THE COLT'S REVOLVER.
The armory of the Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company is located
at Hartford, Conn., and here are manufactured the famous Colt's revolvers,
so favorably known throughout the world. Samuel Colt, the inventor of the
Colt's revolver, commenced devising the mechanism of this arm as early as
1830, and the result of his ingenuity and skill is the large plant at
Hartford, where the Colt's revolver has been manufactured in enormous
quantities for half a century, during which time improvements have been
made: and the popularity which the Colt's revolver has secured is attested
by the enormous sales in all parts of the world. The variety of revolvers
made by this company are as follows:--
New Model Army, single action: length of pistol, 12-1/2 inches: length of
barrel, 7-1/2 inches: bore or calibre, .45 inch; weight, 2 lbs. 5 oz.
Rifling, six grooves, one revolution in 16 inches; depth of groove, .005
inch. Six-shot.
CARTRIDGE.--Weight of powder, 30 grains; weight of lead, 250 grains.
Central fire, external priming.
New Model Army, double action: length of pistol, 12-1/2 inches; length of
barrel, 7-1/2 inches; weight of pistol with 7-1/2-inch barrel, 2 lbs. 7
oz.; calibre, .45 inch; six-shot. Made with barrels of any length, and for
the U.S. regulation cartridge, or the .44-calibre magazine
rifle-cartridge. Revolvers taking the latter cartridge are known as the
Frontier model.
New Model, .41, double-action weight; central fire; calibre, .41;
six-shot. Length of barrels, 4-1/2, 5, and 6 inches.
New Model, .38, double action; central fire; calibre, .38; six-shot.
Length of barrels, 2-1/2, 3-1/2, 6, and 7 inches.
New Police, .38, single action; central fire; calibre, .38; six-shot.
Length of barrels, 4-1/2, 5, and 6 inches.
New target-revolver, in .38 and .32 calibre, made in the Army model frame.
Pocket-revolvers, in calibres .22, .30, .32, .38, and .41, with 2-inch
barrels.
The above models, we believe, represent the various models made at the
Colt's armory at the time of writing, but there will be found in use many
Colt's revolvers made up differently than those mentioned. There are
thousands of the old model Army and Navy revolvers in existence to-day
which load at the muzzle of the cylinder, also the .38 calibre. Many of
these have been altered to breech-loaders, to shoot the central-fire
cartridges, and are accurate and fine shooting arms. There are also in
use, in the old and new models, Colt's revolvers with various lengths of
barrels and odd calibres, to suit the whims and fancies of individuals
requiring a revolver for a particular kind of work; revolvers in single
action of various calibres, without a trigger, and fired by drawing back
the hammer with the thumb, and releasing it as well as by pressing back
the hammer with the left hand, and releasing it with the object of
discharging the arm more rapidly than it could by checking the revolver;
Army and Frontier models with very short barrels, for parties desiring the
most powerful revolver made in the most compact form, suitable for short
range only, and sacrificing accuracy. These special revolvers will be
referred to later under another department, and the present chapter
devoted to the standard models of the Colt's revolver manufactured to-day.
The Colt's revolvers differ from those previously described in the
following points, viz.:--
The hand, or finger, or pawl, which revolves the cylinder, has two points,
one above the other. The upper engages the ratchet of the cylinder when
the revolution begins. But before the necessary sixth of a revolution
could be made, as the pawl moves in a plane, and the ratchet tooth in the
arc of a circle whose plane is perpendicular to the pawl's plane of
motion, the pawl would lose its hold on the tooth, and the revolution of
the cylinder would stop. To prevent this, the second point is added, and
just as the first point will disengage from the ratchet, the second or
lower point engages another tooth of the ratchet and completes the
revolution. By this arrangement the pawl actuates a larger ratchet than it
could otherwise, and therefore exerts more force upon the cylinder, by
acting upon a longer lever-arm. This permits a smaller-sized cylinder for
the same diameter of ratchet.
The cylinder has a bushing, which projects in front of it, and gives three
surfaces upon which the cylinder revolves, thus diminishing the chance of
sticking from dirt or rust, and also giving a very small axis upon which
to revolve, decreasing the moment of friction.
When the ejector is used it springs back to its place and is ready for use
again, avoiding the necessity of putting it back.
TO TAKE APART THE REVOLVER.--Half-cock the revolver, loosen the
catch-screw which holds the centre-pin, draw out the centre-pin, open the
gate, and the cylinder can then be withdrawn.
To remove the ejector, turn out the ejector tube screw, then push the
front end away from the barrel and pull it towards the muzzle. The barrel
can then be unscrewed.
The stock can be removed by turning out the two screws just behind the
hammer, and that at the bottom of the strap. All the parts of the lock are
then displayed, and can be readily separated.
The cylinder bushing should be pushed out for cleaning.
To remove the gate, turn out a screw in the lower side of the frame
(hidden by the trigger-guard), then the gate-spring and catch can be
withdrawn, and the gate can be pushed out. The best sperm-oil should be
used for oiling the parts.
TO LOAD THE ARM.--1st motion: holding the revolver in the left hand,
muzzle downwards, half-cock it with the right hand and open the gate. 2d
motion: insert the cartridges in succession with the right hand, close the
gate, cock and fire it (taking it in the right hand), or bring the hammer
to the safety-notch, as may be desired.
TO EJECT THE CARTRIDGE SHELLS.--1st motion: holding the arm in the left
hand, half-cock with the right hand and open the gate. 2d motion: eject
the shells in succession with the ejector pushed by the right hand, moving
the cylinder with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. When the
shells have been ejected, the pistol is ready for the 2d motion of
loading.
There are three notches in the hammer of this arm. The first is the
safety-notch, the second is the half-cock notch, and the third is the
cock-notch. The pistol cannot be fired when the hammer rests in the
safety-notch or half-cock notch, and can be fired by pulling the trigger
when the hammer rests in the cock-notch. The pistol should be carried
habitually with the hammer resting in the safety-notch.
[Illustration: COLT'S .38-CALIBRE, DOUBLE ACTION.]
There will always be a class of revolver-shooters who will prefer an arm
with a solid frame. These persons will unhesitatingly select the Colt's
revolver. The strength of this arm is undoubted, and it is believed that
an unbiassed judge would award the claim of superiority in standing rough
usage to the Colt's revolver. The author has devoted much time to testing
the Smith & Wesson, the Merwin, Hulbert, & Co., and the Colt's revolvers,
and has for several years corresponded with experts, and observed the
shooting and solicited the opinion of persons who have had extensive
experience with these arms. A careful summarizing the opinions shows that
a majority of revolver experts believe that the Colt's revolver is not
made with such delicacy of parts as the other arms mentioned; but it is
evident that this very want of delicacy of the parts is much in favor of
its adoption by those desiring a revolver powerful, accurate, and less
affected by exposure to the elements, neglect of care after using, and
requiring less attention while using. It is believed that more shots can
be fired from the Colt's revolver without cleaning, and have it work well,
than any other revolver of American make; and it certainly can more than
the other two makes, judging from our own experience. But with the
cleaning found necessary to secure accuracy even with this arm, it seems
to require less cleaning than other revolvers; and accurate shooting has
been secured repeatedly, even after firing a hundred shots, by simply
swabbing out the barrel with a brush or cleaning-rod with a cloth drawn
through a slot, and without removing the cylinder, which worked well after
firing two hundred shots. The combined points of the solid frame and the
arm being unaffected, so far as operating it is concerned, by neglecting
to clean it while using or afterwards, has made the Colt's revolver the
chosen arm of many frontiersmen, and, doubtless, has influenced the
members of the Government Ordnance Board to favor this arm.
[Illustration: COLT'S FRONTIER MODEL AND ARMY, DOUBLE ACTION.]
[Illustration: COLT'S FRONTIER OR ARMY MODEL, SINGLE ACTION.]
It is doubtless true that if several battalions of cavalry were armed with
the revolvers of different make, the one equipped with the Colt's revolver
would find less disabled arms, after a rough campaign, than those armed
with other American revolvers.
The Army .45 calibre and Frontier model .44 calibre are identical in the
model, the difference being in the calibre and chambering. The U.S.
Government .45-calibre straight cartridge is loaded with 30 grains of
powder and a 250-grain bullet. The .44-calibre Frontier model takes a
magazine rifle-cartridge holding 40 grains of powder and a 200-grain
bullet. Both these cartridges are powerful and accurate. There is an
apparent difference in the recoil, it being less in the .44-calibre
rifle-cartridges, the 50 grains more of lead in the .45-calibre Government
cartridge being noticeable by the increased recoil. In a number of tests
made with these two cartridges the best results were generally secured
with the .44-calibre rifle-cartridge, taking six shots for a standard, it
being the number of chambers in these revolvers. It was not difficult to
place the six shots in a 5-inch circle at a distance of fifty yards, and
often a 4-inch circle, and occasionally, with the .44-calibre 40-200
cartridge, a 3-inch circle would touch or enclose all of the shots.
The .41-.38-calibre revolvers of this company's make are very accurate and
reliable arms, the .38-calibre, with 6 and 7 inch barrels, are chosen by
persons desiring an accurate, quite powerful, and pleasant shooting
weapon. The .38 calibre with the 6 and 7 inch barrels are very accurate up
to 50 yards; the recoil is light and not unpleasant. The charge is less
powerful than the .44 and .45, but about as heavy as is possible in an arm
of the size and weight, and retains a satisfactory degree of accuracy. It
is not difficult in shooting with a rest to place six shots within a
3-inch circle at 50 yards; and this feat has been accomplished in off-hand
shooting with a .38-calibre Colt's revolver with a 7-inch barrel.
The .32, .30, and .22 calibre Colt's revolvers are intended for
pocket-revolvers, and for short-range weapons unreliable beyond a few
yards.