The history of colt guns began when colts manufacturing company was founded in 1855 by samuel colt, years after the failure of his first corporation, the patent arms manufacturing company 183642. The patent was issued by the united states patent office on january 19, 1875. Gun, colt a fine copy of the book on the colt revolver. To many shooters, the navy colt represents the classic capandball revolver. Whether youknow it as an accurate, cowboy, texas ranger, gunslinging, out west, corral gun, or as alittle protection, the peacemaker by samuel colt and samuel colt will never be forgotten. Forty years ago, one handgun caliber dominated all others, regardless the intended application. Tucker, professor of history and director of the center for connecticut.
Superbly illustrated, the history of colt firearms recounts the fascinating story of this most legendary name from the entire 650year saga of firearms. In 1898, colt firearms unveiled a new sixshot revolver chambered for the. Between 1850 and 1873, over 325,000 were manufactured in hartford, connecticut. This project chronicles the history of the colt revolver beginning in 1836 through the rest of the century. Teddy roosevelt even had it adopted by nyc cops, in. Finally, merchandise can often go on sale while the patent application is being processed, and when i was young i often wondered who this pat pending was whose. In seven serpentsthe history of colts snake guns, author gurney brown of cherrys and the colt collectors assn covers seven of the hottest firearms on the market today. Short history of the colt revolver timeline timetoast. Though out of print the book remains one of the touchstones for those doing research into the running of the company and its many products. Captain allyn capron was the son of west point graduate e. The colt revolver has played a paramount role in the history of american weapons. Also in 1955, colt released one of the most famous revolvers in history, the colt python. Buy colts double action revolver, model of 1878 by don wilkerson isbn.
Heres an example of the type of information you will see in a colt historical letter. A history of the colt revolver and the other arms made by. He signs a contract to make guns for the war department to fight in the war against mexico and sells over guns. A history of the colt revolver and the other arms made by colts. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Colt revolver pistol gun book single actions pistols full color. The only short coming is that the book does not go beyond the early forties. Take a break from modern firearms, slow down, and step back into history for a bit while shooting reproductions of. In the history of modern double action american handguns, the colt python revolver stands above all others. The colt model 1860 army revolver was easily the most popular army revolver on both sides of the conflict during the american civil war. From the world s finest collection, the 100 most significant colt revolvers are presented in this handsome volume.
This model was made on the frame and grips of the model of 1849 pocket pistol by cutting the frame to allow for the size of the rebated. Colt historian colt archive properties, llc 1295 blue hills ave. Nov 20, 2014 the history of colt guns began when colt s manufacturing company was founded in 1855 by samuel colt, years after the failure of his first corporation, the patent arms manufacturing company 1836 42. May 22, 2018 in 1898, colt firearms unveiled a new sixshot revolver chambered for the. A cartridgeconverted colt walker instead of the colt dragoon in the book was used in the 1969 film. The colt paterson revolver found patchy success and failure. Vintage 1940 book a history of the colt revolver from. So in 1898 colt debuted a new largeframe double action revolver chambered in the more popular and effective cartridges like.
Uberti 1873 cattleman nm revolver carbine 18 for sale. Patent for a handgun featuring a revolving cylinder, effectively ending the days of single shot. Colt series 70 pistol this pistol features the legendary series 70 firing system, making it a faithful reproduction to government models manufactured prior to world war ii. Without your pistols we would not have had the confidence to have undertaken such adventures, quoted walkers thoughts about the colt gun. Antique colt firearms and revolvers for sale at 19th. Revolver book by jim rasenberger official publisher page. Revolver, colt, caliber 45, m1917 and revolver, smith and. Colt model 1849 pocket revolver the model 1849 pocket revolver was the most widelyproduced of any colt percussion revolver. Above information is from a history of the colt revolver by charles t. The barrel was the pythons most defining and beautiful feature.
The model 1849 pocket revolver was the most widelyproduced of any colt percussion revolver. History of the colt revolver first edition bauman rare books. Colt vintage hunting books and manuals for sale ebay. Image available on the internet and included in accordance with title 17 u. Sep 21, 2015 it was a failure of the 18711872 colt open top revolver in qualifying for the u. Apr 20, 2015 without your pistols we would not have had the confidence to have undertaken such adventures, quoted walkers thoughts about the colt gun. In this book, the autrys curator has selected the 100 most important examples to document and celebrate the history of samuel colts. All patent print pages are restored and digitally enhanced to remove as many flaws as possibl. Excellent history of colts revolvers from the patterson to the early 1940s. Some time in the late 1500s, a lid was added to the flash pan design. File photo check out our website and use our facebook link to like our page. Samuel colt did not invent the revolver, but after some 200 years of development his paterson revolver of 1836 started a revolution in repeating firearms.
All of the revolvers were digitally illustrated by hand, including the decorative line drawings framing the title of this poster. By charles haven and frank belden published by crown william morrow bonanza books in 1940 and contains a foreword by stephen v. Colt model 1849 pocket revolver national firearms museum. I heartily recommend this book for anyone interested in the revolvers of the true old west. An additional 11,000 were produced in the companys london. A history of the colt revolver by haven charles t belden. Its most immediate impact was on the expansionism of the american west, where white. This was the only hand held pistol until the colt revolver was invented. Colts were the favorite revolver in the opening of the west and quickly gained an international reputation for ingenuity, reliability, and style.
Samuel colt designs a new revolver with the help of another texas ranger named samuel walker and makes the walkercolt revolver. Ainsworth, the wellknown principal subinspector for the colt single action army revolver in 1873, was assigned to colt by september. A history of the colt revolver, and the other arms made by colts patent fire arms manufacturing company from 1836 to 1940. It was one of the first multishot weapons to be put into mass production and became a symbol of the american frontier. Colt pistols and revolvers for firearms collectors. A history of colt firearms colt, samuel haven, charles t.
The connecticut state library is also a good source for historical information pertaining to colt firearms and history. Antique colt firearms and revolvers for sale at 19th century arms. The flintlock mechanism was designed to push back the lid and spark a flint at the same time. Firearms will need to be transferred through a ffl holder. This pistol also features an arched steel mainspring housing and a short steel trigger. Bates, johnny, cumpston, mike 2005percussion pistols and revolvers, history, performance and practical use. Armys demand for a robust revolver that led colt to design a completely new revolver that became the standard from which other singleaction revolvers are measured the 1873 colt single action army. Though he didnt invent the revolver, colt s earliest designs played a large part in the evolution from singleshot pistols. A history of the colt revolver hardcover january 1, 1997 by frank a. A history of the colt revolver idsa arms books, llc. In 1955, colts firearms introduced what many believe to be the most elegant.
I owned age 14 an old 1920s made police positive special in. A hardcover copy of a history of the colt revolver from 1836 to 1940 by charles t. Photograph, a fiveshot paterson colt revolver was the first design of the colt revolver. A history of the colt revolver from 1836 to 1940 by.
To expose or protect the powder, the lid had to be moved manually. It was born in the mid1950s in a postwar era in which quality was already starting to fall from the heights that american gun making had attained in the 1930s and 40s. A history of the colt revolver and the other arms made by colt s patent fire arms manufacturing company from 1836 to 1940 charles t haven, frank a. While the book is a little long on the companys history and patent paper details, the. History of colt revolvers 14 matching articles field. So goes the saying aptly applied to, perhaps, the best known and respected firearms during the last half of the 19th century. In this section, i will be looking at the invention of the colt revolver, specifically how it was invented and the perceived need it fulfilled.
Revolver, colt, caliber 45, m1917 and revolver, smith and wesson, caliber 45, m1917. Thick quarto, publishers dark green pebbled cloth, slipcase. The uberti 1875 remington outlaw new army revolver is a fine example of the original only with modern materials and manufacturing. It features a six inch barrel, nickel finish, checkered hard rubber grips. It is the successor corporation to colt s earlier firearmsmaking efforts, which started in 1836.
A history of the colt revolver and other arms made the result was winchester. See all 6 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. In 1836, connecticutborn gun manufacturer samuel colt 181462 received a u. The grandfather to todays modern revolver, this colt model 1889 was the first double action revolver built in america with a solid frame and a swingout cylinder. Approximately,000 of these revolvers were purchased for use by union forces and several of the confederate states had obtained a. I was wondering if it would be fake or not im sorry i cant give you a picture but i can tell you the details.
The colt single action revolver won the west by being the gun of choice on the american frontier, used by everyone from settlers and native americans to lawenforcement officers and outlaws. Colts manufacturing company, llc cmc, formerly colts patent firearms manufacturing company is an american firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by samuel colt. Though he didnt invent the revolver, colts earliest designs played a large part in the evolution from singleshot pistols. Colt s revolver provided its user with greatly increased firepower. A history of the colt revolver and the other arms made by colts patent fire arms manufacturing company from 1836 to 1940.
Colts revolver provided its user with greatly increased firepower. It was born in the mid1950s in a postwar era in which quality was already starting to fall from the heights that american gun making had attained in. Army soldiers got their hands on colt revolvers, the legend spread, and soon walker and colt were collaborating on the design for the. Because of the high cost of serviceable original colt navies and with the popularity of the reproduction, we chose a navy model of 20th century manufacture for our classic test report. The book is a must for both book collectors and colt firearms collectors. Colt s manufacturing company, llc cmc, formerly colt s patent firearms manufacturing company is an american firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by samuel colt. This is a 1st us edition hbk copy of a history of the colt revolver and the other arms made by colts patent fire arms manufacturing company from 1836 to 1940 by charles t haven and frank a belden and published by bonanza books, new york in 1940 with its clipped dust jacket. It is the successor corporation to colts earlier firearmsmaking efforts, which started in 1836. Well it has a patent number on it saying patent no september 10 1850 also i have not been able to find a serial number on it or not but i dont really know were to look for a serial number on a older gon so if.
Abe lincoln may have freed all men, but sam colt made them equal. A scholarly work that far exceeds all of the popular colt histories available today. Hey, well i have recently got this navy colt revolver from my grandfather. This example is an ultimate python in stainless steel and has the best features found with any python.
The gun selected was a colt reissue navy of 1971 vintage. A history of the colt revolver from 1836 to 1940 by haven. For many reasons, colts gun had a profound effect on american history. The revolver was most commonly sold with a sixinch barrel, although two, three, four, and eightinch barrels were also available. Find a wide and everchanging selection of antique guns, antique firearm accessories, edged weapons and militaria for sale at 19th century arms, including winchester, sharps, colt. Samuel colt was an american inventor, industrialist and businessman who established colts. An additional 11,000 were produced in the companys london factory over a fouryear period ending in 1857. Colt singleaction revolvers, by martin pegler, osprey publishing, oxford, u. Colts manufacturing company, llc is an american firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by. A history of the colt revolver and the other arms made by colts patent fire arms manufacturing company from 1836 to 1940 charles t haven, frank a.
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