Samuel Colt - Inventions - HISTORY.com Samuel Colt A+E Networks Introduction In 1836, Connecticut-born gun manufacturer Samuel Colt (1814-62) received a U.S. patent for a revolver mechanism that enabled a gun to be fired multiple times without reloading. Colt founded a company to manufacture his revolving-cylinder pistol; however, sales were slow and the business floundered. Then in 1846, with the Mexican War (1846-48) under way, the U.S. government ordered 1,000 Colt revolvers. In 1855, Colt opened what was the world’s largest private armament factory, in which he employed advanced manufacturing techniques such as interchangeable parts and an organized production line. By 1856, the company could produce 150 weapons per day. Colt was also an effective promoter, and by the start of the U.S. Civil War (1861-65) he had made the Colt revolver perhaps the world’s best-known firearm. He died a wealthy man in 1862; the company he founded remains in business today.

Google Early Years Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1914, in Hartford, Connecticut , the son of textile manufacturer Christopher Colt and wife Sarah. By visiting his father’s mill in Ware, Massachusetts , and helping out at a nearby farm, the young Colt gained an interest in all things mechanical and often dismantled objects–including his father’s firearms–to discover how they functioned. At age 16, he enrolled at Amherst Academy in Massachusetts to study navigation; however, his youthful hi-jinks later got him expelled from the school. His father then gave the teen the opportunity to study navigation firsthand, sending him out to sea on the Corvo, a ship that embarked on a nearly yearlong voyage in 1830. Did You Know? Samuel Colt hired engravers and craftsmen to decorate special presentation pistols that were given to European kings, Russian czars and military officials, among other dignitaries. These firearms were often lavishly engraved and inlaid with gold. Aboard the Corvo, Colt became fascinated with the ship’s wheel, particularly the way it could alternately spin or be locked in a fixed position through the use of a clutch.

He translated this controlled rotation to firearms and a means whereby a single-shot pistol could be adapted to fire multiple rounds in quick succession. During his time at sea, Colt carved a six-barrel cylinder, locking pin and hammer out of wood. Although this prototype for a pistol featured multiple rotating barrels, in later versions Colt would opt instead for a rotating cylinder containing multiple bullet chambers to reduce the gun’s weight and bulk. After returning from his adventure at sea, Colt spent two years traveling North America under the name Dr. Coult, hosting a road show during which he entertained and educated crowds on the uses of nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The profits he saved through his skill as a promoter enabled him to perfect his revolver mechanism, and he hired gunsmiths to create a series of prototypes. Patents for the Revolving Pistol Colt’s revolver mechanism is considered by some to be more innovation than invention because it improved upon a revolving flintlock (a firing mechanism used in muskets and rifles) already patented by Boston inventor Elisha Collier (1788-1856).

The British patent for Colt’s mechanism was acquired in October 1835, and on February 25, 1836, the American inventor received U.S. Patent No. 138 (later 9430X) for his revolving-cylinder pistol. The enhancements listed in this patent include greater “facility in loading,” changes in “the weight and location of the cylinder, which give steadiness to the hand,” and “the great rapidity in the succession of discharges.” Colt’s Patent Arms Manufacturing Company began making the Paterson pistol in 1836 at its Paterson, New Jersey , factory using funds advanced by Colt’s family. Initially, Colt produced three “revolving” handguns–belt, holster and pocket pistols–and two rifles. All models incorporated a revolving cylinder into which gunpowder and bullets were loaded. Primer was placed on a strike plate outside the cylinder, and combustion was initiated by pulling the trigger and releasing the hammer onto the strike plate. The ability to fire six shots without reloading–a task that required 20 seconds using a single-shot firearm–provided a crucial advantage to soldiers and settlers encountering danger in the nation’s frontier regions.

Colt continued to refine his initial design, obtaining patents on such components as a cylinder-locking mechanism, fluted cylinders, longer grips and beveled-cylinder mouths to eliminate igniting adjacent chambers. A savvy businessman, he retained rights to these patents, making his applications as an individual rather than through the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company. A Business Failure Seeking a government contract for his guns, Colt visited the office of the U.S. secretary of war, but the Army judged the use of a percussion cap in Colt firearms too innovative and therefore potentially unreliable. Scattered sales in the newly formed Republic of Texas and in Florida , where the Second Seminole War (1835-42) was ongoing, did not translate into the revenue required to maintain the veneer of success Colt needed to impress potential clients. Eventually, the company’s shareholders took control of Patent Arms Manufacturing, and Colt was relegated to sales agent. In 1842, the company was forced to close, and its fixtures and inventory of guns and gun parts were auctioned off to the highest bidder.With his company failing, Colt turned to another interest: perfecting an underwater mine for use in harbor defense.

His remote-ignition “submarine battery” required him to develop a waterproof cable capable of transmitting electricity underwater. As with his revolver mechanism, Colt’s innovative cable was adapted from an earlier design: a cable developed by telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872). The relationship between the two inventors led to a partially implemented scheme to install a telegraph line from the New York Merchant’s Exchange to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. (The line went only as far as Fire Island, New York, before the project was abandoned.) Busy with these new projects, and discouraged by the failure of Patent Arms Manufacturing, Colt also found himself caught up in a national scandal after his brother, John Colt, murdered a printer with whom he did business. U.S. Expansionism Sparks a Need for More Guns The 1844 election of President James K. Polk (1795-1849) saw the implementation of Polk’s plans for outward expansion into Texas and the Western territories. Seeing a new opportunity, Colt submitted a sample of his enhanced revolving holster pistol to the U.S. war department.

In 1846, with the Mexican War under way, Colt had a visit from Captain Samuel H. Walker (1817-47) of the U.S. Mounted Riflemen. After Colt and Walker collaborated on the design for a new and improved gun, General Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) ordered 1,000 Colt revolvers. The guns were delivered to the Army in 1847. Colt’s guns were now produced in Hartford, where his factory was managed by mechanic-minded supervisor Elisha K. Root (1808-65). Under Root’s guidance, the renamed Colt Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company hired talented mechanics and engineers who continued the innovations Colt had begun. In the early 1850s, a company branch was established in England, and in 1855 a new Hartford factory–the largest privately owned armament manufacturing plant in the world–was built overlooking the Connecticut River. By 1856, the company could produce 150 weapons per day using interchangeable parts, efficient production lines and specially designed precision machinery.

The Colt brand was now recognized worldwide through savvy promotion and was associated with quality and dependability. A masterful promoter, Colt positioned his firearms within the American mythos, even hiring artist and explorer George Catlin (1796-1872) to create paintings depicting Colt guns in use by sportsmen and explorers encountering exotic predatory animals in North and South America. The Civil War and Beyond During the late 1850s, while tensions mounted between the North and South that would soon lead to the American Civil War , Colt continued to do business with longstanding customers in Southern states. However, when war was finally declared on April 12, 1861, he turned his focus almost exclusively to supplying the Union army. He also outfitted the 1st Regiment Connecticut Rifles, a volunteer regiment from his company’s home state. Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company operated at full capacity and employed over 1,000 people in its Hartford factory. By that time, Samuel Colt had become one of the wealthiest men in America and owned a Connecticut mansion called Armsmear. The strain of supplying the war effort eventually took its toll on Colt.

Suffering from chronic rheumatism, the 47-year-old gun manufacturer died at his home on January 10, 1862, leaving behind an estate worth millions. The company, which manufactured more than 400,000 firearms during Colt’s lifetime, was left to its founder’s wife, Elizabeth, and Root was appointed president. In 1901, the Colt family sold the company to a group of investors. Still in business today, the Colt’s Manufacturing Company went on to produce the Colt Single Action Army handgun, also known as the Colt .45 or the Peacemaker, the standard service revolver of the U.S. military between 1873 and 1892. To date, the company founded by Samuel Colt has produced more than 30 million pistols, revolvers and rifles.

Tags Samuel Colt receives patent for his revolver, February 25, 1836 | EDN Samuel Colt receives patent for his revolver, February 25, 1836 PRINT PDF EMAIL After receiving a patent in England in 1835, American inventor and industrialist Samuel Colt was granted US patent 9430X for a "revolving gun" on February 25, 1836. The Colt revolver had a revolving cylinder with five or six bullets and an innovative cocking device. Colt moved away from the idea of a multiple barreled revolver, instead using a rotating cylinder which would come into alignment with a single barrel. His design was a more practical adaption of Elisha Collier's earlier revolving flintlock. It included a locking pawl to keep the cylinder in line with the barrel, and a percussion cap that made ignition more reliable, faster, and safer than the previous designs. Colt's US revolver patent gave him a monopoly on revolver manufacturing for more than 20 years. Colt's designs popularized the revolver and led to a shift away from single-shot pistols. They became so popular that revolvers were often generically referred to as Colts.

The revolver became an industrial and cultural legacy and contributed to the development of war technology. Apart from their use in war, the revolvers became a sidearm for civilians and soldiers. The weapons were a key tool in the westward expansion, helping soldiers and settlers fend off larger forces with the ability to fire six times without reloading. When it came to the production of his revolvers, Colt was a pioneer of interchangeable parts and the assembly line. He founded Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company in 1836, which is still in business today. Colt's Manufacturing Company serves the civilian market, and Colt Defense, provides weapons to the law enforcement, military, and private security markets worldwide. It is estimated that in its first 25 years of manufacturing, Colt's company produced over 400,000 revolvers. When he died in 1862 Samuel Colt was one of the wealthiest men in America. He is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. Also see: The Colt Revolver - Invention and History By Mary Bellis Updated February 01, 2016.

Samuel Colt invented the first revolver, a gun named after its inventor "Colt", and after its revolving cylinder "revolver". In 1836, Samuel Colt was granted a U.S. patent for the Colt revolver, which was equipped with a revolving cylinder containing five or six bullets and an innovative cocking device. Before the Colt revolver only one and two-barrel flintlock pistols had been invented for hand held use. Colt revolvers were all based on cap-and-ball technology until the Smith and Wesson license on the bored-through cylinder (bought from Rollin White) expired around 1869. According to "Horace Smith & Daniel Wesson formed their second partnership (S&W) in 1856 for the development and manufacture of a revolver chambered for a self contained metallic cartridge. During this development period, while researching existing patents, it was found that a Rollin White had patented a bored through cylinder for a paper cartridge some time earlier." continue reading below our video 5 Best Places to Retire A licensing agreement was arranged between Smith and Wesson and Rollin White. In 1855, Rollin White patented the bored-through cylinder.

According to "The Rollin White patent covered the right to make a revolver cylinder bored-through end to end - an obvious requirement for an effective cartridge revolver. This fact didn't slow down some firms, who proceeded to make the highly popular cartridge style revolvers. Some used their own designs, and some just produced outright copies of the Smith and Wesson pattern. Smith and Wesson pursued redress in court, resulting in several US makers being required to mark "Made for S&W" or words to that effect on their revolvers." History of Revolver -- Great Inventions on September 3, 1850 for a Revolver, and by U.S. Patent 0007629 on September 10, 1850 for a Revolver. Overview Revolver-type weapons are part of the long development of making better multi-shot weapons. They were partly an attempt to improve on pepper-box type weapons, which used a revolving cylinder with one set of firing mechanisms, but which had multiple barrels as well. Firing through a single barrel saved the expense and weight of having the multiple barrels of the Pepper-box. While many revolving chamber designs were tried, the first widely successful revolvers were based on mechanisms patented by Samuel Colt.

It is believed that Samuel Colt came up with the idea for the revolver while at sea, inspired by the capstan winch,which had a ratchet and pawl mechanism on it,a version of which was used in his guns to rotate the cylinder. Revolvers have remained popular to the present day in many areas, although they have largely been supplanted by magazine-fed semi-automatic pistols such as the Colt M1911, especially in circumstances where reload time and higher cartridge capacity is deemed important. A revolver works by having several firing chambers arranged in a circle in a cylindrical block that are brought into alignment with the firing mechanism and barrel one at a time. A single action revolver requires the hammer to be pulled back by hand before each shot. In contrast, in a double action revolver, squeezing the trigger can pull back the hammer to cock the gun as well as serving to release the hammer. Most modern double action revolvers can also be fired in single action mode as well, which serves to improve the practical accuracy by reducing the force and distance required to pull the trigger.

Because the effort required to cock the hammer is part of the firing action in a double action revolver, they can generally be fired faster than a single action, but at the cost of reduced accuracy in the hands of most shooters. Most commonly, such guns have a five- or six-shot capacity (hence the other name Six Shooter); however, some revolvers have up to a 10-shot capacity (this often depends on the caliber, though different companies produce revolvers in the same calibers with different capacities, due to other design differences), and each chamber has to be reloaded manually. This makes the procedure of reloading such a weapon slow (even with the help of such devices as speedloaders). The alternatives are a replaceable cylinder, a speedloader (manufactured by HKS and Safariland) which can reload all chambers at once, or a moon clip that holds a full load (or even half of one in the case of a half-moon clip) of ammunition and that is inserted along with the ammunition. Additionally, Bianchi manufactures a product known as a "speedstrip".

Speedstrips cannot reload a completely empty revolver as rapidly as a speedloader, but are less expensive, flatter, and more flexible when it comes to partial reloads. Compared to autoloading handguns, a revolver is often simpler to operate (despite often being more mechanically complex) and may have greater reliability (depending on factors such as firmness of grip, ammunition used, and degree of maintenance and lubrication provided to the firearm). For example, should a semiautomatic pistol fail to fire, clearing the chamber requires manually cycling the action to remove the errant round, as cycling the action normally depends on the energy of a cartridge firing. With a revolver, this is not necessary as none of the energy for cycling the revolver comes from the firing of the cartridge, but is supplied by the user either through cocking the hammer or, in a double action design, by just squeezing the trigger. Over the long period of development of the revolver, many calibers have been used. Some of these have proved more durable during periods of standardization and some have entered general public awareness.

Among these are the .22 rimfire, a popular target shooting caliber; .38 Special and .357 Magnum, known for police use; the .44 Magnum, famous from Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" films; and the .45 Long Colt, used in the Colt revolver of the "Wild West". Introduced in 2003, the Smith & Wesson Model 500 is the most powerful production revolver ever created, using the .500 S&W round. The LeMat Revolver, an unusual 9-shot revolver from the Civil War era with 8 revolving chambers firing bullets and a center barrel firing shot. As revolvers are of a 19th-century design, it is not surprising that semi-automatic pistols have overtaken them in military and law enforcement applications. Their often lower ammunition capacities and relatively longer reload times compared to autoloading pistols are the main reasons for the switchover that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. Additionally, the flat profile of semi-automatics make them more suitable for concealed carry.

Revolvers still remain popular in the role of back-up (and possibly off-duty) guns among American law enforcement officers and security guards. Also, revolvers are still common in the American private sector as defensive and sporting\hunting weapons. Famous police and military revolvers include the Webley, the Colt Single Action Army, the Smith & Wesson Model 29, the Smith & Wesson Model 10, and the Smith & Wesson 1917. Revolver technology does live on in other weapons used by the military. Some autocannons and grenade launchers use mechanisms similar to revolvers, and some riot shotguns use spring loaded cylinders holding up to 12 rounds. Loading and unloading Muzzle loading The first revolvers were muzzle loading, which meant that each chamber in the cylinder was loaded from the front with loose powder and a bullet. Usually, there was a loading lever attached to the bottom of the barrel that gave the user leverage to force the oversized lead ball into the chamber, which sealed it and held the ball and powder securely in place. The first practical revolvers were caplocks, because the caplock method of priming was the first to be compact enough to make a practical revolver feasible.

Fixed cylinder designs The first generation of cartridge revolvers were converted caplock designs. In many of these (especially those that were converted long after manufacture), the pin on which the cylinder revolved was removed, and the cylinder taken from the gun for loading. Later models used a loading gate at the rear of the cylinder that allowed one cartridge at a time to be accessed for loading, while a rod under the barrel could be pressed backwards to extract the fired case. Most revolvers using this method of loading are single action revolvers. Oddly, the loading gate on the original Colt designs (and copied by nearly all single action revolvers since) is on the right side, which may favor left-handed users; with the revolver held in the proper grip for shooting in the left hand, the cartridges can easily be ejected and loaded with the right. This was done because these pistols were intended for use with cavalry, and it was intended that the revolver and the reins would be held in the left hand while the right hand was free to load the cartridges. Since the cylinder in these revolvers is firmly attached at the front and rear of the frame, and since the frame is typically full thickness all the way around, fixed cylinder revolvers are inherently strong designs.

Because of this, many modern large caliber hunting revolvers tend to be based on the fixed cylinder design. Top break The next method used for loading and unloading cartridge revolvers was the top break design. In a top break revolver, the frame is hinged at the bottom front of the cylinder. Releasing the lock and pushing the barrel down brings the cylinder up - this exposes the rear of the cylinder for reloading. In most top break revolvers, the act of pivoting the barrel and cylinder operates an extractor that pushes the cartridges in the chambers back far enough that they will fall free, or can be removed easily. Fresh rounds are then placed into the cylinder, either one at a time or all at once with either a speedloader or a moon clip. The barrel and cylinder are then rotated back and locked in place, and the revolver is ready to fire. Since the frame is in two parts, held together by a latch on the top rear of the cylinder, top break revolvers are relatively weak, and cannot handle high pressure rounds. Top break designs are nearly extinct in the world of firearms, but they are still found in airguns.

One of the most famous "break top" revolvers is the Schofield Model 3, designed in the late 19th century and used by western outlaw Jesse James. Another notable design is the Enfield and Webley series of revolvers used by the British Army from the 1880's through the 1960's. Swing out cylinder The last and now most common method of loading and unloading is the swing out cylinder. The cylinder is mounted on a pivot that is coaxial with the chambers, and the cylinder swings out and down (to the left in all cases, due to right-handed shooters being in the majority). An extractor is fitted, operated by a rod projecting from the front of the cylinder assembly. When pressed, it will push all fired rounds free simultaneously (as in top break models, the travel is designed to not completely extract longer, unfired rounds). The cylinder may then be loaded, singly or again with a speedloader, and closed, where it latches in place. The rotating part that supports the cylinder is called the crane; it is the weak point of swing-out cylinder designs.

Using the method often portrayed in movies and television of flipping the cylinder open and closed with a flick of the wrist will in fact cause the crane to bend, throwing the cylinder out of alignment with the barrel. Lack of alignment between chamber and barrel is a dangerous condition- impeding the bullet's transition from chamber to barrel. This gives rise to higher pressures in the chamber, bullet damage, and the potential for an explosion if the bullet becomes stuck. The shock of firing can also put a great deal of stress on the crane, as in most designs the cylinder is only held closed at one point, the rear of the cylinder. Stronger designs, such as the Ruger Super Redhawk, use a lock in the crane as well as the lock at the rear of the cylinder. This latch provides a more secure bond between cylinder and frame, and allows the use of larger, more powerful cartridges. Single action In a single action revolver, the hammer is manually cocked, usually with the thumb of the firing or supporting hand. This action advances the cylinder to the next round and locks the cylinder in place with the chamber aligned with the barrel. The trigger, when pulled, releases the hammer, which fires the round in the chamber.

To fire again, the hammer must be manually cocked again. This is called "single action" because the trigger only performs a single action, of releasing the hammer. Because only a single action is performed and trigger pull is lightened, firing a revolver in this way allows most shooters to achieve greater accuracy. Double action Most double action revolvers may be fired in two ways. The first way is exactly the same as a single action revolver; the hammer is cocked, which advances the cylinder counter-clockwise when viewed from the rear, and when the trigger is pulled, this releases the hammer. Double action revolvers also can be fired from a hammer down position, by just pulling the trigger. In this case, the trigger first cocks the hammer (thus advancing the cylinder counterclockwise) and then releases the hammer at the rear of its travel, firing the round in the chamber. Certain revolvers, called double action only, lack the latch that enables the hammer to be locked to the rear, and thus can only be fired in the double action mode. With no way to lock the hammer back, double action only designs tend to have bobbed or spurless hammers, and may even have the hammer completely covered by the revolver's frame.

These are generally intended for concealed carry for defensive purposes, where a hammer spur could snag when the revolver is drawn. The potential reduction in accuracy in aimed fire is offset by the increased usability for concealed carry. Samuel Colt: Inventor of the Colt Revolver Samuel Colt Inventor of the Colt Revolver Nothing says "Old West" more than Samuel Colt's revolver invention. Originally patented in 1836, many historians have gone so far as to say that Colt's invention changed the course of American history. Born to a Connecticut farmer in 1814, inventor Samuel Colt developed a fascination with guns at an early age. He spent much of his leisure time tinkering with his father's firearms, and the "impossibility" (or so it was thought at the time) of creating a gun that could fire multiple rounds captured young Sam's imagination. At the age of sixteen, during a missionary trip to Africa, Samuel Colt received the inspiration for his iconic American firearm. As he watched the wheel of the ship turn, the budding innovator observed how the wheel's spokes were aligned with a clutch that could lock them into place at any time. Thus, the idea for the Colt revolver was born.

After patenting his revolving handgun and receiving a ringing endorsement from U.S. president Andrew Jackson, Colt's revolver still failed to take off. His manufacturing company went bankrupt, and historians generally believe sales lagged because the revolving gun invention was a bit ahead of its time. Eventually, the start of the Mexican War triggered renewed interest in Colt's revolver invention and, during the Civil War, Samuel Colt became a major supplier of handguns for the Union army. For more information on inventor Samuel Colt and his invention of the revolver, please visit: The Colt Paterson: The Original Revolver - Guns.com Guns.com Tweet Back in 1836, when Sam Colt introduced the Paterson, most firearms were single shot muzzleloaders – and flintlocks at that. It was in the 1830s that the percussion cap became prevalent. It was this innovation that made guns like the Paterson possible. The Colt Paterson is a five shot black powder revolver produced from 1836 until 1842 by the Patent Arms Company of Paterson N.J. It is the first percussion cap revolver.

The inspiration In the early 1830s a teenaged Sam Colt was at sea working on a ship sailing to Calcutta. As legend has it he noticed the way the ships steering wheel worked and imagined a gun that used a cylinder that would turn behind a single barrel – or Colt may have also seen Elisha Collier ’s flintlock revolver. Whatever his inspiration, he set about carving wooden models for a percussion cap revolver on the journey home. When Colt returned from sea he set about getting the capital together to produce his idea. At the age of 18, Sam billed himself as “the Celebrated Dr. Coult of New-York, London and Calcutta” while giving demonstrations of laughing gas. The money he made was used to produce prototypes. Once there was a functional design, Colt set about getting his design patented. He first traveled to England and France to secure his patents, and then on Feb. 25, 1836, he was granted a patent in the U.S. and set up his company: the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company. The design The original design of Colt’s revolver had five shots and were made in three sizes: pocket, belt and holster.

The barrel lengths and calibers varied but the basic function was the same – they were single action revolvers. When you see a Paterson you will notice a huge difference between the later Colt designs like the later Colt Walker . The Paterson uses a folding trigger – where the hammer is pulled back, the cylinder rotates to bring the next chamber in line with the barrel, and the trigger swings down – and it also lacks a trigger guard. Welcome to Paterson, N.J. Colt set up his new company in Paterson, New Jersey, and they would eventually build about 2,800 revolving pistols. The first revolvers were ready for sale in late 1836. It originally came in .28 caliber with different barrel lengths. The price was $50, which translates to about $1,000 today. And, of course, changes were made to the design during the production run – most notably the caliber was increased to .36. The power of a .36 Paterson is very similar to a .380. In 1839 he received a patent for an improved design, which included a loading lever. The problems The original Patterson design was awkward.

To load it the user had to take it apart. The barrel had to be removed so a separate loading lever, provided by Colt, could be used to load the cylinder off the frame. The 1839 improvements helped with this issue, but there were still other problems. The folding trigger design was delicate, the loads were not very powerful and it was susceptible to fouling from the black powder. It worked, but it was far from perfect. The sales were far below what Colt and his investors expected. The U.S. Army tested some of the weapons but passed on adopting them. They believed them to be too fragile for military use and in 1842 the company closed its doors. The Paterson today Like many antique Colt’s, the Paterson’s are highly sought after by collectors. One recently sold for over $950,000 at auction . At the time, that is the most ever paid for a single firearm. Though this one was a later version with the loading lever, often referred to as a Texas Model as they were famously used by the Texas Rangers. The Paterson is an important step in the development of the modern revolver. Sam Colt was later able to form the Colt’s Patent Firearms Company.

The new company produced the firearms that would become the iconic Colts. These were all based on the original Paterson design. Although the Paterson was revolutionary in its time, it was not perfect. It is however, the original revolver. Samuel Colt Gun Mill Link to Colt Manufacturing History Webpage. Excerpt from the Maxman Report: The Gun Mill was constructed by the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company in 1836, on the original site of a rolling mill and nail factory. The Gun Mill was a four-story brownstone structure, with a central projecting stair tower. A weathervane in the shape of a gun capped the belltower, and encircling the factory was a picket fence, in which each picket was shaped as a wooden gun. The Colt Gun Mill, on the right. The revolvers patented by Samuel Colt were manufactured in this building until 1842, when the company failed. Beginning in the 1840's, the site was given over wholly to the manufacture of silk and other textiles; the first manufacture of sewing silk in the United States reputedly took place on this site. As the demand for silk grew, the partners John Ryle and G. W.

Murray refitted the fifth floor of the Gun Mill as a weaving shop and constructed three new buildings on the Gun Mill property closer to the river. These buildings – a two-story stone structure, a dye house, and another structure – subsequently became part of the Knipsher & Maass complex. A new boiler was added on the north side of the Gun Mill at the turn of the century. In the 1920's, the upper two floors of the Gun Mill were razed because they were considered unsafe for machinery. This demolition followed the razing of the fifth floor of the mill and the top floor and colonnaded lookout of the bell tower, which took place sometime prior to 1890. The blacksmith shops located to the west of the old mill were demolished by 1931, and between 1931 and 1937 additional building elements were constructed along the south and west facades of the old mill. In 1983 the mill was closed down and the property purchased by the Paterson Renaissance Partners. A series of arson fires reduced this building and its surrounding ancillary structures to ruins.

Portions of all of the original walls of the 1836 Gun Mill are intact, including the first two stories of the projecting stair tower. One wall of the copper works, constructed prior to 1899 and located to the southeast of the main building, remains standing. The heavy wall directly south of the Gun Mill fronting onto the raceway may date to the 1820s – 30s. Immediately behind the Gun Mill are a few walls which were first visible on the 1931 Sanborn map. The Colt Gun Mill Today More on the history of the Colt Gun Mill. (Historic American Engineering Record, No. NJ-17) At this time, a partial restoration of the Colt Mill is planned. This work will be funded by the New Jersey Historic Trust. COLT REVOLVERS | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Site COLT REVOLVERS Portrait, Samuel Colt, 1859. Colt invented and patented the revolver. Image couresy of the Connecticut State Library . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 .

Photograph, a five-shot Paterson Colt revolver was the first design of the Colt revolver. Texas was a place in which the revolver was able to help control the frontier. Image courtesy of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . COLT REVOLVERS. The first practical revolving-cylinder handgun was invented in 1831 by Samuel Colt of Hartford, Connecticut, and patented on February 25, 1836, the year of the Texas Revolution . Texas became a proving ground and nearly the only market for Colt's revolutionary product. Colt provided the struggling republic and frontier state with the increased firepower necessary to defend and advance itself. Colt revolvers were manufactured first in 1837 at Paterson, New Jersey, by the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company. Three principal variations of these five-shot Paterson Colt handguns were produced: the .28 caliber Pocket model, the .31 caliber Belt model, and the .36 caliber Holster model. The Republic of Texas ordered 180 of the .36 caliber Holster model revolvers for its navy in August 1839.

Numbers of these rather delicate arms were issued to various Texas warships and served well in engagements against Mexico over the next four years. Colt was so pleased by the Texas purchase and with the performance of his product that he engraved the scene of the victorious naval battle fought off Campeche on May 16, 1843, by the Texas Navy on the cylinders of the 1851 Navy, 1860 Army, and 1861 Navy model Colts (in all, nearly 500,000 revolvers). Many of the Paterson Colts purchased for the Texas Navy were ultimately used by the Texas army and in various quasimilitary expeditions. They are known to have been involved in the Council House Fight at San Antonio, as well as in the Texan–Santa Fe and Mier expeditions.qqv Most significant, however, were those revolvers reissued to units of the Texas Rangersqv. Among these border horsemen the Colt revolver first won its reputation as a weapon ideally suited to mounted combat. Using Paterson Colts purchased in 1843, Col. John Coffee Hays commanded a Ranger contingent in several uneven battles against depredating Comanches.

Most notable was the contest in which Hays and fourteen rangers charged and routed nearly eighty Comanche warriors in the battle of Walker's Creek in 1844. Other victories against considerable odds at Nueces Canyon and Enchanted Rock reinforced the report of the Colt revolver's firepower. All of the forthcoming Walker and Dragoon model Colts (some 21,000 revolvers) carried a cylinder scene commemorating the so-called "Hays Big Fight" on the Pedernales. Colt himself came to call the Paterson Holster model revolver the Texas Arm, and present-day collectors generally refer to it as the Texas Model or Texas Paterson. Although Colt's Paterson enterprise failed in 1842 because of inadequate sales, his early revolvers had won the devotion of frontier Texans, particularly those of the ranger force. Appropriately, it was a former Texas Ranger, Samuel H. Walker , who in conjunction with the demands of the Mexican War , put Colt back in business to stay. In November 1846 Captain Walker, then of the United States Mounted Riflemen, opened negotiations with Colt for the production of 1,000 improved revolvers.

Familiar with the shortcomings of the Paterson arm, Walker specified a substantial new design incorporating a fixed trigger with guard and a loading lever beneath the nine-inch barrel. The massive revolver mounted a six-shot cylinder chambered for a .44 caliber conical bullet; the revolver weighed an unprecedented four pounds, nine ounces. Texas Ranger John S. (Rip) Fordqv claimed the new Walker Colt pistol was as powerful as the United States Model 1841 "Mississippi" rifle. Portrait, Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker, ca. 1846. Captain Walker recommended improvements for the Paterson Colt revolver. Image courtesy of Library of Congress . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . The Walker Colt inaugurated the era of perfected revolver design and manufacture. Colt produced his newly-designed revolvers in Connecticut at the factory of Eli Whitney, Jr., son of the cotton gin inventor. In 1855, in Hartford along the Connecticut River, he completed a new factory and incorporated his business as the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company (today Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC) and began regular production.

By the time of Colt's death on January 10, 1862, a succession of ten improved revolver models had been introduced, and some 468,000 units manufactured. Before the Civil War the most popular of these in Texas was the .36 caliber 1851 Navy model, about which traveler Frederick Law Olmsted observed, "Of the Colt's [Navy] we cannot speak in too high terms. . . . There are probably in Texas about as many revolvers as male adults, and I doubt if there are one hundred in the state of any other make." During the war the few Texas arms manufacturers producing revolvers—Dance Brothersqv, for instance—patterned their limited output on the Colt Dragoon and Navy models. The Colt revolver remained preeminent among such arms in Texas and throughout the West for the remainder of the nineteenth century. The 1873 Single Action Army model, known as the Peacemaker or simply six-shooter, became the standard sidearm of the postwar military, the Texas Rangers, and the majority of cowboys across the plains.

Though restrictions against carrying handguns were applied in Texas during the 1880s, widespread possession declined only slowly. Windmills, barbed wireqqv fences, and Colt revolvers have been credited with settlement of the Great Plains. The Colt revolver and Texas remain inextricably associated in history, symbolism, and romance. Colt collectors abound in the state. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Colt, "History: The Colt Legend" ( accessed November 3, 2009. T. R. Fehrenbach, Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans (New York: Macmillan, 1968). John S. Ford, Rip Ford's Texas, ed. Stephen B. Oates (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1963). J. Evetts Haley, The XIT Ranch of Texas and the Early Days of the Llano Estacado (Chicago: Lakeside, 1929; rpts., Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1953, 1967). Charles Tower Haven and Frank A. Belden, A History of the Colt Revolver (New York: Morrow, 1940).

Carroll C. Holloway, Texas Gun Lore (San Antonio: Naylor, 1951). Philip D. Jordan, "The Pistol Packin' Cowboy: From Bullet to Burial," Red River Valley Historical Review 11 (Spring 1975). Noel M. Loomis, Texan-Santa Fe Pioneers (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1958). Watson Parker, "Armed and Ready: Guns on the Western Frontier," in The American West: Essays in Honor of W. Eugene Hollon, ed. Ronald Lora (University of Toledo, 1980). John E. Parsons, The Peacemaker and Its Rivals: An Account of the Single Action Colt (New York: Morrow, 1950). Ernest Lisle Reedstrom, Bugles, Banners and War Bonnets (Caldwell, Idaho, 1977). James E. Serven, Colt Firearms (Santa Ana, California: Serven, 1954). James E. Serven, Conquering the Frontiers (La Habra, California: Foundation, 1974).

Walter Prescott Webb, The Great Plains (Boston: Ginn, 1931). Walter Prescott Webb, The Texas Rangers (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1935; rpt., Austin: University of Texas Press, 1982). R. L. Wilson, Colt: An American Legend (New York: Abbeville Press, 1985). R. L. Wilson, Colt Heritage: The Official History of Colt Firearms (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950). Richard C. Rattenbury Image Use Disclaimer All copyrighted materials included within the Handbook of Texas Online are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 related to Copyright and “Fair Use” for Non-Profit educational institutions, which permits the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), to utilize copyrighted materials to further scholarship, education, and inform the public. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. For more information go to: If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Citation The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article. Handbook of Texas Online, Richard C. Rattenbury, "Colt Revolvers," accessed January 19, 2017, . Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Modified on June 2, 2016. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Patent USX9430 - Improvement in fire-arms - Google Patents Revolving Gun Patented Feb. 25, 1836. 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. Revolving'Gun- Patented Feb. 25, 1836. UNITED" STATES PAT NT OFFICE. Y SAMUELCOLT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. Specification forming part of Letters Patent dated February 25, 1836. To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, SAMUEL COLT, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford'and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Arms; and I hereby declare that the following, with the accompanyingflrawings, is a full and exact description of the construction and operation of the said improvements as invented by me. Division 1 of the drawings represents a pistol. Division 2 represents Division 1 in four sections, as 1, 2, 3, and 4. Division 3 represents all the parts in Section 1 of Division 2. Division 4 represents all the parts of Section 2 of Division 2. Division 5 represents the mechanical combination of the entireinstrument. Figurelot Division 3 represents the hammer which discharges the percussion-caps. It acts upon a fulcrum at a. b is apin projecting from the hammer, which serves to operate the key that locks the .cylinder when its respective chambers are brought directly opposite the barrel. 0 represents the hole which receives the lower arm of the lifter that tprns the cyl-' inder. V a. represents the part of the hammer where the mainspring acts upon it.

cis aprojection by which the hammer is drawn back. Fig. 2 is the mainspring. Fig. 3 is the key that holds the cylinder in its place by the arm a when each chamber is brought opposite the barrel. b is a spring, which is attached to the part c, which has a lateral motion to the right by means of a hinge at d, and serves to allow the pin b in Fig. 1 to pass it. The fulcrum of the key is at e. f is the fulcrum-pin. g is the spring which forces the key into the wards of the cylinder. Fig. 4 is the lifter or hand,with a spring on the left side to allow it to move laterally to the left when acted'on a byeach tooth of the ratchet. At b is a join t, which-connects it with the pin 0, which acts in the hole e in Fig. 1. ' Fig. 5 is the connecting-rod. The end it serves as a catch to the hammer when the lock is set, and when the hammer is pulled back the rod moves forward horizontally in consequence of the ham'mers coming in contact with it, and the end b operates upon the trigger, Fig.

6, at the catch a and throws down the end b, by which means the claw c hooks into the end b of Fig.5, and is held in its place by the spring, Fig. 7, acting upon it at the pin 01. with the-arbor. Fig. 8 is the pin which holds in their places the spring,'Fig. 7, at a and the connecting-rod, Fig. 5, at c. Fig. 6 moves on the pin cat]: s Fig. 9 is a spring, which holds the rod, Fig. 5, toward the hammer, that the connecting-rod may catch in a notch at the bottom of the hammer to hold it when set. Division 4 is a dissection of Section 2. Fig. 1 is the arbor on which the cylinder revolves. a a are the hearings on which the cylinder rests. b is the slot through which a key enters to connect Section 4 with it. The part0 passes through the shackle, Fig.2, which is keyed to the cylinder, Section3, Fig.1, at the groove (1 by means of the tongue or projections A on the shackle. e is the part which receives the nut, Fig.

3, when it is connected with the shackle, Fig. 4, as seen at a, Section 2 in Division 2. Fig. 5 is the ratchet, which is placed in the middle of the shield at a, and receives the shackle, to which it is connected by the tongue or projection b. The arbor is prevented from turning in the shield by means of a pin or key in the shield,which enters the grooved on the arbor. Fig. 2, Section 3 of Division 2, represents the fore part of the cylinder. The holesu a, &c., represent the ends of thechambersfor the charges. b is the hole through which the arher (on which the cylinder revolves) passes. C C, &c., represent the wards to receive the end a of the key, Fig. 3, Division 3, to prevent the cylinder from turning when a charge is brought opposite the barrel. b b, &c., Fig. 1, represent the tubes on which are placed the percussion-caps. as in Division 1, prevent the communication of fire or smoke from one cap to the-other.

In Division 2, Section 4, a represents the hole through which the arbor' passes, and b a mortise for'the key 0 to connect this section At d the ball enters the barrel from the chamber. At 0 the barrel is lasteued to the plate. At f is a groove in the plate to receive the end a of the lock-plate of Section 1, which serves to steady it. y represents the bayonet hung on a pin at h, i being a catch .to hold it in its place whenit is thrown out. In Division 5 the hammer is hung at the fulcrum a. The key which holds the cylinder G C, &c., are I partitions which, when embracedin theshield, : 9430K Feb. 25 is hung at the fulcrum 'b'. The lift er that when connected with the shackle. ff is the middle and forward part of the shackle on which the ratchet is placed. gis the arbor on which .the cylinder revolves. The endh is the nut that holds the pin in its place when in the shield. i.

i represent the forward end of the arbor which passes througli the plate and the rojection on the lower part .of the barrel, and by a key at j it is secured to the barrel.. k represents the fulcrum of the trigger. l is the spring which forces the connecting-rodagainst the end of the hammer. m is the spring which forces the key that holds the cylinder. '0 is the mainspring. By drawing back the hammer theflpin 1 operates upon the after end of the key (that locks the cylinder) and rises. Gonsequcntly the other end, 1', is drawn from the cylinder, and the arm d of the lifter commences to act on a tooth, a, on the left side of the ratchet, which, being connected to the cylinder by means of the shackle, turns it until the next chamber is brought opposite to the bar- When thepiu p is relieved fromthe key 1 rel. by passingover its ,npper end, t, the pin allows the end r of the'key to be forced by means I of the spring m into the succeeding ward of, the cylinder.

At the same time, by the action of the lower end of the hammer u upon the connecting-rod at c, it produces a forward horizontal motion of the rod, when the end 10 is brought in contact with the upper projection of the trigger and forces it down to a proper position for the finger, when a claw at wof the trigger hooks into the connecting-rod, which holds the hammer when drawn back or set by means of the end a entering the lower catch, 3 on the hammer. To discharge the pistol, by pulling the trigger the connecting-rod is drawrs from the catch of the hammer,when the mainspring forces the hammer forward, theupper end of which strikes the percussioncap, during which the lifter, by means of lateral mot-ion to the left, falls below a succeeding tooth on the ratchet, when, by means of the lateral motion of the after end 9 of the key I which holds the cylinder, the pin 12 of the ham mer is permitted to fall below it again. By repetitions of the same motion of the hammer situation of the mainspring and trigger; and, flourthly, in the construction of the lock-plate lad guards that hold the stock. Fig.

1 represents the maiuspring. Fig. 2 is the stirrup to connect the mainspring with the hammer. Fig. 3 is the hammer. Fig. 4 is the lever for setting the lock. Fig. 5 is the discharging-trigger. Fig. 6 is the adopter. Fig. 7 is the spiral spring to draw back the adopter. Fig. 8 represents all the parts combined. To set the lock, the fulcrum of the lever being at a, by drawing down on the end b the and c operates upon the end d of the hammer, whose fulcrum, being at e, throws back its end f, when the trigger at 9 whose fulcrum is at h) operates upon the catc es of the hammer at .i to hold the look when set. the end f of the hammer is removed from the adopter(whose bearings are at jj)itis drawn back by means of the coiled spring it until its end 1 is drawn. back sufficient to allow the cylinder to turn, which is effected as described in the pistol.

After the finger is relieved from the lever (when'the lock is set) a small spring draws it back-toits former place to make room for the end :1 of the hammer, so that its force may not be impaired. By pulling the trigger from the catch of the hammer the mainspring (which is'connected to the hammer by the stirrup o) forces its end f forward against the end m of the adopter,the end l of which is brought in contact with the percussion-cap placed upon the tube a, which discharges 'the load. To load, it is only requisite to draw the key j, which will liberate Section 4. Then by draw-' ing the key that locks the cylinder (which may be effected by drawing back the hammer) the cylinder may be taken from the arbor. Amongthe many advantages in the use .of these guns, independent of the number of charges they contain, are, first, the facility in loading them; secondly, the outward security against dampness; thirdly, security of the lock.

against the smoke of the powder; fourthly, the use of the partitions between the caps, which prevent fire communicating from the exploding cap to the adjoining ones; flfthly, by the hammers striking the cap at the end of the cylinder no jar is occasioned, deviating from the line of sight; sixthly, the weight and location of the cylinder, which give steadiness to the hand; seveuthly, the great rapidity in the succession of discharges, which is effected merely .by drawing back the hammer and pulb ing the trigger. The advantages not applicable to the pistol are the use of the adopter and lever. ' I claim as newr 1. The application of the caps at the end of the cylinder. I V 2. Theapplicat-iou of a partition between the caps. as a security against moisture and the action of the smokeupon theworks of the lock. 4. The principle of the connecting-rod be When 3. The application of a shield over the caps 9430X Feb; 25; 1836 6. The principle of locking andlturning the plication of the lever, neither of which'is used cylinder.

1 f t h b I h in pistols. 7. The prineip e 0 uni in'g t e arre wit 1 the cylinder by means of the arbor running SAMUEL bOLT' through the plate and the projection under the Witnesses barrel. ROBERT CLARKE, 8. The principle of the adopter and the ap- WM. WALLIS. Rotate

Question: Who patented the first revolver in 1836?
Answer: Samuel COLT