Smith & Wesson

Founded in 1852 by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson, Smith & Wesson is one of the oldest and most recognizable names in American firearms. The company built its reputation on the revolver — from the .38-caliber Model 10 carried by police for generations, to the .44 Magnum Model 29 made famous on screen, to the stainless 686 and 629 that remain benchmarks for double-action shooters today.

S&W's compact J-frame revolvers — the Airweight 442 and 642 among them — became some of the most-carried concealed-carry guns in the country. In the modern era, the striker-fired M&P (Military & Police) line brought Smith & Wesson into the polymer-pistol market, spanning full-size duty guns, the slim M&P Shield for everyday carry, and the AR-pattern M&P15 rifle family. The Performance Center, the company's in-house custom shop, tunes many of these into competition-ready builds.

Now headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, Smith & Wesson continues to broaden its lineup — recently returning to its lever-action roots with the Model 1854. For many shooters, an S&W revolver is still the definition of an American handgun.