{"id":67537,"date":"2017-01-02T23:59:21","date_gmt":"2017-01-03T04:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=67537"},"modified":"2017-01-02T23:59:21","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T14:54:43","slug":"history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory\/","title":{"rendered":"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_67541\" style=\"width: 497px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7050_1024.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67541\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" class=\" wp-image-67541\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7050_1024-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" width=\"487\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7050_1024-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7050_1024-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7050_1024-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7050_1024.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-67541\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The author recently had a chance to tour the Smith &amp; Wesson manufacturing plant in Springfield, Mass. History was on display at this fascinating location.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smith-wesson.com\/\" campaign=\"SmithWessonTour\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\">https:\/\/www.smith-wesson.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smith-wesson.com\/\" campaign=\"SmithWesson\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\">Smith and Wesson<\/a> factory for the unveiling of all the new toys for 2017. Part of the package was a tour of the manufacturing facility, a peek behind the curtain of how things are made. I have seen a lot of CNC machines in my life, that doesn\u2019t impress me anymore. But the S&amp;W factory offered some perspectives not seen in younger companies. Security is tight inside the factory, protection of trade secrets and all, so pictures were not that extensive.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-02-at-1.22.08-PM.png\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-67540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-02-at-1.22.08-PM-400x201.png\" alt=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" width=\"400\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-02-at-1.22.08-PM-400x201.png 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-02-at-1.22.08-PM-150x75.png 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-02-at-1.22.08-PM-768x386.png 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-01-02-at-1.22.08-PM.png 801w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>The first thing that gets your attention at S&amp;W is the size. This is a massive operation, a scale I have never seen in firearms before. Most of the weapon manufacturers I have visited in the past would fit in the foyer of S&amp;W. I am sure it helps to have been in the same building since the 1940s, but the operation is just massive. It is so big there are several employees whose entire job is to drive what look like baggage cart trains around the building, moving parts from station to station. The tour guides wouldn\u2019t tell us how many guns are produced everyday, but it has to be a staggering number. The structure even features a massive underground tunnel designed to continue production should the main building be bombed to ashes.<\/p>\n<p>Most weapons builders today use CNC exclusively; hence you have seen a lot of that if you have been to a lot of factories. Smith and Wesson is old school enough they still forge on site many of the revolver components, to include frames. The forge room looked like the set of Terminator 2, industrial as the day is long. In addition to their own parts, Smith forges for a variety of different industries, and some parts that might surprise you. Just seeing this room was worth the price of admission.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_67545\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Picture-048-copy.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67545\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" class=\"size-full wp-image-67545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Picture-048-copy.jpg\" alt=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Picture-048-copy.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Picture-048-copy-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Picture-048-copy-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Picture-048-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Picture-048-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-67545\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">All revolver polishing is done by hand at Smith &amp; Wesson. Photo courtesy of Smith &amp; Wesson.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The second stop on the revolver tour was the polish and buff station. This is a specialized skill set at Smith and Wesson, and all done by hand. We were told that the apprenticeship time to learn the trade was over a year, and the master craftsmen can tell who finished a part just by looking at it. The difference in look to parts going in and coming out the other side was astonishing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_67543\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7052_1024.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67543\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-67543\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7052_1024-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7052_1024-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7052_1024-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7052_1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-67543\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">While the author has been to other manufacturing facilities, he was impressed by the breadth of everything done at the Smith &amp; wesson location. Shown holding a pistol frame forging.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At S&amp;W, there is still ONE master engraver on staff. The custom work on display at his station is truly staggering. By hand, this man can engrave detail that is mind blowing. Human faces to the feathers on a dove wing, if you can dream, he can engrave it.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike a lot of gun companies, S&amp;W also does all the chemical treatments in house. We only got to watch from a distance, but there is an entire wing of the facility that does plating and coatings. If Smith and Wesson makes you a nickel-plated gun, they actually made a nickel-plated gun. We are sworn to secrecy, but I was also rather shocked by the other gun companies S&amp;W does the finish for.<\/p>\n<p>All in all, I was pretty impressed by all that is done under one roof. Revolvers to ARs, there was a lot going on. Pallets and pallets of barrels, for a variety of guns, to include the Thompson\/Center bolt actions. Crates the size of my kitchen full of rough cut frames. Enough M&amp;P slides to sink a container ship. It was gun nerd paradise, and I am glad to have gotten the invitation.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smith-wesson.com\/\" campaign=\"SmithWessonTour\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\">https:\/\/www.smith-wesson.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_67542\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7051_1024.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67542\" title=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" class=\"size-full wp-image-67542\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7051_1024.jpg\" alt=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7051_1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7051_1024-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7051_1024-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/thumb_IMG_7051_1024-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-67542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Military &amp; Police moniker has a long history stretching back to the days when the revolver was the dominate combat and defense handgun.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tag along with Clay Martin for a behind-the-scenes look at the historic Smith &amp; Wesson factory in Springfield, Mass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":67545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,226,111],"tags":[132,102,617,60],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-67537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gunsamerica-authors","8":"category-clay-martin","9":"category-industry-news","10":"tag-buzz","11":"tag-feature-articles","12":"tag-industry-news","13":"tag-smith-wesson"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory - Authors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/history-display-behind-scenes-smith-wesson-factory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"History on Display: Behind the scenes at the Smith and Wesson factory\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tag along with Clay Martin for a behind-the-scenes look at the historic Smith &amp; 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