Smith & Wesson Centennial Smith & Wesson Centennial S&W Centennial is a family of revolvers made by Smith & Wesson on the "J-Frame". Depending upon caliber, the cylinder holds either 5 (9mm, .38 spl, .357 magnum), 6 (.32 magnum), 7 (.22 magnum), or 8 (.22 LR), cartridges. Centennials feature a fully enclosed (internal) hammer, which makes them Double Action Only (DAO) firearms. Like all other "J-frame" Smith & Wesson revolvers, they have a swing-out cylinder. Centennial models have been made in different versions like PD "Personal Defense", LS "Lady Smith", and M&P "Military & Police" The original Centennial Model 40 was introduced in 1952,
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