The History of the Schofield Revolver

Although the Colt Single Action Army seems to get the spotlight and glory in the history books, the Smith & Wesson Schofield revolver played a significant role, not only in military history but also in the Wild West. It was used by some of the most famous outlaws in Western history as well.

Original examples these days are very rare and valuable, highly prized in collections. Here’s what we know about the Schofield revolver.

The Cartridge

Before we dive into the details of the revolver, let’s first examine the cartridge that it fired. The .45 Schofield cartridge was also known as the .45 Smith & Wesson, which was similar to the .45 Colt round, although slightly shorter. Originally, it was a black powder round. The cartridge proved to be effective on the battlefield, offering the huge advantages of less recoil and greater accuracy than the .45 Colt. And though it did have less power than the .45 Colt, that lesser recoil made it popular and it actually became the standard cartridge of the Army.

At times, the ammunition caused confusion in the supply chain. Troops armed with Schofields were issued .45 Colt ammunition, which caused problems because the Schofield couldn’t fire .45 Colt ammunition. Frankford Arsenal came up with a solution by developing a cartridge that could be used in both the Schofield and Colt revolvers. It was shorter and lower powered than the .45 Colt and had a slightly larger rim to help with extraction from the Smith & Wesson.

Origins

This revolver was the result of Col. George Schofield’s efforts to improve the American Model 3 so it could better serve the military. The American Model 3 had been the first revolver that used cartridges to be adopted by the military in 1870.

In 1871, Schofield was already working on improvements that would make it more suitable for military use. He changed the latch from a barrel mount to a frame mount, which was the most obvious change. The military tested it and approved the design. As a result, 3,000 Schofields were ordered in 1875.

Smith & Wesson manufactured the revolver for a very short period of time, from 1875 to 1878. Approximately 9,000 guns were produced, with the majority going to the US Army.

Schofield Design

They were six-shot revolvers with seven-inch ribbed barrels, with a square butt and two-piece walnut grips. While most of these revolvers were blued (with case-hardened trigger guards and hammers), some had a factory nickel finish.

They were single-action revolvers, which means the hammer had to be cocked each time before it was fired. There are two hammer positions: Full cock and quarter cock. The quarter cock position allows the cylinder to rotate freely and permits the action to be loaded and unloaded.

A Schofield revolver.
The Schofield revolver was liked by cavalry troops for its ease of loading and modest recoil. (Photo: Museum of American History)

A huge advantage of the design is that it allows all cartridges to be dumped out at once. By the same token, it was easy to load while all of the cylinder chambers were exposed. This was different than other revolvers at the time, which had to have each chamber loaded one at a time via a loading gate. The Schofield was far faster to load.

Also, because of the top break design, there was no side loading gate or external ejector rod.

Following additional modifications, 5,000 more were ordered in the Second Model configuration, made of steel instead of iron, in 1877. By the conclusion of that year, the Army had purchased around 8,000 Smith & Wesson Schofields. Although some of the revolvers were made for civilian use, the vast majority were manufactured for the military. By 1879, the Army had purchased 8,285 Schofield revolvers. Many of these revolvers were used in the Indian Wars. They also went on to be used in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection. It is even believed to have been used in the Battle Of Little Big Horn.

Operation

To open a Schofield, the hammer is brought to the quarter cock position and the rear sight/cylinder latch is pulled back. The action is unlocked, allowing the barrel/cylinder assembly to swing downward. As the action is opened, a star ejector raises the cartridge cases. Turn the pistol over, and the shells fall out with the aid of gravity. As the barrel assembly is in the fully open position, the extractor snaps back into position, allowing fresh cartridges to be inserted into the cylinder.

Action open on the Schofield.
The Schofield action breaks open, allowing fast and easy ejection and loading of cartridges. Photo courtesy of Taylor’s And Company.

Similar to a Colt cylinder, the Schofield’s cylinder rotates in a clockwise fashion. It’s notable that modern Smith & Wesson cylinders rotate counterclockwise.

It’s important to understand that an empty chamber should be placed under the Schofield’s hammer. This is because with the hammer lowered, the tip of the firing pin would rest directly on the primer of a cartridge that’s aligned with the barrel. Even a light blow to the hammer could set the round off.

The Schofield uses a fixed firing pin that is machined as an integral part of the hammer. If the tip of the firing pin is broken or worn, the entire hammer has to be replaced.

The rear sight is a V-notch that is machined into the top of the action. The front sight is a brass, semi-circular blade.

Users

The US Army used the revolver. It saw action with the Cavalry because of the fact that it could be reloaded more quickly than other designs. How quickly? In under 30 seconds, which was considered fast for that time period. Comparatively, the Colt .45 revolver took more than twice as long to load.

A number of units used the Schofield. Among them were the 4th, 9th, and 10th Cavalry. The “Buffalo Soldiers”, who were African-American troops, comprised the 9th and 10th Cavalry units. Being stationed in the Southwest, they fought various tribes, including the Apaches, in the Indian Wars.

State militias were also users of the Schofield, with New York receiving 2,000 in 1877. In 1878 and 1879, Michigan received 536. California received 300 in 1880. In 1882 and 1891, Washington received 180. Kansas got 100 in 1879. West Virginia got 79 in 1878. Indiana received 300 in 1878 and 1879.

A host of other states received small numbers of the Schofield revolvers, including Tennessee, Maine, Florida, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.

It is said that some Schofields were still seeing use as late as the Spanish American War in 1898.

Later On

Aside from military use, outlaws, lawmen, and anyone else who needed a good revolver used the Schofield in the Old West. Often, the barrels were cut down to a handier five-inch length (the original barrel length was seven inches). Many guns were also nickel plated to enhance their durability.

A Schofield revolver with shortened barrel.
To make the Schofield handier for civilian use, the barrel was cut down from seven inches to five inches. (Photo: Taylor’s And Company)

The same attributes that made the Schofield popular with the military also endeared it to those who used them in civilian life; namely the ability to quickly reload it and the .45 caliber round.

Shortened Schofield with some of the nickel finish remaining.
The .45 Schofield. This one appears to have some of the nickel finish left. (Photo: Gun Digest)

Celebrities

A few noted celebrities have been documented to have carried Schofield revolvers. Among them are Frank McLowery and Bill Tilghman from the famous O.K. Corral gun battle.

Outlaws who carried the Schofield included the James Gang. Jesse James had serial number 366. Serial number 273 was also used by one of the gang, possibly Jesse. Cole Younger was known to have serial number 2341. Frank James carried two Schofields: Serial numbers 3444 and 5476.

A Schofield like Jesse James used.
Members of the James Gang were among some of the more noted celebrities who used the Schofield. (Photo: Gun Digest)

In Hollywood, the Schofield shows up in plenty of movies, including “Unforgiven,” and “The Magnificent Seven.” It’s also found in a few video games, including Red Dead Redemption I and II.

Agencies

Aside from civilian use, a couple of notable agencies also issued the Schofield revolver.

Schofield revolvers issued to the San Francisco Police Department can be identified by a two or three-digit number that is stamped on the backstrap. It is believed that eventually, these revolvers were then passed on to the California Militia.

Wells Fargo also armed its messengers with several hundred Schofields. These guns had unique markings that were stamped over the patent on the right side under the barrel. The markings read, “W.F. & COS EX.” Their serial numbers were also restamped. Schofield Serial Number 1 was among the guns used by Wells Fargo.

A Wells Fargo Schofield.
Wells Fargo armed couriers with the Schofield revolver. The barrels were cut down from seven inches to five inches and a nickel coating was added to the revolver. (Photo: American Rifleman)

It is rare to find a Schofield these days in its original, military configuration.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this look back at a piece of American gun history. Did we leave out any important facts or details about the Schofield revolver? Let us know in the comments.

Jim Davis served in the PA Dept. of Corrections for 16 ½ years as a corrections officer in the State Correctional Institute at Graterford and later at SCI Phoenix. He served on the Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT), several of those years as a sniper, and also the Fire Emergency Response Team (FERT). For 25 years, he was a professional instructor, teaching topics including Defensive Tactics, Riot Control and Tactical Operations, Immediate Responder, and cognitive programs as an adjunct instructor at the DOC Training Academy. He was then promoted to the title of corrections counselor, where he ran a caseload and facilitated cognitive therapy classes to inmates. His total service time was close to 29 years. He was involved in many violent encounters on duty, including incidents of fatalities. He is a dedicated Christian and attributes any skills that he has to the glory of God.

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