However, it was decided at this stage to make a copy of the Schofield, which was the previous model. The New American No3 is slightly more attractive but has less historical interest.


The Schofield is based on the first S&W American model with additional improvements suggested by Major Schofield. It was submitted to the US Army trials along with the Colt 1873 Single Action and the Remington. Extensive trials were carried out and eventually the US adopted the Colt while purchasing over 9000 Schofield pistols. The decision was surprising because although all the pistols were single action, only the Schofield could be loaded and unloaded quickly, particularly on horseback, as the other two were fixed-frame revolvers.


Apparently the Schofield was not considered as robust and therefore more prone to breakdown. There was probably a bias against the break-open design and the automatic ejector mechanism which may be prone to failure in a continued dusty environment. This did not stop the Russian Czarist Government buying a considerable number and also copying the design later.


The decision to issue the Schofield alongside the Colt to the US Army caused a logistical problem as the Colt cartridge is one tenth of an inch longer than the Schofield. Frank Wesson had decided that the Colt cartridge was too long for the Schofield and settled on making a shorter cartridge. To this day the Colt SAA cartridge is known as the .45 Long Colt which was originally to avoid confusion in frontier gun shops. The US Army settled this problem by issuing only the shorter cartridge which would fit both pistols. Holsters also had to be designed to fit both pistols.


After a few years the Army withdrew the Schofield. Some of these had their barrels shortened to five inches and were sold to Wells Fargo who issued them to their undercover agents. Nevertheless the Schofield saw some action on the frontier. John P. Clum presented one to his friend Wyatt Earp. Whether this was used by Wyatt in the famous battle near the OK Corral is not known.


The Schofield has appeared in many Western films; it was in Clint Eastwood’s film ‘Unforgiven’ when the ‘Schofield Kid’ carried one. Latterly, it made an appearance in the remake of ‘The 3.10 to Yuma’.


I caught up with my Uberti copy of the Schofield in Interlaken at Waffenhaus Schneider which I bought at a very reasonable price in 2002. It must remain an exile in Switzerland as the British Labour Government banned all cartridge loading pistols in 1997 in their drive to make our streets safer. The fact that there are now daily shootings, stabbings and mayhem did not dent their enthusiasm for this policy even though the crime rate with pistols has since increased five- fold in the inner city areas. This should serve as a salutary warning to any


Governments bent on a similar policy.


The Schofield is a nice gun to shoot as it sits low in the hand. You can see this in the picture of Ralph Davenport shooting in a competition at Oberhofen. I notice that this is a common feature of the Smith & Wesson design and probably dates back to their first guns, unlike the Colt SAA which sits higher in the hand.


Walter Winans in his book ‘Hints on Revolver Shooting’ recommends holding a revolver with the hand as high as possible up the butt so that the barrel is not much higher than the top of the hand. This reduces felt recoil and affords better control over the pistol. The sight picture is very good, and features a large front sight and a cut notch back-sight.


There is a useful catch under the action - which if pressed when the cylinder is opened - prevents the extractor throwing the spent cases over your shoulder onto the floor of the firing point. A useful help for re-loaders! Another help for reloaders is that it is chambered for .45 Long Colt instead of the original .45 Schofield.


I found the gun accurate and easier to shoot than the Colt SAA with its offset trigger. Indeed, I lent it to another member of the British Alpine Rifles who found the shooting experience equally enjoyable.


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