Smith and Wesson Model 320 Revolving Rifle
Encyclopedia
The Smith & Wesson Model 320 revolving rifle was a rifle
produced by Smith and Wesson in the late 19th century.
977 revolving rifles were manufactured between 1879 and 1887. They were serial numbered 1 to 977, with 840 being sold in the U.S. while 137 were exported.
The revolving cylinder design, while popular with pistols, did not work well for rifles. The cylinder would spray out small fragments when the weapon was fired. This was not a problem for pistols, as both hands were behind the cylinder when firing. In the rifle version, though, the shooter's left hand was in front of the cylinder, resulting in the fragments being sprayed into the shooter's left forearm at high velocity. This undesirable characteristic significantly limited the revolving rifle's popularity.
The revolving rifle used a special .32 caliber cartridge. The use of a cartridge was a significant improvement compared to the design of the Colt revolving rifle
, which did not use cartridges and as a result was often subject to chain fire problems (the firing of all cylinders at once due to loose powder or residue in the weapon). While the Smith and Wesson Model 320 did not suffer from chain fire problems, the Model 320, like the Colt, tended to spray fragments from the cylinder into the shooter's forearm.
Three barrel lengths were available, in 16, 18 and 20 inches.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
produced by Smith and Wesson in the late 19th century.
History
The Smith and Wesson Model 320 revolving rifle was based heavily on the design of the Smith and Wesson Model 3 pistol.977 revolving rifles were manufactured between 1879 and 1887. They were serial numbered 1 to 977, with 840 being sold in the U.S. while 137 were exported.
The revolving cylinder design, while popular with pistols, did not work well for rifles. The cylinder would spray out small fragments when the weapon was fired. This was not a problem for pistols, as both hands were behind the cylinder when firing. In the rifle version, though, the shooter's left hand was in front of the cylinder, resulting in the fragments being sprayed into the shooter's left forearm at high velocity. This undesirable characteristic significantly limited the revolving rifle's popularity.
Design and features
The model 320 revolving rifle used a top break frame similar to that used on the model 3 pistol, and featured a detachable stock.The revolving rifle used a special .32 caliber cartridge. The use of a cartridge was a significant improvement compared to the design of the Colt revolving rifle
Colt revolving rifle
The Colt Revolving Rifle Model 1855 was an early repeating rifle produced by the Colt's Manufacturing Company.-History:Revolving rifles were an attempt to increase the rate of fire of rifles by combining them with the revolving firing mechanism that had been developed earlier for revolving pistols...
, which did not use cartridges and as a result was often subject to chain fire problems (the firing of all cylinders at once due to loose powder or residue in the weapon). While the Smith and Wesson Model 320 did not suffer from chain fire problems, the Model 320, like the Colt, tended to spray fragments from the cylinder into the shooter's forearm.
Three barrel lengths were available, in 16, 18 and 20 inches.