| Daniel B. Wesson II | |
| Birth Name: | Daniel Baird Wesson II |
| Birth Date: | 1916 4, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Monson, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Firearms maker and inventor |
| Known For: | founder of Dan Wesson Firearms |
| Spouse: | Rosamond Lefevre |
| Children: | 3 |
| Relatives: | Daniel B. Wesson, great-grandfather |
| Alma Mater: | Amherst College |
| Signature: | Daniel_B._Wesson_II_signature.png |
Daniel Baird Wesson II (April 22, 1916 – November 24, 1978) was an American inventor and firearms maker, who in 1968 founded the company now known as Dan Wesson Firearms. He was the great-grandson of inventor and firearms maker Daniel Baird Wesson, a co-founder of Smith & Wesson.
Wesson was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in April 1916. He was educated at Deerfield Academy and Amherst College.[1] He worked at Smith & Wesson,[2] the family company, for 30 years. After the family company was acquired by conglomerate Bangor Punta, he left and launched Dan Wesson Arms Inc. in 1968.[3]
The first Dan Wesson Arms production revolvers, the Model 11 & 12 (later revolvers were marked as D11 & W12) were shipped in August 1970. Wesson's firearms were known for a high quality of craftsmanship, and the company introduced a rare design among revolvers; the ability to change barrels and grips with simple hand tools, which made these guns popular with shooters.
Wesson died in November 1978, having suffered a heart attack while chopping wood at his home in Monson, Massachusetts.[4] His company subsequently went through several ownership changes, was run by his son Seth from 1991 to 1995, and in 2005 was acquired by CZ-USA.
. Patrick Sweeney (gunsmith). The Gun Digest Book of the 1911. 2006. F+W Media. Iola, Wisconsin. 978-1-4402-2431-7. 248.