Smith & Wesson Model 3
| Smith & Wesson No. 3 Revolver | |
|---|---|
| Type | Service revolver |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1870–1915 |
| Used by | United States Soviet Russia Russian Empire Kingdom of Montenegro Argentina Empire of Japan Ottoman Empire North-West Mounted Police South Australia Police Spain Second Polish Republic Canada Australia Portugal |
| Wars | American Indian Wars Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) North-West Rebellion Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Russo-Japanese War World War I Russian Civil War Polish–Ukrainian War Rif War (Eibar copies) |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Smith & Wesson |
| Manufacturer | Smith & Wesson, Ludwig Loewe & Company, Tula Arsenal |
| Produced | 1868–1898 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.3 kilograms (2.9 lb) |
| Length | 305 millimetres (12.0 in) |
| Barrel length | 165 millimetres (6.5 in) |
| Cartridge | .44 Russian, .44 S&W American, .38 S&W, .44 Henry, .44-40 Winchester, .45 Schofield, .32 S&W |
| Action | Single-action |
| Muzzle velocity | 244 metres per second (800 ft/s) |
| Feed system | 6-round cylinder |
| Sights | Fixed front post and rear notch |
The Smith & Wesson Model 3 is a single-action, cartridge-firing, top-break revolver produced by Smith & Wesson (S&W) from around 1870 to 1915, and was recently again offered as a reproduction by Smith & Wesson and Uberti.
It was produced in several variations and subvariations, including both the "Russian" model, so named because it was supplied to the military of the Russian Empire (41,000 No. 3s were ordered in .44 caliber by the Imperial Russian Army in 1871), and the "Schofield" model, named after Major George W. Schofield, who made his own modifications to the Model 3 to meet his perceptions of the cavalry's needs. S&W incorporated these modifications into an 1875 design they named after the major, planning to obtain significant military contracts for the new revolver.
The Model 3 was originally chambered for the .44 S&W American and .44 Russian cartridges, and typically did not have the cartridge information stamped on the gun (as is standard practice for most commercial firearms). Model 3 revolvers were later produced in an assortment of calibers, including .44 Henry Rimfire, .44-40, .32-44, .38-44, and .45 Schofield. The design influenced the smaller S&W .38 Single Action that is retroactively referred to as the Model 2.