The Smith & Wesson Model No. 1 1st Issue Revolver represents two significant firsts in the history of firearms - it was the first in a long line of revolvers produced by the Springfield gun makers, and it was also the first U.S.-made arm to employ a self-contained metallic cartridge.
Initial No. 1 production models featured a square butt with rosewood grip panels; a silver-plated brass frame with rounded surfaces; and blued non-fluted cylinder and octagonal barrel. The top barrel flat bore the stamping, "SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS."
These seven-shot repeaters were chambered for the equivalent of today's .22 short rimfire cartridge, and although they were lacking the potency of many of their contemporaries, they represented a watershed in the development of personal protection arms because they required neither percussion caps nor a powder flask, thus they could be re-loaded much more quickly than the larger-caliber competitors marketed by Colt, Remington, and other firms.
Unlike other revolver designs of the time, the No. 1 featured a cylinder stop that was mounted to the top strap and activated when the two-piece hammer was pulled backward to cock the piece. These pistols employed no half-cock or other safety mechanism, and their sheathed spur trigger had no trigger guard.
Significant alterations were incorporated into the No. 1 Second Issue and No. 1 Third Issue revolvers. In the former, a larger, irregularly side plate replaced the smaller round plate common to the First Issue, and the rounded frame was replaced with a flat-sided design. The Third Issue is easily identified by its bird's-head butt and fluted cylinder. The No. 1 First Issue was produced between 1857 and 1860, with a total production of approximately 11,671 pistols. Introduced in 1860, the No. 1 Second Issue enjoyed a production run of approximately 117,000 before it was discontinued in 1868. The No. 1 Third Issue was produced between 1868 and 1881, with a total production of approximately 131,000 examples. Serial numbers for the First and Second Issue were sequential, beginning with #1 and continuing through 11,671 for the First Issue, and concluding in the 128,000 range for the last production Second Issue revolvers. Third Issue serial numbers range from #1 to 131163.
The revolver pictured below is a nickel-plated Model 1 ½ (SN 659XX) chambered in .32 rimfire and boasts a 5-round cylinder. It has matching assembly numbers on the frame, cylinder, barrel, and under each of the ivory hand guards. Surprisingly, the bore is still very good for its age and barrel lock up is tight with no perceivable lateral movement at all.
So this little vixen decided she wanted to come home with me: