You’ve probably seen it in a dozen Westerns. A rugged lawman or a desperate outlaw snaps open a massive revolver, and in one fluid motion, all six empty shells go flying. It looks cool. It looks fast. It looks, honestly, way more advanced than the slow, clunky gate-loading Colt we usually associate with the Old West.
That gun is the Smith and Wesson Model 3.
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But here’s the thing: while it was a mechanical marvel that technically "beat" Colt to the punch by being the first large-bore cartridge revolver in the U.S. military, its story is a messy mix of international espionage, stubborn engineering, and a contract with Imperial Russia that nearly sank the entire company.
The Breakthrough That Changed Everything
Before 1870, if you were a soldier or a pioneer, you were likely messing around with cap-and-ball revolvers. You had to pour powder, ram a lead ball, and fiddle with tiny percussion caps. It was slow. It was a nightmare in the rain.
Then came the Smith and Wesson Model 3.
It was a "top-break" design. You’d flip a latch on the top of the frame, tilt the barrel down, and a star-shaped extractor would automatically kick out every single shell at once. In a gunfight, that kind of speed was basically a superpower. Smith & Wesson had a massive advantage because they held the exclusive rights to the Rollin White patent, which covered cylinders bored all the way through to accept metallic cartridges. Colt was stuck waiting for that patent to expire while S&W was already changing the game.
Why the Russian Connection Was a Big Deal
The Model 3 wasn't just an American success. It was a global phenomenon. In 1871, General Alexander Gorloff, the Russian military attaché, took one look at the Model 3 and realized his army needed it.
The Russians didn't just buy the guns; they demanded changes. They wanted a more powerful cartridge, which led to the creation of the .44 Russian. This round was revolutionary because it used an internally lubricated bullet—essentially the blueprint for almost all modern centerfire cartridges we use today.
But dealing with the Tsar's government was a double-edged sword.
The Russian Empire ordered over 130,000 of these revolvers. To keep up, Smith & Wesson focused almost entirely on the Russian contract, neglecting the American civilian market. Then, the Russians did something sneaky. They sent the S&W designs to their own arsenals at Tula and contracted other European makers to build copies. They stopped paying S&W and started making their own "clones."
It was a brutal lesson in international business. Smith & Wesson was left with massive overhead and a sudden drop in orders that nearly put them out of business.
The Schofield: A Soldier's Modification
You can't talk about the Smith and Wesson Model 3 without mentioning Major George W. Schofield. He was a cavalry officer who loved the Model 3 but hated its latch.
On the original Model 3, the latch was on the barrel. You needed two hands to open it—one to hold the gun and one to lift the latch. Not ideal if you’re trying to control a spooked horse with your left hand.
Schofield redesigned it.
He moved the latch to the frame, allowing a rider to pop the gun open with just their thumb. The Army liked it enough to order thousands, but there was a catch. The S&W cylinder was a tiny bit too short for the standard .45 Colt rounds already in the supply chain.
S&W had to create the .45 Schofield cartridge.
Imagine the logistical nightmare: you’re a quartermaster in the middle of a desert, and you have two different .45 caliber rounds that look almost identical, but one won't fit in the other. This "ammo confusion" is a big reason why the Colt Single Action Army eventually won the popularity contest in the U.S. military.
What People Get Wrong About the Model 3
People often assume the Colt Peacemaker was "better" because it's the one we see more often today. Honestly? That's not quite true.
The Smith and Wesson Model 3 was arguably the superior piece of technology. It was faster to reload and generally more accurate. However, it was also more delicate. The top-break hinge was a weak point. If you used high-pressure loads or dropped it one too many times, the frame could stretch or the lock-up would get sloppy.
The Colt was a solid chunk of steel. It was "soldier-proof."
Also, the Model 3 "American" models were notoriously precise. Sometimes too precise. The tolerances were so tight that black powder fouling would gum up the works after just a few dozen shots. On the dusty frontier, "good enough" often beat "technically perfect."
Real-World Legends Who Carried One
Despite its quirks, the Model 3 was the choice of some of the West's most famous names:
- Wyatt Earp: Contrary to the "Buntline Special" myth, many historians believe Earp actually used a 7-inch Smith & Wesson Model 3 at the O.K. Corral.
- Jesse James: He was known to carry a Schofield.
- John Wesley Hardin: The notorious outlaw used a nickel-plated Model 3 in .44 Russian to kill a deputy in 1874.
- Buffalo Bill Cody: He was a huge fan of the New Model No. 3 and even gave them as gifts.
Buying a Model 3 Today: What to Look For
If you’re looking to get your hands on one of these, you have two paths: original antiques or modern reproductions.
Originals are expensive. A decent-condition "Russian" model or a genuine "Schofield" can easily run you several thousand dollars. If you find one, check the hinge. If there’s a lot of "play" or wobble when the gun is closed, the frame might be stretched. Also, look at the bore. Black powder was corrosive, and many of these guns have barrels that look like a sewer pipe inside.
For shooters, companies like Uberti make fantastic replicas. They’re built with modern steel, so they can handle modern (light) smokeless loads, though they’re still mostly chambered in "cowboy" calibers like .45 Colt or .44-40.
Actionable Insights for Collectors
- Verify the Latch: If you want a "true" Schofield, the latch must be on the frame, not the barrel.
- Check the Serial: On 2nd Model Schofields, the serial numbers changed around 3,000. These later models used steel frames instead of iron, making them much more durable.
- Ammunition Safety: If you buy an original, never fire modern high-pressure smokeless powder through it. These were designed for black powder. Using modern rounds can literally turn the gun into a grenade in your hand.
- Identify the "Oil Hole": Early American models (first 1,500 or so) have a tiny hole near the hinge for lubrication. These are rare and worth a significant premium to collectors.
The Smith and Wesson Model 3 represents a bridge between the old way of making guns and the modern era. It was a victim of its own sophistication—too fast for the slow-moving military bureaucracy and too refined for the brutal realities of the frontier. But every time you see a modern revolver with a swing-out cylinder and a star extractor, you’re looking at the DNA of the Model 3.
To get started with your own research, search for the Springfield Research Service database. If you have a serial number for a Schofield, there's a chance you can find exactly which cavalry unit it was issued to back in the 1870s.