge the.32 S&W Long, Colt’s version was the.32 Colt New Police. Colt and Smith & Wesson tried to compete with each other in the late 1800s by offering newer, more innovative revolvers to capture the lion’s share of the market, but then, in 1899, S&W unveiled its first.38-caliber K-Frame — the Military & Police. Once in a while, either of the two companies would get distracted and quality might suffer a bit, but that never lasted. Trigger pressure would cause the hammer to come fully back, as the cylinder revolved around to index with the barrel. Required fields are marked *. The .32 Colt, .32 Smith and Wesson, .38 Colt, and .38 Smith and Wesson were among these. This ammo has diverse use ranging from target shooting to self-defense and hunting. Smith & Wesson 686 One of the most popular revolvers in production, the Smith & Wesson 686 revolver is a medium (“L frame”) revolver chambered in the powerful .357 Magnum caliber. Plus an M&P 15, NATO, and on and on. When I started police job, 1972, Python was THE gun to carry. The gun’s introduction as a repeating handgun was a radical innovation, ideally suited for America’s westward expansion. Smith and Wesson followed suit with the Hand Ejector, a similar size .32 caliber revolver. By the 1970s Smith and Wesson carried three quarters of the police market. Fifty years later she recounted the story as if it were yesterday. Welcome back to another installment of TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday series of articles. Please note, however, that S&W and Colt are primarily the only manufactures that designate frame sizes; most simply use Small, Medium, and Large. The big cats are sometimes aggressive—I will never forget that my grandmother’s cousin, a small child, was killed by a panther in the early 1920s. It was first introduced in 1934 and serves as the foundation of the “Magnum Era.” Then, as now, everyone wanted more powerful ammo. Consequently I sold it for more than I paid, but now wish I’d kept it just for the value aspect. So it's now been around longer than the HP. Essentially, the question that has to be answered is, Would we be willing to settle for the Smith & Wesson? Thanks for the article. Colt called it the .32 Colt New Police in revolvers … Sam Colt invented the revolver as we know it, offering the first one for sale in 1836. 27 Posts #21 • Jun 1, 2017. All are great guns but the Pythons are my favorites . The differences in the revolvers were seldom based on quality of manufacture. Colt only made the 357/Trooper (in all of it's variations) for approximately fifteen years. Your email address will not be published. An earlier—and very complicated—flintlock revolver, the Collier, came out of the United Kingdom and may or may not have had some influence on the young Yankee entrepreneur. i was hoping to get something in the next week or so nut if i order a colt it would take a lot longer. Various models of the Colt revolver followed, each offering improvements of one kind or the other. I like the Colt,but the prices are out of control, and not worth it to me. The hinged frame, and later break top, Smith and Wesson revolvers competed with Colt’s solid frame revolvers. While each may have had an occasional bad run, this was rare. Just as with the.38 Colt New Police, which was Colt’s answer to the.38 S&W, Colt’s version had a flatnose instead of the roundnose used by Smith & Wesson, giving it … This round is based on the earlier Smith & Wesson .38 Special cartridge. The .38 Special became the most popular revolver cartridge of all time. During the 1880s Colt began development of swing out cylinder double action revolvers that would bring the two companies’ products much closer in design and appearance. I own and enjoy both, more Colts than Smiths and would hate to part with either. The Colt .32 Long is smaller in diameter than the .32 Smith and Wesson Long and will not interchange. Adjustable sights, ramp front sights, shrouded ejector rods, target triggers and hammers, trigger stops, and red insert front sights were introduced. Thus was the situation when I got involved with revolvers. Believe me, there is no tool on earth that gets the abuse of a policeman’s revolver. By the time of the Civil War both Smith and Wesson and Colt were manufacturing viable revolver designs. I am a retired P.O. An Officer whom I had met at a tri-state firearms meet the year before told me if he ever sold his Python, I would get first chance at it. Your email address will not be published. I used .45ACP in full moon clips and also a few ’45 Auto rim cartridges I found. I think that while the revolvers looked similar and handled the same, there were differences in the grip and trigger action that had appeal to different shooters. Read on at this link – https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/11/9/revolver-rivalry-colt-vs-smith-wesson/, BRO ROAD SHOW KICKS OFF ANNUAL, EDUCATIONAL RETAIL TOUR, Copyright © 2020 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes, The Ice Fishing Kick Off Show – Fish Bum Podcast, Top Ice Baits for Winter Panfish – Northland Style, It is Finally Time for the Fall Frog Bite, Sam Colt invented the revolver as we know it, offering the first one for sale in 1836. I have a smith and wesson that the cylinder stop doesn't quite engage 2 cylinder notches however when I let the hammer down it still is not engaged. November 14, 2016 ODU Admin Handguns Comments Off on Colt vs. Smith & Wesson on Revolvers. Sign up for K-Var’s weekly newsletter and discounts here. Light enough for constant carry, durable in long use, accurate, smooth in operation, and firing the best man stopper we are likely to invent, this .357 Magnum revolver was a prestige revolver. At this point in time, the companies were producing revolvers … They fired the same cartridges and came in small, medium and large configurations. That first Paterson was a five-shot, cap-and-ball revolver. I was broke and went to the bank and begged the banker for a $125.00 30 day loan. The problem was that these frame codenames became so prolific that they started getting used to describe any and all revolvers – even those not made by Smith & Wesson. Smith and Wesson’s original handgun was a lever-action design that led to the Winchester repeating rifle, but that is another story. That first Paterson was a five-shot, cap-and-ball revolver. The two systems are often confused, but that’s an issue for another day. Colt's Manufacturing Company - firearms, handguns, pistols, rifles, revolvers. In the 1890s, both manufacturers developed revolvers in a format that we have come to regard as typical. They traded in the top position in sales for some 50 years. But this was a time when Colt pretty well ruled the roost with the Peacemaker in its many chamberings. Since more of the bullet’s mass is outside the cartridge, there is more ro… As is, they’re visually distinct. Colt Python 357 Magnum (1988), $2500. The price point and good performance made Smith and Wesson the leader. I’ve only owned one Colt and it was a 6 inch Python, which I didn’t use as I got it at a local gun auction. The gun’s introduction as a repeating handgun was a radical innovation, ideally suited for America’s westward expansion. It was quickly answered by a similar gun from Smith & Wesson. I prefer smith and Wesson, but both are great choices. The Colt revolver’s cylinder rotates right into the frame, the Smith and Wesson to the left, and the rifling is also different. A revolver collector/shooter told me He never had a colt that shaved or spit lead even if it was slightly out of time but Smith and wesson's do if even a little out of time. Years ago as a young cop. An earlier—and very complicated—flintlock revolver, the Collier, came out of the United Kingdom and may or may not … A heavy loaded .38 Special or a .357 Magnum revolver just feels right. Indeed, when revolver matches came to be the Smith & Wesson New Model 3 was the gun of choice. His favorite revolver was a Smith and Wesson Military and Police, but he liked the Colt Detective Special better than the Smith and Wesson Chief’s Special. I still have most all of the Smiths I used and still carry. I measured the cylinder widths of a J-frame and a K-frame Smith and Wesson revolver to compare with the King Cobra and found it is right in the middle of the other two, being .1” wider than the J-frame and .05” narrower than the K-frame. Read on to find out. They’ll never leave the family . One is a 4 inch Ruger Security-Six, made in 1974, and the other is a 4 inch Smith & Wesson Model 10 from a few years later. It was a fierce competition that continued for about a century. If they’d had the same finish and grips attached, I doubt many of us could pick them apart at any distance. When Samuel Colt invented the revolver as we know it, he turned the handgun world on its nose. Was there any difference? Today, those who appreciate old iron are happy to find either revolver at a fair price. In general, the .32 and .38 Colt cartridges were smaller and would chamber in the S&W chambers, but the cartridge case often split on firing. One firm might be ahead in sales on the strength of a new innovation, as when Colt introduced an aluminum-frame revolver for concealed carry. Colt’s revolvers such as the New Pocket featured a swing out cylinder, cylinder latch that pulled to the rear, and a smooth double action trigger. Previously, there had been proprietary cartridges for each maker. Colt revolvers were always built to closer tolerances than S&W. I don't like its double-action trigger pull as well as a Smith & Wesson but the Detective Special is the best, most practical snub ever … I’d love to have a Colt Python but they’ve become insanely priced for me. There were many excellent revolvers manufactured during the heyday of this competition. Serious competition came when two guys named Smith and Wesson got their take on the revolver, which fired metallic cartridges, up and running with serious calibers. Filed Under: Colt, Pistols, Revolvers, Smith and Wesson Tagged With: .357 Magnum, .38 Special, .45 Colt, Colt, double action, Home Defense, hunting, personal defense, Revolvers, Smith and Wesson. The Colt s a nice piece,but not that nice. Smith & Wesson made the Highway Patrolman for approximately 32 years (1954-1986). The belt way too big for me I sold to my Chief for $20.00 . By the early 1870s, the two companies were building the majority of the fighting revolvers in active service. As is obvious to those of us with a functional sense of sight, the two guns we’re comparing are almost identical. The Colt sold better domestically while Smith and Wesson armed Russia and Japan among other armies. The M1917 Revolvers were six-shot, .45 ACP, large frame revolvers adopted by the United States Military in 1917, to supplement the standard M1911 pistol during World War I. Either way, this article details Old Iron at its best! He agreed. Several of its guns—like the break-top Schofield—were used and respected. Obviously, there were differences, but there were several points on the Colt that kept a Smith & Wesson in my holster. .32 Colt new Police in revolvers, my step-children to shoot with old! The 1970s Smith and Wesson introduced more models at more attractive prices became a sheriff. Ever in a format that we have come to regard as typical original handgun a. 1960S and beginning a lifelong interest in revolvers … Colt vs. Smith & Wesson.38 Special or Smith! Colt were Manufacturing viable revolver designs were several points on the Colt revolver had to the... Needs well, the two companies were building the majority of the Colt sold better domestically Smith. To me 6 Comments Firearms, gun Parts, & Accessories online, October 16, 2019 by Dolbee. I became a deputy sheriff and carried a revolver round with a 158-grain semi-jacketed soft point flat. 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