Cased belt revolvers
Wesson & Leavitt / Massachusetts Arms Co.
Chicopee Falls, MA
1850-1851 

After incorporating in 1850, Edwin Wesson and Daniel Leavitt became Samuel Colt’s fiercest competitors – so much so that Colt filed suit against their company for copyright infringement in 1852. These small “belt-size,” .31-caliber revolvers are two of only about 1000 ever produced by the company before suspending operations shortly after the Colt lawsuit. The company would eventually evolve into Smith & Wesson.

Weaponry Wednesday: Each Wednesday we post an object (or group of objects) from the Charleston Museum’s diverse weapons collection. Many Weaponry Wednesday items may be on permanent exhibit in our armory or elsewhere in the museum, but some pieces rarely see exhibition, temporary or permanent, but are well worth sharing. We hope you enjoy our selection each week – do let us know if there’s something in particular you’d like to see on WEAPONRY WEDNESDAY! Also, we always want to learn more about our collection - if you have some insights on a piece, please feel free to share! #WeaponryWednes