He found that it could not be done profitably at the price he wanted to put on them. I used that term based on other items they sell, but I was seriously doubtful as to if I was right or not. The Smith & Wesson Schofield is a version of the Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver adopted for use by the United States Army and incorporating improvements made by Army Major George W. Schofield. As fancy as this gun looks, many originals were just the same. These are smooth grips (no checkering) and are very well suited to special colors, aged ivory, or the various pearl effects (a favorite is a gold pearl which is . & CO EX stamped in uneven individual letters should raise immediate suspicion. so expensively wrong. 3 Schofield Revolver The U.S. Army adopted the .44 S&W American caliber Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver in 1870, making the Model 3 revolver the first standard-issue cartridge-firing revolver in US service. When the Army began to adopt modern side-loading double-action revolvers, the M1887 round gave occasional ejection trouble, and was replaced in Army use by the M1909 .45 Colt cartridge. I shot the heck of the gun, shooting the first 100 rounds all my own hand loads in about three hours time and it got dirty. Theyre not as strong. Id like to get one of these, perhaps a plane jane version can be had for much less. Im a bit surprised for historical accuracy that you didnt feed it a few cylinders of black powder loads. I put screws like that on custom guns, and I do this by nitre blueing. Only 3 left. Recently donated by NRA Board member Tom Selleck, this Schofield was used in the movie "Crossfire Trail" and today can be seen in the galleries of the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va. Otherwise, great review. What is the position of these reflectors? Many saw service in the Indian Wars, though they were reported in use as late as the Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection. Sights: Blade Front, Rear sight on back of barrel Between 2000 and 2003 Smith & Wesson made a limited run of Schofield revolvers, but they had some modern improvements, including a transfer . It was hard to give this one back, and I have little doubt Ill end up picking one up at some point. Back up and zoom out. The gun shoots nice, tight, consistent groups. A hole in a hole is awful hard to see at 25 yards. The Smith & Wesson Schofield was and still is a well-liked revolver; in fact, many shooters and collectors consider it to be the best of all the top-break revolvers made by S&W. Among other notable figures, both Jesse and Frank James used S&W Schofield revolvers. On my Schofield 5 in 38. Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police Victory Model Grips. It could be used in both the Schofield and the Colt 45 Peacemaker, but the .45 Colt was too long to use in the Schofield. However, the .38SPL is only one of the chamberings offered by Taylors & Company. The Smith and Wesson Schofield No.3 break top is copied by several makers, notably the Uberti company. The .38 Special is a highly under-appreciated round today for target shooting. Ive thought about it a bit. Smith & Wesson 38 Military & Police Model of 1905 38 Special Revolver - Collectible *4th Change* Our price: $399.99. It was a complete slaughter of Fettermans force of 81 (79 Army and two civilians) at the hands of about 1,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. (Getting consistent coloring is the tough part. Just for visual effect, I moved to shooting steel. Corral fame are among others who are reported to have carried Schofields. As a company, they chose the Schofield as their sidearm of choice, buying hundreds of the revolvers and shortening the barrel of many of them down to five inches for ease of concealment and carry. This both removed the integral firing pin attached to the hammer from the top of the primer and also allows the shooter to pull back on the release latch integral to the rear sight. 9mm Pistol. The army were not impressed and standardized on the 1873 Colt single action in .45 Colt. The combination of quick reload-ability and big .45-caliber power made them popular with lawmen, outlaws, and others who were serious about their sidearms. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. 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. A fellow up here in Wyoming was looking into duplicating the M&H revolvers. Thanks for doing reviews of pretty guns. Plus, that load I cited above, 170gr pushed by 4.2gr of Unique shoots well in anything, isnt a wrist breaker, and still is good enough to kill pigs good at 25 yards. The demand of used SMITH WESSON MODEL 3 SCHOFIELD pistol's has not changed over the past 12 months. That lighter weight Remington round scored 3/4. As a former Joe myself, I hate to admit it, but the big army was probably right. I can find sources that say 3,000, 3,035, 4,000, 8,000, and 8,035. My hands were on bags, my arms were on bags, and my chest was leaning in and against the bench. Very sweet, but complicated to machine. The Uberti replicas of the Smith & Wesson No. Did shooters in the latter part of the 19th century really like a nickel finish on their guns? This was a vastly superior system to reloading a cap and ball revolver and this garnered much interest both from the US military and overseas military forces most notably Russia. This was problematic for Smith & Wesson as the cylinder of the No. Its probable that some of the guns sold to state militias had been previously issued to regular army units. 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. It is similar to the .45 Colt round though shorter and with a slightly larger rim, and will generally work in revolvers chambered for that cartridge; the converse is not true, since the .45 Colt case is longer. You will find the Uberti manual for these replicas if you click here. 9. They had purchased a thousand of the original revolvers in the .44 Smith & Wesson American cartridge but were not impressed. That, and a Luger. Smith & Wesson Automatic Grips. RARE CIVILIAN Antique SMITH & WESSON 2nd Model .45 Cal. 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. 3 top break single action revolver was used by lawmen and outlaws and a great many people who were sort of in between from its inception in 1869 right up into the twentieth century. For instance, how many Schofields were actually delivered to the army? 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. 340 FOR 1875 THE SIGHTED BARREL MOUNTED WITH INDIAN HEAD PENNY FORE-SIGHT, MARKED WITH SMITH & WESSON ADDRESS ON LUG, COLOUR HARDENED HAMMER AND TRIGGER GUARD, WALNUT GRIPS WITH FAINT CARTOUCHE, MARKED US ON BUTT. Mike Beliveau (Duelist1954 on YouTube) has a video of him shooting this gun with black powder, if youre interested. Like Colt and Remington, Smith & Wesson realized the West was a place where bigger definitely was better and built the Schofield to fire potent .45 projectiles. 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 result was catastrophic, almost bankrupting Smith & Wesson. Add a Comment. It was Major Schofields modifications that attracted the interest of the US military. This is how we come to have the idea of the .45 Long Colt There actually isnt such a thing, the term was coined simply to differentiate between the .45 Colt and the shorter .45 Schofield. In 1855, Smith & Wesson sold their interest to the newly-organized Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. I like my Webleys. By 1879, the U. S. Army had purchased 8,285 of the revolvers. JRMc. So Im not expecting to see a decent M&H replica revolver in my lifetime. Unfortunately, whenever a relatively simple marking adds interest and value to a gun, there is a temptation to forgery. But I can have lots of guns, and so when it comes to punching paper, or self defense, that .38SPL is what Id rather have. Unfortunately, modern has come to mean semi automatic these days One interested US military man was Major George W. Schofield who asked for a revolver to evaluate it for cavalry use. Smith & Wesson Schofield Revolver Repro Ram Horn Grips Gun #: 996133607 Seller: GA_1143125 GA Sales: 1913 $65.00 Full Details 1 Image (s) UBERTI 40 CALIBER BLACK POWDER NIB Gun #: 980563244 Seller: badaz $525.00 Full Details 17 Image (s) 157BB UBERTI 1866 44-40 CARBINE. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FITS: Smith & Wesson Schofield 1875 7" Uberti Taylors Western Leather Holster at the best online prices at eBay! Whether you're shooting a pistol, revolver, or rifle, you can be sure your Performance Center gun is made with a close attention to detail for your best shot yet. Reliability * * * * * It feels much lighter and theres no way I would change a thing about it. Their investigators were, in particular, seen as the professional gunslingers of the day. By all accounts, George Schofield was a frenetic inventor, and likely suffered from significant manic depression. He just had a few changes to make. With a flick of the wrist, the break-open revolver never failed to eject all cases cleanly. They also offer models in .44-40 and .45 Colt. 3 top-break revolver was introduced by them in 1870. 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. But only a few thousandths. Smith & Wesson Performance Shop M3 Schofield - 45 S&W Gun #: 995666344 Seller: Bucksport Sporting Goods $1,600.00 Full Details 2 Image (s) Taylors & Co/Uberti 1877 Second Model Schofield .45LC (550639) Gun #: 929329644 Seller: Jay's Guns & Accessories IV GA Sales: 2115 $1,299.99 Full Details More from this Seller 3 Image (s) 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). Readers today might think: This is really reaching for a reason to reject a gun. Taylors & Company has imported a limited run of nickel-plated Smith & Wesson Model 3 Schofield break-top revolvers. & COS EX along with a re-stamping of the guns serial number. Id like to add some historical perspective to one aspect of flop-top revolvers like the #3 vs. the Colt SAA. It turns clockwise in the action. The Tsar ordered forty thousand of the new revolver but the order was done in stages. Due to its reduced power and recoil compared to the Colt .45, it was easier to shoot accurately, yet still retained effective stopping power on the battlefield. If you reload, the cases seem to last forever. But they rarely agree with each other. Its a great caliber, but the .38SPL does so much of what I want it to do, that I havent really felt the need. In writing this article I relied heavily on three sources. The gun is just too accurate, too easy to shoot, and too much fun not to own one. Based on Taylors & Co.s website, the $1,522 MSRP is for the walnut grips. The West definitely wasn't the exclusive province of just Colt and Winchester-there were many other arms makers represented on the frontier. Im just not a visual person. These have been called San Francisco Police Schofields. But the .38 special is likely the best all around handgun cartridge on the market. When the well-worn Schofields were declared surplus, Wells Fargo stepped up to purchase these revolvers, shortened their barrels and issued them for many years to their agents and employees. It was a Smith & Wesson Model 3 that was modified, due to a suggestion by Major George Schofield, to make it easier for a cavalryman to reload while riding. Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. A lady on the Netflix show Godless had one of these that was used in the final gun-slinging match and I drooled over it then. You can legally mail order them. The original caliber used by the cavalry was the now practically extinct .45S&W, a black powder cartridge closely duplicating a light-loaded .45ACP. 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. @TaylorsFirearms version of a Smith and Wesson Number 3 Schofield by @Uberti_USA 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. 2: 459: Ruger Revolvers, H&K VP9LE, Ruger American 45acp. The "Schofields" were six-shot, single-action revolvers with 7" ribbed barrels, a square butt profile and . All good firearms and I like dealing with the friendly folks that work for them. Smith & Wesson's Schofield Revolver by NRA Staff posted on August 11, 2009 News, Handguns, Revolvers Support NRA American Rifleman DONATE The West definitely wasn't the exclusive province of just. Sadly, he ended his life with one of his own revolvers. There are no instructions, no documentation. The Smith & Wesson No. Specifications Smith & Wesson Model 3 Schofield, Barrel Length: 3.5,5,7 Considered by many to be superior to the Colt single action when in the hand of mounted troops. The revolvers were not supplied in the No. Overall * * * * If that sounds bad, well its not nearly as discouraging as it is fun. You should have seen it out of the box! I also played with the latch, releasing it and flipping it back up probably a couple hundred more times. Mr. Taylor, When Bob Ford shot James in the back, he did so with a Schofield. Did I could,not get the gun on paper I finally took a 38 call barrel, rod,and slid it down the barrel. Still some of the most gruesome fighting in American history. 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. I was still. SCHOFIELD Revolver One of only 650 Second Model CIVILIAN Scofields, Smith & Wesson Schofield Revolver .45 Schofield, Used URBEA Hermany (Spanish Copy) .45 5" Barrel. Although most famous for the variety of double action revolvers, Smith & Wesson also produces a fine line of semi-automatic pistols. 3 Schofield was a superior design, the Colt SAA got the government contracts.". The Schofield is derivation of the famous Smith & Wesson Model 3. S&W demurred, noting that the rim of the .45 Colt was inadequate for positive extraction in the S&W design, and no doubt considering that the cylinder and frame of the Model 3 would have to be lengthened to accommodate the long round. Includes Smith & Wesson Performance Center factory wooden display case. In Canada it is a little different. Way up there behind the muzzle is a simple, thin metal blade front sight. He was granted patents for these modifications on June 20th, 1871 and April 22, 1873, as all S&W Model 3 Schofields after that would be marked until the end of their production. My ivers-johnson .22 sealed 8 pistol is a small clone of the model 3. Smith & Wesson 32 & 38 Target Grips. Today, that bugle is one of the most important artifacts of Wyoming history: http://www.buffalobulletin.com/article_6a18f6c0-7ab3-11e6-aa39-533499b42034.html. LSB#: 181015PR65 Make: Smith & Wesson Model: Schofield Model of 2000 aka 3 rd Model Schofield Serial Number: GWS2311 Year of Manufacture: 2000 Caliber: .45 Schofield (.45 S&W) Action Type: Single Action Revolver with Top-Break Barrel Markings: The Barrel Length: The left side of the barrel is marked ".45 S&W" and the left side of the barrel lug is marked "SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD, MASS . 3 at Ubertis website if you click here. Its possible that some of the Schofields in private hands were chambered on custom order in .38-40 Winchester, but I can find no actual examples of that chambering. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. Smith & Wesson M&p 9mm 40 S&w Magazine Finger Rest Extension Floor Plate. Top break revolvers are just cool to me for some reason. 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. 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. The list of past owners of Smith & Wesson No. Is it behind me or as a backdrop? My only beef with the screws is that theyd look better if they were timed. The first slightly cocked position is how it was designed to be carried. . As to replica Old West revolvers, Im really waiting for somebody to produce a decent replica of the Merwin & Hulbert Army model (3rd variation or later, preferably in stainless or nickle-plate). Featured-rich and enhanced for better performance, our firearms maintain production line integrity. I had the gun resting on bags on my shooting bench. The S&W Model No. The .45 Schofield cartridge was shorter than the .45 Colt. One of the said improvements was a redesigned locking system that made the gun easier to load while on horseback. 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. Three different sizes of numerals have been reported in the Wells Fargo serial number markings. I shot this gun in the Texas Hill Country Spring heat, ranging from 90 to 102 degrees. This cartridge was originally designed as a black powder round. The Smith & Wesson Schofield revolver,.45 caliber, was manufactured from 1875 to 1878. 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. Give a Joe something he can break and he will. I have a collection of American Master Bladesmith bowies, and his is certainly the most beautiful. That caliber is not on the forbidden caliber list and thus considered an antique even though ammunition is readily available on the internet. One of the big (huge, actually) issues in trying to replicate some of these guns is this: How the *(&&*(^ do I hold onto the workpiece? This is a problem which cannot be solved merely with CNC machines and CAD s/w. They became very popular with the US marshals, as well as Wells Fargo. Historical Accuracy * * * * One handgun that served equally well for soldier and sodbuster alike was Smith & Wesson's single-action Schofield. my beautiful Schofield was a pile of junk. Smith & Wesson was established in 1852 by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson to center on the design and production of firearms - their name today commonly associated with revolvers and pistols. Jul 12, 2020. 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. BLUED FINISH. I have tools used to carve out barrel channels in wood. But it is tough. Like the others, part of this accuracy comes from good sights, a long sight radius, and a great trigger. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Schofield Second Model 5" .45 Schofield At this time, we do not sell or ship firearms to NY, NJ, CA, or HI. Such is its popularity that some gun enthusiasts who are not familiar with the older S&Ws will tend to call any large frame S&W top-break a Schofield. It has received some exposure in movie and TV westerns, most notably and recently in Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, but also in earlier efforts such as Nevada Smith, Trackdown, and Alias Smith & Jones.. The finish is perfect throughout the gun, down to the tiniest parts. 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. This article is from the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 4th Edition. Did I mention the .22Mag High-Standard top-break derringer I just recently found in my safe? The only thing I did to pimp my revolver was to change out the wooden grips for after-market hard rubber ones. The above revolver models help show the progression of Smith & Wesson's history. Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he's a long time contributor to Silodrome. And/or use black reflectors (matte poster board or foamcore) to help hide them. It is similar to the .45 Colt round though shorter and with a slightly larger rim, and will generally work in revolvers chambered for that cartridge. That are fun to shoot mine was. Smith & Wesson began in 1852 with the partnership of Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson. HOME Our Story Who we are https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/metal-bluing/bluing-salts/nitreblue-bluing-salts-prod1105.aspx. 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. It is an exceptional revolver. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Get the 76th edition of the World's Greatest Gun Book. It has the same top break and extractor system. That whole sequence is fascinating to watch, and I did it over and over, even with empty cases, just to watch them fly out of the chamber again. : SCH-003 . Manufactured by the S&W Performance Center, this is a Schofield Model of 2000, Wells Fargo Edition. Then I went out an purchased the estate of a deceased gunsmith. I followed the whole M&H replica controversy especially the part where people had put down deposits (which they never got back) and no revolvers were produced. The entire revolver is nickel finished and mirror polished. posted by sshakrr 01-22-2023. BE . Thats at least 3 ARs, or eleventy dozen Hi-Points. Not long after, much of the public did the same thing, having their barrels modified from the cavalrys original seven inches down to five. The Smith & Wesson Schofield loaded, unloaded, and fired perfectly every single time, no matter what I put through it. 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. Kingston, NY 12401 Phone: 866.686.7424 Fax: 877.486.7278 Gotta pay attention to voltage and amperage numbers.). The only thing more I could ask for are super high-res photos that would fill a 15 laptop screen. I dont want to touch off the caliber wars.