Smith & Wesson Model 320 inches. "The History of Smith & Wesson Firearms" By Dean K. Boorman Smith & Wesson Model 320 The Smith & Wesson Model 320 was a revolving rifle produced by Smith & Wesson in the late 19th century. The Smith & Wesson Model 320 is the rarest Smith & Wesson in existence and highly prized by collectors. The Smith & Wesson Model 320 revolving rifle was based heavily on the design of the Smith & 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
Smith & Wesson these profitable moves made Smith and Wesson "the envy of the industry" according to Business Week. Despite all of these advantages, however, Smith & Wesson's market share began to decline in the 1980s. As the war on drugs intensified in the United States, police departments all across the country replaced their Smith and Wesson revolvers with European semiautomatics (such as Glock, Sig Sauer and Beretta). From 1982 to 1986 profits at the company declined by 41 percent Company ownership changed twice during the decade. In June 1987 Tomkins plc paid $112.5 million to purchase Smith & Wesson. Tomkins modernized the