Smith & Wesson
About this time, bullet-proof vests came into use. Gangsters quickly adopted them so that bullets traveling at under 1,000 fps would not penetrate them. S&W immediately began experimenting with improved bullets. They also used the famous firearms expert Bill Jordan as a consultant to help develop a new much more powerful handgun. What resulted was the first magnum cartridge, the S&W .357 Magnum. In 1935 they released the Smith & Wesson Model 19. Using a 125 grain bullet traveling at 1600 fps, it could easily defeat the body armor of the time.