Читать книгу The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery онлайн

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There are doubtless still some in armed services inventories to this day.

One of the first of many small modifications to the design was a front locking lug that, many believed, made the Smith & Wesson a stronger double-action revolver than its archrival, the Colt. While the Colt had a better single-action cocking stroke and trigger pull for bull’s-eye target shooting, the S&W had a smoother, cleaner double-action trigger stroke for serious fast shooting. It was largely because of this that, by the end of WWII, S&W was the market leader in the revolver field. It remains there to this day, though at this writing Ruger exceeds S&W in total firearms production.

Markings show that this pre-WWII S&W M&P was worked over by Cogswell & Harrison of England.

S&W’s Military & Police Target model .38 Special predated the K-38 Masterpiece series.

The most popular by far was the .38 frame, now known as the K-frame. One thing that makes a classic handgun is perfect feel. The average adult male hand fits the K-frame perfectly. Larger hands can easily adapt. Smaller hands adapt less easily. In 1954, Border Patrol weapons master Bill Jordan convinced Smith & Wesson to beef up the Military & Police .38 and produce a gun of that size in .357 Magnum. This was done, and another classic was born: S&W’s .357 Combat Magnum, a staple of the company’s product line to this day.