Okla-homey
1/4/2007, 06:08 AM
January 4, 1847: Colt sells his first revolvers to the U.S. government
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/4445/colts20stf6rsta20revolver20col.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The .44 caliber Colt "Walker" revolving belt pistol. First "Colt" model bought by the government. Called a "belt" pistol because it could be worn in a leather holster attached to a waist belt.
160 years ago, on this day in 1847, Samuel Colt rescued the future of his faltering gun company by winning a contract to provide the U.S. government with 1,000 of his .44 caliber revolvers.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/1429/coltsamcolt8bo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Sam Colt
Before Colt began mass-producing his popular revolvers in 1847, handguns had not played a significant role in the history of either the American West or the nation as a whole. Expensive and inaccurate, single shot muzzle-loading handguns were impractical for the majority of Americans, though a handful of elite still insisted on using dueling pistols to solve disputes in highly formalized combat.
http://img493.imageshack.us/img493/6141/dixie20harpers20ferry9jc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Before the introduction of Colt's revolver technology, single-shot .69 caliber muzzleloading horse pistols like this one were the only handgun option. Called "horse" pistols because they were carried in pommel holsters suspended from the saddle. Smoothbores, they were wildly innaccurate beyond about 15 yards.
When choosing a practical weapon for self-defense and close-quarter fighting, most Americans preferred knives, and western pioneers especially favored the deadly and versatile Bowie knife.
That began to change when Samuel Colt patented his percussion-repeating revolver in 1836. The heart of Colt's invention was a mechanism that combined a single rifled barrel with a revolving chamber that held five or six charges of powder and ball. When the weapon was cocked for firing, the chamber revolved automatically to bring the next shot into line with the barrel. That pretty much made Sam Colt the Bill Gates of handguns.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/1156/coltads44sz.gif (http://imageshack.us)
Colt was a master marketer as well. Here's a typical mid-19th century Colt ad.
Some 19th-century historians have gone so far as to say that Sam Colt's invention altered the course of history. Sam Colt's success story began with the issuance of a U.S. patent in 1836 for the Colt firearm equipped with a revolving cylinder.
Though still far less accurate than a well-made rifle, the Colt revolver could be aimed with reasonable precision at a short distance (out to 40 yards in the hands of an expert), because the interior bore was "rifled"--cut with a series of grooves spiraling down its length. The spiral grooves caused the bullet to spin rapidly as it left the barrel, giving it gyroscopic stability. The five or six-shot capacity also made accuracy less important, since a missed shot could quickly be followed with others.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/7656/coltarmy0ri.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Used by both sides during our Civil War, the Model of 1860 .44 Colt "Army" revolver represents the zenith of blackpowder revolver technology
Yet most cowboys, gamblers, and gunslingers could never have afforded such a revolver if not for the de facto subsidy the federal government provided to Colt by purchasing his revolvers in such great quantities. After the first batch of revolvers proved popular with soldiers, the federal government became one of Colt's biggest customers, providing him with the much-needed capital to improve his production facilities. With the help of Eli Whitney and other mass-production experts, Colt developed a system of production and interchangeable parts for his pistols that greatly lowered their cost.
God created all men...Sam Colt made them equal
-- anonymous oft repeated 19th century catch phrase
Though never cheap, by the early 1850s, Colt revolvers were inexpensive enough to be a favorite with Americans headed westward during the California Gold Rush. Between 1850 and 1860, Colt sold 170,000 of his "pocket" revolvers and 98,000 "belt" revolvers, mostly to civilians looking for a powerful and effective means of self-defense in the Wild West.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/2853/coltpocketw61166kg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Not as sexy, but easily concealable, Colt sold more of these .31 caliber Model of 1849 "pocket" pistols than any other model. This one is a reproduction. "Repops" are quite affordable and are fun to shoot.
In the 160 years that have followed that first government order, more than 30million revolvers, pistols, and rifles bearing the Colt name have been produced, almost all of them in plants located in the Hartford, Connecticut, area.
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/4729/coltwagmn19su.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The Colt Model of 1911 automatic pistol. This .45 caliber pistol became the longest used military sidearm in American history. Used in every war from WWI until the eve of Gulf War I, when it was replaced by the Italian-designed M-9 9mm automatic.
Samuel Colt died of natural causes on January 10,1862, at the age of 47, having produced in his lifetime more than 400,000 weapons. His estate was reportedly worth $15 million, an enormous sum for the time and tantamount to more than $300 million in todays dollars.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/8140/colt20anaconda3ep.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Many years later, during the latter half of the 20th cent., Colt patented and introduced the most powerful production revolver evar. The .44 magnum Colt "Anaconda"
Control of the company remained in the capable hands of Colt's widow Elizabeth and her family until 1901 when Elizabeth, having no direct heirs, (her only surviving son, Caldwell, died in 1894 at the age of 35) sold it to a group of investors.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/1750/colt9me.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Elizabeth Colt. When she took control of the company, she became the richest woman in America.
http://img474.imageshack.us/img474/8576/insane7zo3zc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/4445/colts20stf6rsta20revolver20col.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The .44 caliber Colt "Walker" revolving belt pistol. First "Colt" model bought by the government. Called a "belt" pistol because it could be worn in a leather holster attached to a waist belt.
160 years ago, on this day in 1847, Samuel Colt rescued the future of his faltering gun company by winning a contract to provide the U.S. government with 1,000 of his .44 caliber revolvers.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/1429/coltsamcolt8bo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Sam Colt
Before Colt began mass-producing his popular revolvers in 1847, handguns had not played a significant role in the history of either the American West or the nation as a whole. Expensive and inaccurate, single shot muzzle-loading handguns were impractical for the majority of Americans, though a handful of elite still insisted on using dueling pistols to solve disputes in highly formalized combat.
http://img493.imageshack.us/img493/6141/dixie20harpers20ferry9jc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Before the introduction of Colt's revolver technology, single-shot .69 caliber muzzleloading horse pistols like this one were the only handgun option. Called "horse" pistols because they were carried in pommel holsters suspended from the saddle. Smoothbores, they were wildly innaccurate beyond about 15 yards.
When choosing a practical weapon for self-defense and close-quarter fighting, most Americans preferred knives, and western pioneers especially favored the deadly and versatile Bowie knife.
That began to change when Samuel Colt patented his percussion-repeating revolver in 1836. The heart of Colt's invention was a mechanism that combined a single rifled barrel with a revolving chamber that held five or six charges of powder and ball. When the weapon was cocked for firing, the chamber revolved automatically to bring the next shot into line with the barrel. That pretty much made Sam Colt the Bill Gates of handguns.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/1156/coltads44sz.gif (http://imageshack.us)
Colt was a master marketer as well. Here's a typical mid-19th century Colt ad.
Some 19th-century historians have gone so far as to say that Sam Colt's invention altered the course of history. Sam Colt's success story began with the issuance of a U.S. patent in 1836 for the Colt firearm equipped with a revolving cylinder.
Though still far less accurate than a well-made rifle, the Colt revolver could be aimed with reasonable precision at a short distance (out to 40 yards in the hands of an expert), because the interior bore was "rifled"--cut with a series of grooves spiraling down its length. The spiral grooves caused the bullet to spin rapidly as it left the barrel, giving it gyroscopic stability. The five or six-shot capacity also made accuracy less important, since a missed shot could quickly be followed with others.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/7656/coltarmy0ri.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Used by both sides during our Civil War, the Model of 1860 .44 Colt "Army" revolver represents the zenith of blackpowder revolver technology
Yet most cowboys, gamblers, and gunslingers could never have afforded such a revolver if not for the de facto subsidy the federal government provided to Colt by purchasing his revolvers in such great quantities. After the first batch of revolvers proved popular with soldiers, the federal government became one of Colt's biggest customers, providing him with the much-needed capital to improve his production facilities. With the help of Eli Whitney and other mass-production experts, Colt developed a system of production and interchangeable parts for his pistols that greatly lowered their cost.
God created all men...Sam Colt made them equal
-- anonymous oft repeated 19th century catch phrase
Though never cheap, by the early 1850s, Colt revolvers were inexpensive enough to be a favorite with Americans headed westward during the California Gold Rush. Between 1850 and 1860, Colt sold 170,000 of his "pocket" revolvers and 98,000 "belt" revolvers, mostly to civilians looking for a powerful and effective means of self-defense in the Wild West.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/2853/coltpocketw61166kg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Not as sexy, but easily concealable, Colt sold more of these .31 caliber Model of 1849 "pocket" pistols than any other model. This one is a reproduction. "Repops" are quite affordable and are fun to shoot.
In the 160 years that have followed that first government order, more than 30million revolvers, pistols, and rifles bearing the Colt name have been produced, almost all of them in plants located in the Hartford, Connecticut, area.
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/4729/coltwagmn19su.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The Colt Model of 1911 automatic pistol. This .45 caliber pistol became the longest used military sidearm in American history. Used in every war from WWI until the eve of Gulf War I, when it was replaced by the Italian-designed M-9 9mm automatic.
Samuel Colt died of natural causes on January 10,1862, at the age of 47, having produced in his lifetime more than 400,000 weapons. His estate was reportedly worth $15 million, an enormous sum for the time and tantamount to more than $300 million in todays dollars.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/8140/colt20anaconda3ep.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Many years later, during the latter half of the 20th cent., Colt patented and introduced the most powerful production revolver evar. The .44 magnum Colt "Anaconda"
Control of the company remained in the capable hands of Colt's widow Elizabeth and her family until 1901 when Elizabeth, having no direct heirs, (her only surviving son, Caldwell, died in 1894 at the age of 35) sold it to a group of investors.
http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/1750/colt9me.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Elizabeth Colt. When she took control of the company, she became the richest woman in America.
http://img474.imageshack.us/img474/8576/insane7zo3zc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)