Colt 1851 Navy Revolver The Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber ( i . e . , . 36 cal ) , later known as the Colt 1851 Navy or Navy Revolver , is a cap and ball revolver that was designed by Samuel Colt between 1847 and 1850 . It remained in production until 1873 , when revolvers using fixed metallic cartridges came into widespread use . Total production numbers were exceeded only by the Colt Pocket models in concurrent development , and numbered some 250 , 000 domestic units and about 22 , 000 produced in the Colt London Armory . Characteristics . The designation " Colt 1851 Navy " was applied by collectors , though the popular name " Navy Revolver " is of early origin , as the gun was frequently called the " Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber " . The cylinder of this revolver is engraved with a scene of the victory of the Second Texas Navy at the Battle of Campeche on May 16 , 1843 . The Texas Navy had purchased the earlier Colt Paterson Revolver , but this was Colt ' s first major success in the gun trade ; the naval theme of the engraved cylinder of the Colt 1851 Navy revolver was Colt ' s gesture of appreciation . Despite the " Navy " designation , the revolver was chiefly purchased by civilians and military land forces . The . 36 caliber Navy revolver was much lighter than the contemporary Third Model Dragoon revolvers developed from the . 44 Walker Colt revolvers of 1847 , which , given their size and weight , were generally carried in saddle holsters . It is an enlarged version of the . 31 caliber pocket revolvers that evolved from the earlier Baby Dragoon , and , like them , is a mechanically improved and simplified descendant of the 1836 Paterson revolver . As the factory designation implied , the Navy revolver was suitably sized for carrying in a belt holster . It became very popular in North America at the time of Western expansion . Colt ' s aggressive promotions distributed the Navy and his other revolvers across Europe , Asia , and Africa . As with many other Colt revolvers , it has a six round cylinder . The . 36 caliber ( . 375 – . 380 inch ) round lead ball weighs 80 grains and , at a velocity of 1 , 000 feet per second , is comparable to the modern . 380 pistol cartridge in power . Loads consist of loose powder and ball or bullet , metallic foil cartridges ( early ) , and combustible paper cartridges ( Civil War era ) , all combinations being ignited by a fulminate percussion cap applied to the nipples at the rear of the chamber . Sighting consists of a bead front sight with a notch in the top of the hammer , as with most Colt percussion revolvers . In spite of the relative crudity of the sighting arrangement , these revolvers and their modern replicas generally are quite accurate . Usage . Famous " Navy " users included Wild Bill Hickok , John Henry " Doc " Holliday , Richard Francis Burton , Ned Kelly , Bully Hayes , Richard H . Barter , Robert E . Lee , Nathan B . Forrest , John O ' Neill , Frank Gardiner , Quantrill ' s Raiders , John Coffee " Jack " Hays , " Bigfoot " Wallace , Ben McCulloch , Addison Gillespie , John " RIP " Ford , " Sul " Ross and most Texas Rangers prior to the Civil War and ( fictionally ) Rooster Cogburn . Usage continued long after more modern cartridge revolvers were introduced . Canadian issue 1851 Colts ( London made ) are stamped in the wooden grip " upside down " with letters U _ C ( for Upper Canada , now Ontario , Canada ) or L _ C ( for Lower Canada , now Quebec , Canada ) , a letter code for the unit , and the number of the weapon in that unit . e . g . U _ C D 21 This decodes as Upper Canada , D = Toronto Cavalry Troop , 21st pistol . The Ottoman Empire used the revolver as late as the Russo - Turkish War of 1877 – 78 even though it was quite antiquated compared to the Russian ' s Smith & Wesson Model 3