Colt's Manufacturing Company

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=About=
Colt's Manufacturing Company, often referred to as simply Colt, is an American firearm manufacturing company founded in 1855 by Samuel Colt, the culmination of Samuel Colt's earlier firearms manufacturing business ventures. The first forerunner to the modern Colt company was known as the Patent Arms Company, established in 1836 in Paterson, New Jersey, shortly after Samuel Colt was granted patents for his improved revolver mechanism. The Patent Arms Company gained recognition for producing the earliest successful revolver design, the Colt Patterson 1836. While the Colt Patterson was met with praise for its innovative design, the early revolver was marred by quality issues. Samuel Colt started to find true success after production began on the Colt Walker series of revolvers and in 1855, a new corporation, Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company was established in Hartford, Connecticut. 
The 1850s and 1860s saw huge success for Colt, with revolvers like the Colt 1851 Navy and Colt 1860 gaining enormous popularity in the United States and Europe, with sales booming with the onset of the American Civil War in 1861. The post-Civil War era saw Colt branching into the new-fangled metallic cartridge market, eventually resulting in the creation of the Colt Single Action Army, arguably one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable revolvers in popular culture. Colt's success is partly owed to its embracing of new manufacturing techniques like interchangeable parts and the assembly line.
The 20th century bought continued success for Colt, with its revolvers being used by military forces the world over and the venerable Colt M1911 being introduced in 1911. World War I and World War II saw a massive surge in business as had occurred during the American Civil War decades earlier. Following the Second World War, Colt was faced with bankruptcy due to years of mismanagement and labor disputes- the company produced nothing at all between 1945 and 1947. The company's next windfall came with the Vietnam War, where they would be contracted to produce the M16 rifle series. While not the original designers of the AR-15/M16, Colt would become the company most heavily associated with the M16 rifle. The 1980s saw Colt attempting to innovate on its aging handgun designs to compete with the increasingly popular "Wonder Nines" like the Glock 17, but efforts like the Colt Double Eagle and Colt 2000 were met with tepid sales (or complete failure, in the case of the Colt 2000). Colt's problems compounded in the 1990s, as the fall of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War affected the entire arms industry. In 1998, Colt CEO Ron Stewart voiced favorable opinions for gun control, leading to a massive boycott by American gun owners. This boycott petered out by 2002, when new Colt CEO William M. Keys, a former United States Marine Corps Lt. General, managed to salvage the company's reputation and save it from bankruptcy. 
Continued failed bids at contracts throughout the 2000s bought on more financial woes. Following a 2002 restructuring, Colt Defense, LLC was founded to fulfill military, law enforcement and security orders while Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc continued to make weapons for the commercial market. Another blow to the company came in 2013, when Colt lost its contract to manufacture M4 carbines for the US military due to persistent reliability issues. Colt restructured again in 2016. Following this restructure, Colt began introducing new variants of the M1911 pistol and began reintroducing its classic double-action revolvers, including a new run of the iconic Colt Python revolver starting in 2020.
Colt, along with Colt Canada (formerly Diemaco), was acquired by CZ on February 11, 2021, a deal which was officially completed on May 24th.
=Information=
Founded: 1855
Country: USA
=Guns=
==Pistols==
Weapon 	Caliber(s) 	Capacity 	Produced 	Variants 	Image
Colt Z40 	.40 S&W 	10 	1997-1998 	 	
Colt Double Eagle 	.45 ACP10mm Auto.40 S&W9x19mm.38 Super	10 	1989-1997 	Colt Double Eagle Officers 	
Colt M1971 SSP 	9x19mm Parabellum.45 ACP 	159 	1971(50 prototypes only)	 	
Colt Junior 	.22 Short.25 ACP 	6 	1958-1971 	 	
Colt Model 1902 	.38 ACP 	7, 8 	1902–1928 	Colt Model 1902 Military ModelColt Model 1902 Sporting Model 	
Colt Model 1903 	.32 ACP .380 ACP 	87 	1903–1945, 2016-present 	Colt Model 1908 	
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer	.38 ACP 	7 	1903-1927 	 	
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket 	.25 ACP 	6 	1908-1945 	 	
Colt Mustang 	.380 ACP 	6 	1986-1997, 2012-present 	Colt Government Model 380Colt Mustang Lite 	
Colt Pony 	.380 ACP 	6 	1997-1998 	 	
Colt Pocket Nine 	9x19mm 	6 	1999 	 	
Colt 2nd Model Derringer 	.41 Rimfire 	Single shot	1870 - 1890 	 	
Colt 3rd Model Derringer 	.41 Rimfire 	Single shot	1875-1912 	 	
Colt 4th Model Derringer 	.22 Short 	Single shot	1959-1973 	 	
Colt .22 Target Model 	.22 LR 	10 	???? 	 	
Colt Woodsman 	.22 LR 	10 	1915-1977 	Colt Woodsman Match TargetColt Challenger 	
Colt SCAMP 	.22 SCAMP 	27 	1971-1992 	 	
Colt M1911 	.45 ACP10mm Auto.40 S&W9x19mm.38 Super	7 	1911-present 	Colt M1911A1Colt MK IV Series 70Colt MK IV Series 80Colt MK IV Series 80 Combat EliteColt Gold Cup National MatchColt XSEColt CommanderColt Officer's ACPColt Defender	
==Revolvers==
Weapon 	Caliber(s) 	Capacity	Produced 	Variants 	Image
Colt New Line 	.22.30.32.38.41 	75555 	1873-18771874-18761873-18841874-18801874-1879	 	
Colt 1849 Pocket 	.31 	5 	1849-1873 	 	
Colt 1851 Navy 	.36 	6 	1850-1873 	Colt 1851 (Cartridge Conversion)Colt 1851 Navy (Richards-Mason Conversion)Colt 1851 "U.S. Marshal"	
Colt 1860 Army 	.44 	6 	1860-1873 	Colt 1860 (Richards Conversion)Colt 1860 (Richards-Mason Conversion) 	
Colt 1861 Navy 	.36 	6 	1861-1873 	 	
Colt 1862 Navy 	.36 	5 	1862-1873 	Colt 1862 Navy Cartridge Conversion 	
Colt 1862 Police 	.36 	5 	1862-1873 	Colt 1862 Pocket Police 	
Colt 1871-72 Open Top 	.44 	6 	1872-1873 	 	
Colt 1873 Single Action Army	.45 Colt.44-40 WCF.32-20 WCF.38-40 WCF.44 Rim Fire476 Ely.38 Special.357 Magnum 	6 	1873-1941, ????-present 	Biseley SpecialColt Frontier Six ShooterBuntline Special 	200px
Colt 1877 Lightning 	.32 Colt.38 Long Colt.41 Long Colt 	6 	1877-1909 	 	
Colt 1878 Double Action 	.45 Colt.44-40 WCF.38-40 WCF.44 Russian.476 Ely.41 Colt.38 Colt.32-20 WCF 	6 	1878-1907 	 	
Colt Anaconda 	.44 Special.44 Magnum.45 Colt 	6 	1990-1999, 2021-Present 	 	
Colt Cobra 	.22 LR.38 S&W.38 Special 	6 	1950-1981, 2017-present 	Colt AgentColt ViperColt Combat CobraColt Night Cobra 	
Colt Detective Special 	.32 New Police.38 New Police.38 Special 	6 	1927-1995 	Colt Bankers Special 	
Colt Diamondback 	.22 LR.38 Special 	6 	1966-1988 	 	
Colt Dragoon 	.44 	6 	1848-1860 	 	
Colt King Cobra 	.357 Magnum.38 Special.22 LR 	6 	1986-1998, 2019-present 	 	
Colt M1917 	.45 ACP 	6 	1917-1920 	 	
Colt Magnum Carry 	.357 Magnum 	6 	1998-1999 	 	
Colt New Army & Navy 	.38 Long Colt 	6 	1892-1908 	 	
Colt New Frontier 	.44 Special.45 Long Colt 	6 	1961-1982 	 	
Colt New Pocket 	.32 Colt 	6 	1893-1905 	 	
Colt New Service 	.45 Colt.455 Webley.44-40.44 Special.38-40.357 Magnum 	6 	1898-1946 	 	
Colt Official Police 	.22 LR.32-20.38 Special.41 Long Colt 	6 	1927-1969 	Colt Commando 	
Colt Paterson 1836 	.36 	5 	1836-1842 	 	
Colt Pocket Positive 	32 Colt New Police 	6 	1906-1941 	 	
Colt Police Positive 	.32 Long/Short Colt.32 Colt New Police (.32 S&W Long).38 Colt New Police (.38 S&W)	6 	1907-1978 	 	
Colt Python 	.357 Magnum 	6 	1955-2004, 2020-present 	 	
Colt SF-VI/DS-II 	.38 Special 	6 	1995-2000 	 	
Colt Trooper 	.22 LR.22 WMR.38 Special.357 Magnum 	6 	1953-1985 	Colt Trooper Mk IIIColt Lawman MK IIIColt Trooper MK V 	
Colt Walker 	.44 Ball 	6 	1847 	 	
==Shotguns==
Weapon 	Caliber(s) 	Capacity	Produced 	Variants 	Image
Colt Model 1878 	10 gauge 12 gauge 	2 	1878 - ? 	 	
Colt Coltsman 	12 gauge 16 gauge 20 gauge 	4+1 	1961 - 1965 	 	
Colt Defender Mark I	20 gauge 20 gauge / ??mm tear gas grenade (on some models)	8 / 1 	1967 - 1971 (prototypes only; never produced)	Multiple prototypes w/various features	
==Submachine Guns==
Weapon 	Caliber(s)	Capacity 	Produced 	Variants 	Image
Thompson Submachine Gun	.45 ACP 	20, 30, 50, 100	1921-Present	M1921 ThompsonM1928 ThompsonM1 ThompsonM1A1 Thompson	
Colt 9mm Submachine Gun	9x19mm 	30 	1982-Present	 	
==Machine Guns==
Weapon 	Caliber(s) 	Capacity	Produced 	Variants	Image
Colt 1895 Automatic Machine Gun	6mm Lee Navy7x57mm Mauser.30-40 Krag.30-06 Springfield.303 British7.62x54mmR	Belt Fed	1895-1919 	 	
Benet-Mercie M1909 	.30-06 Springfield 	30 	1909-???? 	 	
Colt MG38B 	.30-06 Springfield 	Belt Fed	1917-???? 	 	
Colt Monitor 	.30-06 Springfield 	20 	1925-1930s 	 	
Colt Mk 12 cannon 	20x110mm USN 	Various 	1950s-Present	 	
==Rifles==
Weapon 	Caliber(s) 	Capacity	Produced 	Variants 	Image
Colt Lightning Carbine 	.50-95 Express<BR>.45-85-285<BR>.40-60 Colt<BR>.44-40 WCF<BR>.38-56 WCF<BR>.38-40 WCF<BR>.32-20 WCF<BR>.22LR	15 	1884-1904 	Small Frame Model<BR>Medium Frame Model<BR>Large Frame Model 	
Colt Model 1855 	.44 	5, 6 	1855-1864 	 	
Colt M16 	5.56x45mm NATO 	STANAG 	1960-Present 	XM16E1 RifleM16A1 RifleM16A2 RifleM16A4 RifleColt AR-15 Sporter-1Colt Match TargetColt AR-15 Sporter CarbineColt Model 715Colt Canada C8 CarbineColt XM177/CAR-15/Commando Series& MORE	
Colt ACR 	5.56x45mm Duplex 	STANAG 	1989-1990 	 	
Colt CM901 	5.56x45mm NATO6.8x43mm SPC7.62x39mm7.62x51mm NATO 	STANAG 	2000s-present	Colt SP901 	
Colt Sub Compact Weapon	5.56x45mm NATO 	STANAG 	2005-Present 	 	
==Grenade Launchers==
Weapon	Caliber(s)	Capacity 	Produced 	Variants 	Image
M203 	40x46mm 	Single Shot	1969 – Present	M203A1M203A2	
Category:Manufacturer