How was Colt's revolver born?

The history of mankind is the history of wars. Throughout its existence, people have repeatedly entered armed confrontations. With the passage of time, technology has been improved, methods and means of war have changed. Colt's revolver with his appearance marked another milestone in the development of weapons, laying new principles in the construction of pistols. His creation was accompanied by a number of interesting facts that will be described in this article.

The first pistols

Firearms of this type are known from the XVcentury. The first samples were singly charged. Black powder was used as an explosive, and a lead ball was used as a striking element. The pistol was charging from the muzzle. The ignition of gunpowder occurred with the aid of a special device called a lock. Since the XVIII century pistols were equipped with locks of silicon type. The development of technology led to the emergence of the first revolvers, that is models with a drum mechanism. Initially, such weapons were not widely used, as the complex loading system did not provide fast continuous fire. Everything changed after the invention in 1807 of a capsule detonation of the powder composition. This principle of shooting opened wide prospects for the revolver. Now the main question was who will be the first to introduce this technology into production and organize the production of new revolvers on an industrial scale.

Future Weapon King

Samuel Colt was born in the family of the manufacturerChristopher Colt on July 19, 1814. From a young age, Sam was attracted to arms. He studied with great interest various models of that time. The resulting knowledge later came in handy when the first Colt revolver was created. In addition, a number of observations made during the service by a sailor on a merchant ship "Corvo" helped to rethink the design of the pistol to Samuel. His attention was drawn to the mechanism of raising the ship's anchor, which only rotated in one direction. He also became interested in the device of the steering wheel with the fixation of the position after the turn. Principles of operation of these mechanisms included a capsule revolver Colt, patented in 1835 in England. A year later the patent was received in the USA.

Production on an industrial scale

In 1847 Colt registered his owncompany. The first weapons shop he opened in the city of Patterson. The new Colt's revolver produced in the workshop was distinguished by firing and good firepower. Despite this, at first the company had serious sales problems. The situation changed with the group of Texas Rangers. Having a revolver of the Colt system as the main weapon, 16 law enforcers faced 80 Indians. Rangers came out of the bout winners, not having lost a single person. Such success ensured the gunsmith order for 1000 units for the Texas expeditionary corps, and laid the foundation for further cooperation with the US government. The conflict with Mexico and the civil war inside the country further strengthened the financial position of the manufacturer. The Colt revolver has become a true symbol of America. For ordinary citizens, it was an effective means of self-defense, and sometimes a factor of survival in difficult times.