The Russians, however, were more interested and purchased 20,000 of these revolvers. 44 caliber was initially manufactured for a U.S. In 1870, S&W introduced one of their most famous revolvers, the Model 3. During the 1860’s and 70’s, Smith & Wesson had established itself as a leading revolver manufacturer. The speed of loading and firing this pistol resulted in it being named the “Volcanic” pistol. With the financial backing of Courtlandt Palmer, they produced a repeating pistol that cocked the hammer with the rearward motion of the bolt. Although most famous for the variety of double action revolvers, Smith & Wesson also produces a fine line of semi-automatic pistols.īeginning in May of 1853, Smith & Wesson began work on a new pistol. The combined genius of these two men and later their heirs created one of the most successful handgun manufacturers of all time. “The strong support we have received from the State of Tennessee and the entire leadership of Blount County throughout this process, combined with the quality of life, outdoor lifestyle, and low cost of living in the Greater Knoxville area has left no doubt that Tennessee is the ideal location for Smith & Wesson’s new headquarters,” Smith said.Smith & Wesson began in 1852 with the partnership of Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson. The company cited several other reasons for the move to Tennessee, including the Republican governor and GOP-controlled legislature’s “unwavering support of the 2nd Amendment,” a business-friendly environment, a lower cost of living, and a “favorable location for efficiency of distribution.” “While we are hopeful that this arbitrary and damaging legislation will be defeated in this session, these products made up over 60% of our revenue last year, and the unfortunate likelihood that such restrictions would be raised again led to a review of the best path forward for Smith & Wesson,” Smith said. Still, Smith & Wesson says it’s a threat to their business. The legislation, which has two dozen co-sponsors in the 200-member Legislature, has not come up for a vote since it was introduced this past spring, and House Speaker Ron Marinao suggested at the time that federal action would be a more effective way of dealing with the issue of assault weapons. However, he said the “primary catalyst” for the decision was a recent bill proposed by Democratic state lawmakers that would ban the manufacturing of “any assault weapon or large capacity feeding device” in Massachusetts, unless it’s for the purpose of selling to law enforcement or military agencies. The move also includes closing facilities in Connecticut and Missouri to “significantly streamline manufacturing and distribution operations.”Īccording to a Smith & Wesson spokesman, 550 of the affected jobs are at the Springfield facility, while 150 are in Connecticut and 50 are in Missouri.ĭuring a conference call Tuesday morning, Smith said the company will offer “enhanced severance and job placement services” to affected employees who are unable to make the move to Tennessee.ĭuring the call, Smith listed a number of financial reasons for the move.

The move will not begin until 2023 and will not have an impact on employees’ jobs until then. However, the company will move its headquarters and 750 national jobs to Maryville, Tennessee, a city about 15 miles south of Knoxville.

Smith and wesson official site