Smith & Wesson M100 Handcuff, Blue, Chain 350101
Description
Type: Handcuff
Finish: Blue
Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson
MPN: 350101
Model: 100
About the Manufacturer
Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson came from old New England families. Horace learned the firearms
trade while working at the National Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. Daniel’s experience came from apprenticing
with his brother Edwin Wesson, the leading maker of target rifles and pistols in the 1840s.
The two men formed their first partnership in 1852 in Norwich, Connecticut, with the aim of marketing a lever action
repeating pistol that could use a fully self-contained cartridge. This first pistol venture was not a financial
success, and by 1854 the company was having financial difficulties.
Faced with their financial difficulties, they were forced
to sell their company to a shirt manufacturer by the name of Oliver Winchester. In 1866, using the original lever action
design created by Smith & Wesson, Winchester’s company emerged as the famous Winchester Repeating Arms Co.
In 1856 Smith & Wesson formed their second partnership to produce a small revolver designed to fire the Rimfire cartridge
they patented in August of 1854. This revolver was the first successful fully self-contained cartridge revolver available
in the world. Smith & Wesson secured patents for the revolver to prevent other manufacturers from producing a cartridge
revolver - giving the young company a very lucrative business.
The partners realized that when their patents expired they would need a new design to maintain their market superiority.
The new design was completed in 1869 and the company began marketing it in 1870. The Model 3 American, as it became
known in the United States, was the first large caliber and established Smith & Wesson as a world leader in handgun manufacturing. The two most important customers for the new
revolver were the United States Cavalry, which purchased 1,000 units for use on the Western Frontier, and the Russian
Imperial Government.
At the age of 65, Horace Smith retired from the company and sold his share of the business to D. B. Wesson, making him
the sole owner of the firm. In the late 1800’s the company introduced its line of hammerless revolvers. These are still
represented in today’s handgun line.
Smith & Wesson next introduced what is probably the most famous revolver in the world, the .38 Military & Police or, as
it is called today, the Model 10. This revolver has been in continual production since that year and has been used
by virtually every police agency and military force around the world.
Smith & Wesson’s contribution to the history of handgun and cartridge development continued through the 20th Century.
The first Magnum revolver, the .357 Magnum, was introduced by the company in 1935. In 1955 the first American made
double action auto-loading pistol, the Model 39, was introduced.
The Model 29 chambered in .44 magnum - the handgun made famous by Clint Eastwood in the movie "Dirty Harry" - was
unveiled in 1956. In 1965 S&W began producing the Model 60 - the world’s first stainless steel revolver - launching
the era of stainless steel firearms.
The accomplishments of Smith & Wesson are so numerous that it is impossible to understand the history of modern
handguns without first understanding the history of Smith & Wesson. Smith & Wesson was an industry leader in 1852
when it was first founded and continues to lead the world today with innovations into the 21st century.
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Warning this product is known to the state of California to cause [cancer] [birth defects or other reproductive harm].
