incorporated in 1968
Norwich, New York
- 1852 Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson
- 1873 Daniel B. Wesson. Mr. Wesson purchased Mr. Smith’s interest in S&W
- April 22, 1916 Daniel B. Wesson II (born) in Springfield, Massachusetts
- 1938 – 1963 Daniel B. Wesson II worked at Smith & Wesson
- 1965 Smith & Wesson purchased by Bangor-Punta
- 1968 Dan Wesson Arms founded in Monson, Massachusetts
- 1996 moved to Norwich, New York
- 2005 bought by CZ-USA
Female CEO Alice Poluchová
Dan Wesson
65 Borden Ave.
Norwich, NY 13815
(800) 955-4486
danwessonfirearms.com
About Dan Wesson
Dan Wesson Firearms is an American handgun maker headquartered in Norwich, New York, and today a part of CZ-USA. The company was founded by Daniel B. Wesson II, a member of the family behind Smith & Wesson, who worked at Smith & Wesson from 1938 to 1963. After Bangor Punta bought Smith & Wesson, he left to build revolvers of his own design, incorporating Dan Wesson Arms in 1968 in a former school building in Monson, Massachusetts. Its signature revolvers used gun designer Karl Lewis’s interchangeable barrel system, in which a barrel tensioned inside a separate shroud could be swapped by the owner in minutes, which gave the guns a reputation for exceptional accuracy.
The Model 15-2 in .357 Magnum became the brand’s best-selling revolver, and the .44 Magnum Model 44 of 1980 was a favorite in metallic silhouette competition. After Wesson’s death in 1978, the company went through bankruptcies and moves to Palmer, Massachusetts, and then Norwich, where a line of 1911-pattern pistols began in 1999. CZ-USA bought the company in 2005 and ended revolver production with the Model 715 in 2021; the Dan Wesson 1911 line remains in production under CZ as of 2026.
Key Facts
- 1968: Daniel B. Wesson II incorporates Dan Wesson Arms in Monson, Massachusetts.
- 1975-1976: The Model 15-2 enters production and becomes the company’s best-known revolver.
- Late 1980: The large-frame .44 Magnum Model 44 is introduced.
- 1996: New owners move the company to Norwich, New York.
- 2005: CZ-USA acquires Dan Wesson Firearms.
- 2021: CZ discontinues the Model 715, the last Dan Wesson revolver in production.
Sources
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