How Russian orders helped American weapons, in innovation and manufacturing. Part 1

Or: if not for Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, Dirty Harry would not have his famous line

By Al Palladin – speech at the Seattle Olympic Club, August 5, 2021. From the upcoming book “America’s arch ally: Russia’s forgotten role in the founding, development and defense of the United States”.

Remember the famous scene from the 1971 blockbuster “Dirty Harry”?

-Inspector Callahan.

-Jaffee.

-Usual.

-Usual lunch, or?usual?dinner?

-What?difference?does it make?

-Not much.

-Hey, Jaffee...

...is that tan Ford still parked across, in?front?of the bank?

-Tan Ford?

-Yeah, tan Ford.

-Engine running?

-I don't know. How can I tell?

-Exhaust?fumes?out of the tailpipe.

-That's awful! Look at that pollution.

-Do me a favor, will you? Call this?telephone?number.

-Police Department?

-Tell them?Inspector?Callahan thinks there's a...

...two-eleven in progress at the bank. Got it?

-Got it.

-Be sure and tell them it's in progress, right?

-In progress. Yes, sir.

-Now, if they'll just wait till the?cavalry?arrives.

The alarm goes off in the bank, commotion and screams in the street.

Sh*t!

Halt!

The first bank robber fires his shotgun, the policeman is wounded in the leg. Inspector Callahan fires back. The second criminal jumps into the getaway vehicle, whose driver accelerates in an attempt to run over Harry. He shoots through the windshield. As the Ford flips over, one of the thieves jumps out and fires his pistol at the policeman. Inspector Callahan returns fire. He then walks towards the first bank robber.

I know what you're thinking.

Did he fire six?shots?or only five?

Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement

I've kind of lost?track?myself.

But?being that?this is a.44 Magnum,

the most?powerful?handgun in the world...

...and?would?blow your head?clean?off...

...you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?"

Harry’s confidence in the performance of his weapon, that allowed him to come out the winner against multiple armed robbers, originated from a series of real-world events, which started a hundred years prior to the release of the movie, with a statement of need from Russia.

General Alexander Gorloff, while serving as the Military Attaché with the Russian Embassy in the United States, was looking for the best arms for his nation. When in 1870 Smith & Wesson introduced their Model 3 “American,” the first practical big-bore metallic cartridge revolver, a sample was presented to Gorloff.

That same year the United States Military purchased 1,000 Model 3s. However, they were not pleased with their performance - and did not order any more. The first contract from Russia in May of 1871 resulted in 20,000 of the Model 3 American being shipped to the Empire. Unfortunately for Smith & Wesson, the Russian Military, just like their American counterparts, were not satisfied with the weapon.

However, instead of abandoning this new American made .44 six-gun, Gorloff and his colleagues set about to improve it. They brought about two significant changes, one of which still positively impacts us today. Ultimately over 130,000 Model 3s were purchased by the Russians.

Prior to his second posting to the United States in 1864, Gorloff made a name for himself as one of the most predominant specialists in firearm and artillery innovation. He won the grand prize of the Mikhailov Artillery Academy for his paper “On the laws of the movement of projectiles through the channels of rifled weapons”. On his first mission to America, Gorloff was joined by fellow Russian officer Karl Gunius. Their initial goal was to find a better long gun for the Czar’s Army.

Gorloff focused his attention on the Berdan rifle. Manufactured by Colt, beginning in 1868, version I was the creation of the American firearms innovator Hiram Berdan. ?It was a hammerless "trapdoor" breechblock design, and was manufactured in limited numbers as a full-length infantry rifle. Gorloff and Gunius saw potential, but also recognized existing flaws. Ultimately, they introduced twenty-five (!) improvements – and the Berdan II, aka “the Russian musket”, had little resemblance to version I. The resulting Russian-American innovation produced a rifle, which was known for its accuracy, simplicity and reliability.

Released to manufacturing in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1870, it was a single-shot bolt-action with a distinctive short, pear-shaped bolt handle. The bolt handle served as the only locking lug for the action, and when closed, pointed upwards at a 30-degree angle, rather than horizontally. The Berdan II was produced in four variants: an infantry rifle, the lighter and slightly shorter dragoon rifle, a?Cossack?rifle with a button trigger and no trigger guard, and a cavalry?carbine. While Russia bought 30,000 of version I from Colt, the estimated total production of all models based on the Gorloff-Gunius improved version II was over 3 million. It was the standard issue for the Russian Army from 1870 to 1891, when it was replaced by the?Mosin–Nagant?rifle.?

One of the 25 improvements that Gorloff spearheaded, was the creation of the 10.7×58mmR cartridge. It received multiple patents in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The bottleneck cartridge case used the Berdan primer, its first use in small arms ammunition. The cartridge was known for its power and accuracy.

Smith & Wesson were of course aware of all of this when they reached out to the Russian Major-General. And they listened to Gorloff carefully, ultimately changing the Model 3 “American” to the new specifications of the re-designed “Russian” version. The improvements were ready for inspection by Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, who visited the Smith & Wesson factory in America in 1871.

The son of Russian Emperor Alexander II, who had done so much during his lifetime for the strengthening of the political, economic and military relations with the United States, Alexei embarked on his voyage as part of a friendship call by the Russian Navy. It was a return visit after the U.S. Naval squadron, under the command of Admiral David Farragut, was hosted in St. Petersburg in 1867. Upon arrival to New York in November of 1871, the Grand Duke was welcomed by prominent Americans, including Theodore Roosevelt. On the 23rd of the month, in Washington D.C., Alexei met with President Ulysses S. Grant and most of the members of his cabinet.

On December 6th the Grand Duke arrived in Springfield, Massachusetts. Smith & Wesson presented Alexei Alexandrovich with a fully engraved, carved pearl grip, cased Model 3. The Russian Emperor’s son proudly displayed his revolver as he later toured the American Frontier, where he met with U.S. generals Sheridan and Custer, and carried it on a buffalo hunt with the famed "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The Grand Duke became an enthusiastic sponsor for the adoption of the Model 3 “Russian” by the Czar’s Army.

The S&W “Russian Model” had two major innovations, to overcome the shortcomings, which had led to the previous version’s rejection by the U.S. Military. First, they were easier to control – the Russian variant had a projection on the backstrap to improve a one-handed grip, as well as a spur on the underside of the trigger guard to steady aim.

But even more importantly, thanks to the renowned specialist on “the laws of the movement of projectiles through the channels of rifled weapons”, the Russian model received a new type of ammunition. The evolutionary improvement influenced by Gorloff went on to become an archetype, influencing future cartridge designs.?

The Model 3 “American” had an externally lubricated?heeled bullet. The Russian General appropriately recognized that such ammunition tends to pick up debris and contaminants, which erode the bore when fired, and reduce reliability. Thus, a qualification for the larger purchase contract was that Smith & Wesson incorporate a better version of their .44 round.

The result was a reduced diameter of the .44 bullet to .429 and adding lubrication grooves to its base. The .44 Russian design marked the first use of an internally lubricated?bullet?in modern?firearm?ammunition.

Also, with improved firearm metallurgy available, Smith & Wesson increased the bullet weight of the new cartridge to 246?grains,?while retaining a heavy 23-grain black-powder propellant charge, which almost equaled that of the .44 American and produced a?muzzle velocity?of roughly 750?ft/s. As a result of these changes, the .44 Russian generated a much higher chamber pressure of 12,000?copper units of pressure?(CUP) compared to the older .44 American round, which generated only 6,000–8,000 CUP. To prevent the new high-pressure ammunition from being fired in .44 American revolvers with disastrous results, the overall cartridge case length was increased by .06 in to 0.970 in.

In addition, the?cylinder?design of the No. 3 revolver had to be changed from the straight bored .44 American configuration to a stepped arrangement which was .457 in at the rear of the cylinder to accept the case, and narrower from the case shoulder forward to give a tight fit for the smaller bore .44 Russian bullet.

The .44 Russian chambering became a hit in the United States’ market as well, gaining the reputation as the first American revolver cartridge offering inherent accuracy. It went on to set many records, eventually becoming known as an established target round,?enabling skilled shooters to achieve 3-inch (76?mm) groups at 50 yards (46?m); outstanding for the time and still impressive today.

The .44 Russian eventually became the parent cartridge for the?.44 Special,?introduced in 1907, which in turn was the foundation to the?.44 Magnum, developed?in 1956.

In addition to the ammunition, when one looks at the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, Inspector Callahan’s weapon of choice, one sees the heritage from the S&W Model 3.

So, when Dirty Harry wielded “the most powerful handgun in the world”, he held in his hand a weapon, which embodied the innovation made possible by a Russian general and the sponsorship of the Czar’s son.?