Estimated studying time: 3 minutes
Smith & Wesson introduced a legend again from the vault, they usually didn’t do it alone. Teaming up with Davidson’s, the corporate has reintroduced the Mannequin 20, a revolver that hasn’t rolled out of the manufacturing unit since 1966… till now.
And this new manufacturing gun doesn’t simply imitate historical past. It honors it, then provides trendy horsepower.
From Nineteen Twenties Experiments to Fashionable Magnums
The Mannequin 20 traces its lineage again to the Nineteen Twenties, when the .38 Army & Police (as we speak’s Mannequin 10) dominated the responsibility world however couldn’t safely deal with hotter ammo.
Shooters needed extra velocity and higher terminal efficiency, however the Ok-frame merely couldn’t take the punishment.
Enter the N-frame — initially constructed for the .44 Particular again in 1908. When somebody had the intense thought to place .38 Particular into that beefier body, the outcome was the .38/44 Heavy Responsibility and the .38/44 Outdoorsman.
SEE ALSO: Smith & Wesson Mannequin 1854 Stealth Hunter Overview
These weapons have been massively overbuilt for .38 Particular, which let ammo builders push the cartridge more durable and more durable. That experimentation ultimately birthed the .357 Magnum, which additionally launched on the identical N-frame basis.
Even after the .357 got here alongside, loads of cops caught with the .38/44 platform they trusted. When S&W shifted to mannequin numbers, the Heavy Responsibility turned the Mannequin 20, and manufacturing ran till 1966.
After which, for nearly 60 years, nothing.
A Trustworthy Revival with Fashionable Functionality
The brand new Davidson’s-exclusive Mannequin 20 pulls closely from each the Heavy Responsibility and Outdoorsman DNA:
Mounted “gutter” rear sight Half-moon entrance sight Goal hammer with a large thumbpiece Goal-width set off Magnas-style shares A 6-inch barrel, giving it that Outdoorsman profile however Heavy-Responsibility perspective
It’s completed in traditional S&W high-polish blue, fitted with rosewood grips, and topped off with a clean set off that feels straight out of a pre-war catalog.
However right here’s the large twist:
The brand new Mannequin 20 is chambered in .357 Magnum, because of trendy metallurgy and N-frame power. It nonetheless shoots .38 Particular all day lengthy to remain true to its roots, however if you’d like full-snort .357 efficiency, it’s constructed for that too.
A True Bridge Between Eras
That is a type of uncommon reintroductions that really will get it proper. The brand new Mannequin 20 appears to be like, handles, and appears like a working gun from the pre-war and post-war eras. However with the efficiency flooring of a contemporary .357 N-frame.
It’s a nod to a time when cops carried large metal revolvers, ammo designers pushed boundaries, and S&W was pioneering ideas that might affect handguns for many years.
If you wish to take a look at this revival of a traditional, Davidson’s sellers have them, and Smith & Wesson has the total story on its website.
Cool stuff, certainly. MSRP: $1549.00.
