The Smith & Wesson name is synonymous with handguns, everything from handy little J-Frames and Military & Police service revolvers and pistols to the most powerful revolvers on the planet. One can hardly think "handgun" without the intertwined "S" and "W" logo flashing through the mind.

But America's premier handgun manufacturer has dabbled with long guns on and off throughout its 155-year history. In the late 1880s, Smith & Wesson produced 125 or so double-barreled shotguns. After a 100-year lapse, the company tried its hand at long guns again, importing Howa shotguns and rifles. Those guns were favorably received, but by 1986, the company was moving in a different direction and got out of the rifle and shotgun business altogether.

A few years ago, Smith & Wesson's new management team decided to take on the long-gun market again. S&W hired long-gun veteran Steve Skrubis as the long-gun product manager to guide the company into manufacturing rifles and shotguns. In just two years, Skrubis oversaw the introduction of AR-style rifles and a complete line of semiautomatic, over-under, and side-by-side shotguns.

"Every company wants to grow, and our market research demonstrated that Smith & Wesson is a very powerful brand," Skrubis said. "We wanted to take advantage of that, but our CEO has a 'no dabble' rule. If we do something, we give it 110 percent. We took a long, hard look at this project and decided it was something we wanted to do."

SPECIFICATIONS Smith & Wesson i-Bolt Bolt-Action Rifle
Manufacturer:	Smith & Wesson
Model:	i-Bolt
Operation:	Bolt-action repeater
Caliber:	.30-06
Barrel Length:	23 inches
Overall Length:	43 inches
Weight, empty	6.75 pounds
Safety:	Three position
Sights:	None, receiver drilled and tapped, Weaver rail provided
Stock:	Synthetic
Magazine Capacity:	4 rounds
Length Of Pull:	13.63 inches
Drop at Comb:	.88 inch, Monte Carlo height .5 inch
Drop at Heel:	1.25 inches
Price:	$850

Now is a good time to get into the rifle business. Winchester is no longer producing the Model 70, several other manufacturers are in trouble financially, and there hasn't been much in the way of design innovation since the '98 Mauser. Smith & Wesson first considered buying a rifle company or improving on existing designs, but it finally settled on creating its own rifle from scratch.

"We know there are a lot of traditionalists out there, but we wanted to give existing rifle shooters some great new benefits, and we wanted to create a new rifle that brings in a new customer," Skrubis said. "Everything was tossed out the door--it was a free-for-all--nothing was off the table from a design standpoint. The result is a rifle that has a lot of innovative features. We didn't reinvent the wheel, just made it a lot better."

The design team was able to create a concept and deliver prototypes in just a year and half. The Smith & Wesson i-Bolt made its debut at the NRA Annual Meetings in St. Louis, Missouri, in April. The name came from the original codename for the project--the "i" stands for innovation.

Mass-producing centerfire rifles takes more than good ideas and a few mechanical drawings. Smith & Wesson made a substantial investment in new machines and stock molds. One major hurdle to overcome was producing high-quality barrels. Skrubis joked that the Springfield, Massachusetts, plant could only produce pistol and revolver barrels but not rifle-length tubes.

"We looked at a lot of OEM barrel manufacturers and really liked Thompson/Center Arms," Skrubis said. "We liked T/C so much, we ended up buying the company."

The purchase of Thompson/Center Arms was finalized in January and was the final piece of the puzzle. With 40 years of experience and a tremendous capacity to produce barrels, T/C would allow Smith & Wesson to get into the rifle business in a big way. The i-Bolt's initial offering will be a long-action rifle chambered for .25-06, .30-06, and .270 Winchester. The gun has two stock options: black synthetic or RealTree AP HD camo.

The i-Bolt receiver (T) is very similar to the Remington Model 700 receiver, as seen in this comparison with a short-action Model 700 (B). Both utilize tubular designs and sandwich recoil lugs between the receiver and barrel. Note that the trigger, barrel, and recoil lug of the Model 700 are aftermarket items.

S&W plans to offer the rifle in a stainless version as well as .300 Win. Mag. and 7mm Rem. Mag. chamberings by year's end. Expect to see a short-action, numerous other chamberings, wood stocks, and a law-enforcement version also in the near future.