Michael Helms (he/him/his) is a firearms historian, author, journalist, and collector based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
He graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in history, Phi Beta Kappa, and Summa Cum Laude. His thesis was titled “Smith & Wesson: America’s First Modern Firearms Enterprise.” In it, he argued that Smith & Wesson was one of the first American companies to follow the ideas of the modern enterprise that Alfred D. Chandler Jr. talked about in his famous book The Visible Hand.
Mike’s work has made him one of the leading experts on Smith & Wesson’s history, and he is currently authoring a full-length book on the Smith & Wesson Model 1‘s development, manufacture, and rise as one of America’s most important firearms. He is the treasurer and one of the historians for the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation, where he actively researches, interprets, and writes about this company’s storied 160 years of manufacturing history.
An accomplished public speaker and exhibitor, here’s a short list of some of Mike’s public works:
- December 2024: Rewrote the Model 1 chapter in the 5th edition of the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson.
- New York Times, February 2023: "What Happens to a Gun Town When the Gun Factory Moves Out?"
- Guest star on season 14 (2023) of the History Channel's "Swamp People" television series
- Keynote speaker at SHOT Show 2023 University, "Know That Old Gun or Lose Money: Appraisals, Markets and Authentication"
- Authored the book "Fifteen Guns: A Selection of Important Smith & Wesson Model 1 Revolvers"
- Authored the article "Lucius Wilson Pond: Machine Tool Maker, Gun Maker, and Fraudster" for the journal of the American Society of Arms Collectors, Number 123 (Spring 2021)
- Guest lecturer at the Auburn University “World Military History” class
- Guest lecturer at the North Carolina State University “Technology in History” class
- Regular Exhibitor at the American Society of Arms Collectors annual symposiums
- Time Magazine, 31 May 2019: "They Survived Mass Shootings. Years Later, The Bullets Are Still Trying to Kill Them"
- Arms Heritage Magazine, Apr 2019: "The Smith and Wesson Model One"
- Presented at the 2017 North Carolina State University History Graduate Student Association annual conference
- Regular Exhibitor and Speaker at the Smith & Wesson Collector’s Association conventions
- Regular Exhibitor at the Texas Gun Collector Association meetings
Mike’s is a lifelong genealogist and holds active memberships in the Sons of the American Revolution and the Swedish Colonial Society. Among his ancestors is Israel Åkesson, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States in 1640, and whose Americanized name was Israel Helm.
Mike has been a proud supporter of American Corporate Partners since 2014. He volunteers his time to mentor veterans that are transitioning from the military into the corporate workplace.
When he’s not sleuthing into the obscure nooks and crannies of America’s firearms industry, Mike enjoys woodworking, photography, and being a doggy-daddy to Zeke the American Staffordshire Terrier. He lives with his wife and Zeke in Baton Rouge.