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Guns of the Texas Rangers:
The Colt Navy
by David Stroud
Sam Colt was never satisfied with his latest revolver, regardless of the praise it produced and the acclaims it received. Even as the initial Patersons came off the production line in 1836, the inventor was seeking improvements.
Colt "Texas" Paterson with later M1851 Loading Lever
By 1842, four models were created before bankruptcy forced Colt to close the factory. The Mexican War (1846-1848) and Captain Samuel Walker allowed Colt to return to the arms business he loved, and the doors never shut again.
Colt Walker
The Paterson was an average-sized weapon, but the Walkers and Dragoons proved to be massive revolvers, to say the least. In fact, Rangers Ben McCulloch and Jack Hays criticized the size and weight of the bulky weapons.
In 1850, as the United States searched for compromises to allow California to enter the Union as a free state, Colt produced two revolvers of lighter weight to accommodate the public and attract the military.
The Model 1848, better known as the Baby Dragoon, was Colt’s initial offering. The pistol was a five-shot, .31-caliber revolver, only 8 inches in length, with a three-inch barrel. The small revolver was not equipped with a loading lever. The Baby Dragoon quickly evolved into the Model 1849, or Pocket Model, which provided the public a choice of a four-, five-, or six-inch barrel and a five- or six-shot cylinder. The Pocket Models were equipped with loading levers. The undersized weapon proved to Colt’s best-selling revolver: at the end of percussion production in 1873, more than 350,000 had been manufactured.
However, the military’s need for a slightly larger revolver with more firepower caused Colt to quickly return to the drawing board. The solution was to simply increase the size and caliber of the Pocket Model. The result was the Model 1851 Navy revolver.
The Pocket Model and the Navy were both placed into production in 1850. Because of inaccurate research, collectors labeled them incorrectly as to the years they were introduced, and they shall forever be known as the ’49 Pocket and ’51 Navy.
The basic 1851 Navy is easily recognized as a .36-caliber, six-shot, single-action percussion with a 7-½ inch octagonal barrel. The barrels are addressed, and the brass backs straps and trigger guards are silver-plated. The round cylinder is non-rebated and non-fluted with small pins near the nipples. These pins serve as a safety feature to keep the hammer away from the capped nipples when not in use. The grips are one-piece wood, and all are hand-fitted to the gun by workers.
Sam Colt never forgot those who helped him. The Republic of Texas bought his weapons in great numbers, and the Rangers added fame to his revolvers as they battled Indians, Mexican troops and bandits. In gratitude to the Rangers, the inventor initially called the Navy Model, “the new Ranger-size pistol,” or more simply, the Ranger. Regardless of the original name, the term Navy quickly replaced it, and that well-known name has caused many inaccuracies.
Samuel Colt
One of the possibilities for the use of the term Navy may have been the cylinder scene engraved by W. L. Ormsby. In tribute to the Texas Navy’s initial purchase of his Paterson revolvers, Colt had the battle between the Lone Star fleet and the Mexican Navy roll-engraved on the cylinder of the new model with “Engaged 16 May 1843” appearing below it.
In order to appeal for Navy contracts, Colt used the expression Navy to indicate .36-caliber rather than the .44-caliber required by the Army. The United States Navy did purchase some 8,500 Navies with iron back straps, while the U. S. Army contracted for even more with the brass back strap.
The ’51 Navy was the revolver that brought Sam Colt universal fame, and more than 240,000 were built before the production ceased in 1873. In fact, as of 1947, nearly one million pistols had used the basic design of the Navy.
As good as the Navy was, Colt continued searching for improvements.Soon after the first Navies rolled off the assembly line, improved ‘51s were being introduced, demonstrating perfectly the gun maker’s constant search for the faultless weapon. Because of these modest alterations, the ’51 Navy has been divided into several models and sub-models. (All serial numbers are approximate, as strict record keeping was not a standard practice).
The FIRST MODEL SQUARE BACK has the square-back trigger guard, brass back strap, and thin barrel lug, with the barrel wedge above the screw. This early model’s loading notch is the non-beveled V type, and the one-piece, wooden grips are the Slim Jim style with an upward flare of the butt on each side of the brass butt straps. The wedge screw is under the wedge, and the 5/16” wedge is placed through the thin barrel lug upside down. The serial number range is 1-1250.
The SECOND MODEL SQUARE BACK retained the brass square-back trigger guard, brass back strap with the screw placed above the wedge, along with the wedge entering up right. The barrel lug is thin and the cylinder pin is slotted. The serial number range is 1250-4200.
The EARLY THIRD MODEL has the small, round, brass trigger guard, brass back strap, and V-loading notch with the wedge screw over the wedge. The loading lever screw enters from the right. The serial number range is 4200 to 30000.
The MIDDLE THIRD MODEL has the small, round, brass trigger guard, brass back strap, V-loading lever, thick barrel lug, and the screw is over the wedge. The loading lever screw enters from the left side as do all the exterior screws, and the barrel lug was increased in size from 5/16” to 7/16.” The serial number range is 30000-37500.
Most of the LATE THIRD MODELS have the small, round, brass trigger guards and brass back straps. A small number are found with round iron trigger guards and back straps. The barrel lug is thick, the wedge is over the screw, and the loading notch is now beveled. The serial number range is 37500-85000.
The EARLY FOURTH MODEL has the larger round brass or iron trigger guard and the lading notch is beveled with a thick barrel wedge. The serial number range is 85000-118500.
The MIDDLE FOURTH MODEL retains the large brass round trigger guard and back straps of brass or iron. The loading notch is beveled with a thick barrel wedge, and the screw is over the wedge. The serial number range is 118500-16500.
The LATE FOURTH MODEL has the large brass trigger guard, a brass or iron back strap with beveled loading notch, and a thick barrel wedge with the screw over the wedge. The serial number range is 16500-215000.
EARLY LONDON NAVIES have the larger round, brass trigger guards; back straps with Slim Jim grips; and V-loading notches with the loading lever screw entering from the right side. The thick barrel lug is present as are British proof marks. The serial number range is 1-2000.
LONDON-LONDONS have the round iron trigger guard and back strap and V-loading notches with the loading lever screw entering from the left side. The thick barrel lug is present, as are British proof marks. The serial number range is 2000-38500.
HARTFORD-LONDONS have the round brass or iron trigger guards and back straps and beveled-loading notches, with the loading lever screw enter from the left side. The thick barrel lug is there as are British proof marks. The serial number range is 38000-43000.
Sam Colt used every means and every spot available to publicize his weapons, and the top of the barrel was no exception. The Paterson barrels were stamped “Patent Arms M’g. Co., Paterson, N.J. Colt’s Patent.” The Walkers, as well as the Dragoons and the ’49 Pockets, bore the mark “Address Sam’l Colt, New York City.” However, with the production of the ’51 Navy, several addresses were used:
“-ADDRESS SAML COLT NEW-YORK CITY-“
The dashes are on the barrel, with the L [ITALICS] in his name elevated, with a line below it. Serial number ranges are about 1-7,400.
“-ADDRESS SAML COLT HARTFORD CT.-“
The L [ITALICS] in Colt’s name is elevated, with a line below. Serial number range is approximately 7,400-101,000.
“-ADDRESS COLT SAML COLT NEW YORK U. S. AMERICA-“
The Serial number ranges are around 101,000-215,000.
The barrel addresses offer an introduction into Sam Colt’s business tactics. Since the Navies were mostly made in Hartford, with a few manufactured in London, England, we can only speculate as to the New York addresses.
The Paterson revolver was stamped with the Paterson, New Jersey, address. But as Walker’s were being built in Whitneyville, Connecticut, the barrel stamping was changed to New York City.
One possibility of the use of the New York address is the Southern market, whose buyers took unkindly to abolitionists. The anti-slavery movement was especially strong in New England, and Connecticut was no exception. William Lloyd Garrison founded The Liberator in Boston, and Southerners hated that radical publication. The Hartford Convention had met in secret from December 1814 to January 1815. The final report of those twenty-six New England Federalists was moderate, but it did call for the repeal of the constitutional three-fifths compromise that gave the slave-holding states additional representation and electrical votes. Sam realized that few Southerners forgot such affronts.
New York was an exception among Northern states. Yankees from New York were extremely Southern in their political views, and the most famous city’s newspapers often read as if they were published south of the Mason-Dixon line. Also, Hartford was not as well known as New York City, and any order addressed to Sam Colt would find its way to his sales office there. In 1857, Colt returned to his Hartford stamp for reasons known only to the inventor, and he then resumed the New York address in 1861, along with the personal title of “Colonel.”
This Colonel designation is somewhat vague. Colt did serve as major commandant of the First Troop of Governor’s Horse Guard in Connecticut, but that was an honorary title rather than military. After the war began in 1861, Sam offered to raise and equip, at his own expense, a Hartford regiment. However, the unit never formed and the rank was withdrawn.
The best explanation for the title is Colt’s appointment by the governor as a member of the executive’s staff. That position carried the title of colonel. With an ever-present eye on military contracts, Colt felt that any suggested military experience would help. [Picture of Samuel Colt #15]
Government contracts were always a concern to Colt and may have been the reason for the square-back trigger guard found on his early weapons. The Walker as well as the First and Second Model Dragoon pistols all had the non-practical trigger guards. However, Colonel Talcot had affection for them and believed they offered a more graceful appearance than the round guard. If a small piece of brass would win a contract, Sam would provide it. In 1852, Talcot was gone and the small, round, trigger guard replaced the square back.
Another means of attracting military and civilian sales was the idea of an attachable shoulder stock, which would easily convert the revolver into a six-shot carbine. The inspiration may have come to Colt from the 1855 Springfield Pistol-Carbine issued to the Dragoons. The Springfield was a single-shot, whereas Colt offered a multi-firing weapons for consideration. He received two patents for the shoulder stock in January 1859. The first of these is for a wooden stock and the second for a canteen stock of metal, or two pieces of wood. Both can be attached to ’51 Navy’s 4-screw cut for shoulder stock.
These revolvers have a stud (screw) in the frame, and the percussion shield has been cut to receive the pronged fore-end of the attachable stock. Also, the back strap has a groove to accept the bottom of the fore-end of the stock. Most of the 4-screw Navies have iron trigger guards or the small, rounded ones of brass. They also have a swivel attached to the front of the trigger guard. The swivel is present on 4-screw Navies from approximate serial numbers 67,000-79,000. After this last number, they were terminated. The shoulder-stock models are found in the serial number ranges of 90000-93000; 100,000; 128,000; 189,000; and 192,000. A mystery is presented with the Navies in the 135000-166000 serial number range: there are 4-screw frames, but the brass back straps are not milled to accept the stock. According to Nathan L. Swayze, the foremost authority on Colt Navies, this was simply Colt continuing his practice of using spare trigger guards on regular Navies. The shoulder-stocked Navies were never popular, and the model was discontinued around 1866.
Another method used by Colt to attract the military market was the stamping of serial numbers on various parts of the revolver. Sam’s revolvers are stamped with more serial numbers than any other revolver known to the author. This is a blessing for collectors, for a quick glance will determine if all of the major parts are original to the gun. The inventor informed the military that by having the numbers on different parts, it would require the soldier to be responsible for his weapon. He would not be able to damage the cylinder, for example, and then replace it with that of another soldier’s weapon.
Serial numbers appear on the cylinder, loading lever, wedge, barrel, frame, trigger guard, and butt of the back strap. They are also written with ink inside the grip grove. When a weapon appears with mixed serial numbers, the parts have been switched. A cylinder, for example, will sometimes be encountered with no serial number, yet appear contemporary to the gun. The reason is that the part was ordered from the factory as a replacement. Were the revolver returned to the factory for repair, replaced parts would have been numbered.
In 1851, Sam Colt took more than 500 weapons to the Great Exhibition in Great Britain. Those he displayed were beautifully engraved examples of outstanding art. While spectators admired the displayed models, regular revolvers were sold to the public. Because the English were so enthusiastic for his revolvers, and he wanted to get around the tariffs, Colt established a factory in London in January 1863. Some Navy models were made there and stamped accordingly:
HARTFORD-LONDONS—These revolvers were built in London from parts shipped from the Hartford factory and have brass back straps with small, round, brass trigger guards. The London address is present on the barrel (–ADDRESS COL. COLT LONDON-). The dashes in the address are arrows. Estimated serial number range is 1-2000.
LONDON-LONDONS—These Navies have iron back straps and large, round, iron trigger guards. On the barrel top “–ADDRESS COL. COLT LONDON-“ is stamped. Estimated serial range is 2001-43000.
All Colts made in London have two British proof marks stamped on them. One is a crown over “GP,” which stands for gun makers’ proof, and the other is a crown over “V,” signifying “view.”
The military’s purchase of Walkers and Dragoons did not go unnoticed. The military was a valuable market, and Colt certainly believed it would be a ready buyer for his improved pistol. However, that was not the case. Although the Ordnance Department favorably tested the Navy in 1850, the initial order by the Army did not arrive until January 15, 1855. The two branches of the military are represented by these models:
ARMY-NAVIES are the early types with brass back straps and round trigger guards. Once inspected and approved, each revolver was stamped with the initials of various inspectors on assorted metal parts, as well with a “US” on the left side of the frame below Colt’s patent. Most of the 1,465 Navies ordered were issued to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, one of the most famous pre-Civil War units of American history. The Indian-fighting regiment was the Army’s elite unit, and it furnished sixteen generals to the Union and Confederate military during the Civil War. Officers such as Robert E. Lee, John Bell Hood, Albert Sidney Johnston, George H. Thomas, and James Ewell Brown (JEB) Stuart gained first-hand knowledge of the effectiveness of Colt’s new weapon while engaging Comanche and Kiowa warriors in Texas. By June of 1859, the Army bought 16,962 Navies and most were in the serial number range of 42,000-80,000.+
NAVY-NAVIES are the later types with iron back straps and large, round, iron trigger guards. They have the small “U.S.” stamped on the frame below “Colt’s Patent” and “U.S.N.” on the butt of the back strap. They are in the serial number range of 89000-91000. The first order, in June 1852, was for 100 belt pistols to outfit Commander Perry’s expedition to the East Indies and the China Sea. Several states also purchased the belt-size revolvers to equip their militia. In 1857, Indiana received 250, and that same year New Hampshire bought 300. Texas ordered 368 Navies in August 1858, and former Ranger Ben McCulloch purchased 300 in the summer of 1860. Another 300 with iron back straps and trigger guards were bought by the state quartermaster, General R. C. Thom.
When the Civil War began in 1861, approximately 98,000 ’51Navies had been produced. The demand for Colt’s excellent revolver increased during that bitter conflict. Union officers were required to purchase their uniforms and weapons, and many of the soldiers selected the ’51 Navy as their firearm. Because the weapons were privately purchased, there are no government markings on them.
The Navy proved even more popular among Confederate officers and enlisted men. One explanation is availability. In 1860, Colt introduced his Army revolver in .44-caliber, but these weapons were fobbed for Confederate purchase. Therefore, Southern soldiers were better able to acquire the Navies, and many of them did so as they armed themselves for service. By the war’s end in April 1865, another 87,000 Navies had been produced and a number of them became the property of Confederate soldiers by battlefield supply.
The close of war did not decrease the public’s demand for Colt firearms. Reconstruction and the Westward movement opened new markets to the company. Although Sam Colt died in early 1862, the company he founded continued to produce excellent weapons with an ever-present eye to the future.
The gunfighters, outlaws, and gamblers of the cow towns and barrooms added another colorful chapter to Colt history, as did the Texas Rangers and lawmen who tried to contain them. Shootists such as John Wesley Hardin, Jesses and Frank James, Ben Thompson and his brother William (“Texas Billy”), and many more were introduced to the firearms during the percussion period. Men such as these made use of many different guns, and undoubtedly ’51 Navies were part of their learning experiences.John Henry "Doc" Holliday was given a '51 Navy by his uncle, Doctor John S. Holliday, following the Civil War. The future dentist spent many hours perfecting his shooting skills in the Georgia countryside before tuberculoses forced him west.
However, the most famous gunman who favored the Navy above other arms was James Butler (“Wild Bill”) Hickok. He was fast and deadly, and long before he was murdered in Deadwood, Dakota Territory in 1876, he had acquired the title “Prince of Pistoleers.”
The 1851 Navy is believed to have been Sam Colt’s personal favorite. The evidence is derived from the only image of Colt with a weapon. The revolver that is in that picture is the Navy. Colt’s personal revolvers seemed to have been an engraved pair of Navies with ivory grips displaying a horse head. In addition to the portrait, Colt favored the Navy for presentation to individuals who could help his business. Among the many recipients of these beautifully engraved gifts were President Franklin Pierce, Secretary of War John B. Floyd, Sam Houston, Czar Nicholas, and Colonel Thomas Lally.
Today, the Colt 1851 Navy is a much sought-after revolver by collectors, and prime examples demand princely sums. Anyone interested in purchasing one of these historical Colts is urged to contact reputable dealers and read as many books on the subject as possible. As Sam Colt urged: “Be aware of frauds.”
David Stroud was born in Tyler, Texas, and graduated from Henderson (Texas) High School in 1963. He enlisted in the Marines the following year and served a tour in Vietnam and two years as a drill instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina. He earned his B.S. and M.A. degrees in history at Stephen F. Austin State University and is a history instructor at Kilgore (Texas) College. He has written seven books, along with fifteen articles and book reviews.
Bibliography
’51 Navy Colts ] by Nathan L. Swayze
Colt: An American Legend by R. L. Wilson
The Peacemakers: Arms and Adventure in the American West by R. L. Wilson
Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters by Bill O’Neal
Colt’s Dates of Manufacture by R. L. Wilson
Wild Bill Hickok by Joseph Rosa
A History of Colt Revolvers, 1836-1940 by Charles T. Haven & Frank A. Belden
The Flamboyant Mr. Colt and His Deadly Six-Shooter by Bern Keating
Colt Revolvers & the tower of London by Joseph G. Rosa
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Rewolwery sprzed 1850 roku
Tak więc mamy możliwość kupowania i posiadania bez żadnych policyjnych formalności replik broni wytworzonej przed 1850 rokiem. Zostawmy na boku rozważania o sensie lub bezsensie takiego zapisu, prawo jest prawem - i obowiązuje w takiej właśnie formie...
W połowie XIX wieku istniała już i strzelała broń odtylcowa, wielostrzałowa, powtarzalna, napędowa, broń na naboje zespolone itp. itd. Dzisiaj ograniczymy się do broni na naboje niescalone, odprzodowej - czyli ładowanej od wylotu lufy, osobno prochem i ołowianą kulą. Co zatem wolno „replikować"?
W przypadku jednostrzałowych pistoletów czy karabinów problemu w zasadzie nie ma. Z praktycznego punktu widzenia to. czy mają one zamek kapiszonowy, skałkowy, a już szczególnie kołowy czy lontowy, czy mają dłuższą czy krótszą lufę albo taką lub inną formę osady - nie ma wpływu na ich walory użytkowe z punktu widzenia, że tak powiem, policyjnego. Z każdej takiej broni można oddać jeden mocno dymiący strzał. po czym wymagać będzie ona od użytkownika wielu czynności, zanim zadymi ponownie. Do połowy XIX wieku nie można mówić o produkcji seryjnej w dzisiejszym tego słowa rozumieniu. Broń była produktem warsztatów rzemieślniczych, raczej niewielkich, choć często zgrupowanych w jakimś ośrodku przemysłowym. Wszystkie one ponadto podlegały presji aktualnej mody, ale dbały o zachowanie indywidualnych cech wyróżniających ich produkty - dla każdego rusznikarza produkowana przez niego broń była najlepsza na świecie. Okoliczności te sprawiają, że każda współcześnie wytwarzana odprzodowa jednostrzałówka ma jakiegoś protoplastę, do którego można bez trudu dopasować stosowną legendę. W tym sensie kapiszonowe pistolety pojedynkowe z końca XIX wieku są replikami pistoletów pół wieku wcześniejszych, od których różnią się jedynie ornamentami. Kopia kopii jest oczywiście odleglejsza od oryginału w czasie i przestrzeni, ale przecież niekoniecznie mniej wierna - może być odwrotnie, gd współczesny kopista jako cel nadrzędny postawi sobie odtworzenie XVlI-wiecznego oryginału, mając jako wzór jego XVIII -wieczną replikę. Na pewno zaś broń tak będzie bezpieczniejsza w użytkowaniu o oryginału, gdyż dzisiejsze materiały na głowę biją wszystko, co w tej dziedzinie miał do zaproponowania przeszłe wieki. Hobbiści zainteresowani bronią jednostrzałową problemów raczej więc mieć nie będą. W programie produkcji współczesnych zakładów robiących repliki starej broni są chyb wszystkie odmiany wojskowych karabinów skałkowych i kapiszonowych, krocie i pistoletów wszelkich typów, nawet sztucer myśliwskie i strzelby śrutowe.
Nieco inaczej ma się sprawa z bronią wielostrzałowa. Na pierwszy ogień weźmy system rewolwerowy, jako najlepiej sprawdzony i w zasadzie jedyny, który przetrwa próbę czasu. Przed rokiem 1850 wytwarza no wiele typów takiej broni, z którą przyjdzie nam się, nolens volens, dzięki kaprysowi ustawodawcy bliżej zapoznać. A jest si czym pobawić! Pomijam celowo takie rodzynki, jak rewolwery skałkowe, na przykład konstrukcji Annellego z początku XVIII wieku czy bardziej znany konstrukcji Colliera z 1818 roku, bo nawet zrobione współcześnie, z nowoczesnych materiałów, będą tylko (trudno) strzelającą ciekawostką. Skoncentrujmy się na modelach kapiszonowych, wśród których do 1850 roku w zasadzie niepodzielnie panowały wyroby pułkownika Samuela Colta.
Oto rewolwery kapiszonowe Colta, wytwarzane przed 1850 rokiem: model Paterson, 1836 r. modele pochodne: Texas, Ehlers, Baby Paterson - lata 40. XIX w. model Whitneywille-Walker, 1847 r. model Dragon No.l, 1848 r. model Baby Dragon (kieszonkowy), 1847 r., model Army Dragon No.2, 1849 r. model Pocket (kieszonkowy), 1849 r. model Wells-Fargo, 1849 r. europejskie kopie wczesnych rewolwerów Colta, np. austriacki rewolwer z Innsbrucka, 1849 r.
A teraz drodzy Czytelnicy, mam dla Was niespodziankę. Najsłynniejszy chyba rewolwer kapiszonowy, Colt model Navy z 1851 roku, większość z Was prawdopodobnie spisała na straty, zastanawiając się, dlaczego ci cholerni Amerykanie nie mogli wyprodukować go rok wcześniej. Otóż nie tylko mogli - ale także wyprodukowali! Zapomina się bowiem zbyt łatwo o różnicy między cywilnym modelem (często oznaczanym rokiem wprowadzenia do produkcji - patrz Colt 4odel 1902), a wzorem wojskowym. Colt Navy jest rewolwerem najbardziej znanym z zastosowania wojskowego, a w Marynarce Wojennej Stanów Zjednoczonych przyjęto go pod oznaczeniem M1851, czyli „wzór 1851". Wzór to data przyjęcia do uzbrojenia - i jak w przypadku wielu typów broni, niewiele ma wspólnego z rzeczywistą datą skonstruowania czy nawet rozpoczęcia produkcji. W rzeczywistości bowiem rewolwer ten skonstruowano w tym samym roku 1847, w którym powstał Baby Dragoon, prekursor 1849 Pocket Model. Jak pisze, opierając się na materiałach archiwalnych L.R. Wilson, autor fundamentalnego dzieła o historii fabryki Colta („Colt: Ań American Legend") jeszcze przed przyjęciem do uzbrojenia Marynarki w roku 1851 zakłady w Hartford produkowały i sprzedawały na rynek cywilny rewolwer Colt Navy - tylko wtedy nosił on samą nazwę, bez oznaczenia wzoru, nadanego później. Zresztą proszę spojrzeć na przedstawianą obok austriacką kopie Colta, rewolwer z Insbrucka z roku 1849 - przecież to kopia właśnie modelu Navy! Trudno przypuszczać, aby w dalekiej Europie kopiowano rewolwer, który jeszcze nie wszedł do produkcji. A wiec każdy użytkownik repliki Colta Navy może twierdzić, że przedstawia ona właśnie jeden z takich wczesnych, cywilnych rewolwerów.
Rewolwery wiązkowe, tak zwane „pieprzniczki", nie przyjęły się szerzej wyparte przez klasyczne rewolwery bębnowe, ale że w pierwszej połowie XIX wieku były popularne, mogą zatem stanowić ciekawą alternatywę dla hobbystów. Ponadto w Europie przez pewien, choć krótki czas wytwarzano i używano tak zwane rewolwery przejściowe, których konstruktorzy próbowali połączyć koncepcje jednolufowego rewolweru z bębenkiem nabojowym z mechanizmem typowym dla pieprzniczki. Taką broń robiono głównie w Anglii, nie przyjęła się i szybko popadła w zapomnienie, gdyż udanie łączyła wady obydwu koncepcji. Ale jeszcze wiele lat pieprzniczki były chętnie używane przez cywilnych właścicieli, głównie z powodu niskiej ceny, choć w wojsku panowały rewolwery klasyczne. Oto kilka przykładów „rewolwerów inaczej":
system Marietta, Belgia, Francja 1837 r.
system Coopera, Anglia ok. 1840 r.
system Allen & Thurber, USA ok. 1845 r.
system Cogswella, Anglia 1849 r. rewolwer przejściowy T. K. Bakera, Anglia, po 1845 r.
Miłośnicy broni długiej mogą się zaopatrzyć w któryś z rewolwerowych karabinków Colta - zarówno model Paterson jak i Dragon miały takie „długie" wersje, z kolbą. Niestety, najbardziej znany sztucer rewolwerowy powstał na bazie Colta model Sidehammer konstrukcji Roota, około roku 1857, czyli jak dla nas trochę za późno. Nie on jeden. Zarówno rewolwery Remingtona, Smitha i Wessona, Adamsa i innych systemów europejskich, jak również najdoskonalszy rewolwer odprzodowy Colta, model Army z roku 1860, wymagają w naszym kraju pozwolenia na broń. Trzeba jakoś' z tym żyć dalej. Albo postarać się o pozwolenie...
i tutaj ciekawostka
pozwoliłem sobie zamieścić artykuł Wojtka (rusznika)
Drodzy koledzy pragne sie podzielic z Wami [mimo wszystko :one: ] pewna wiedza i mymi przemysleniami gdyz jak wiecie posiadam w kolekcji swej ROSYJSKA wersje rewolweru Colta typ Navy nr seryjny 517 a jesienia tego roku zakupilem AMERYKANSKA wersje Navy nr seryjny 133896 czyli rok produkcji 1863.Majac oba typy Navy z roznych stron swiata wygladajace prawie identycznie a wymiarowo co do glownych czesci broni tak samo [mierzac dokladnie i porownujac] zaintrygowala mnie ta sprawa bo bylem przekonany dotychczas [mylnie ] ze Rosja produkowana wlasne Colty Navy na WZOR-PODOBIENSTWO amerykanski protoplastow tego modelu...zaczolem poszukiwac w swych zbiorach i kolegi z Cieszyna artykulow z DWJ araz czytajac ponownie ksiegi o S.Colcie i jego broni...co sie okazalo bardzo ciekawe pod wzgledem tak historycznym jak i bronioznawczym.A wiec tak na poczatek choc to moze nudne to nadmienie ze S.Colt zaprojektowal rewolwer Navy w 1847-48 zaraz po sukcesie Walkera i wprowadzeniu jego ulepszonej [lzejszej i poreczniejszej] wersji zwanej DRAGON ...Wiec wedlug amerykanskiej fachowej literatury w tym samym czasie powstaly nastepujace typy rewolwerow Colta -Dragon ,Navy [zwany komercyjnie przed wprowadzeniem do armi US i Marynarki -Belt- czyli do pasa !!!] oraz wersja mini czyli Pocket [zwany tez Baby Dragon lub Little Dragon]...dobra dajmy juz spokuj owym zawiloscia a zajmijmy sie rewolwerem typ Navy.Wiec seryjna produkcja Navy ruszyla w 1850 roku w fabryce Hartford i w 13.11.1850 roku Armia US zamawia probnie 500 sztuk owego rewolweru zwanego Belt po 13 $ za sztuke [inne zrudlo podaje ze 1000 sztuk ?!]...w 1851 roku przyjety zostaje na uzbrojenie US Navy gdyz dla kawalerji wydaje sie nieco za ''slaby kaliber'' , od 1850 do 1873 roku wyprodukowano go 215.348 sztuk w 4rech podstawowych wersjach produkcyjnych i kilku podtypach oraz kilku wersjach probnych.Jak wiadomo S.Colt byl w Europie juz w 1835 roku aby rarejestrowac swoj patent na nowa bron rewolwerowa [Angljia,Francja,Austrjia] w USA uzyskal patent dopiero w 1836 roku !!! A w 1849 znow przybyl na stary kontynent i w Austrji otworzyl PIERWSZA licencjonowana produkcje swych rewolwerow w Europie [Innsbruck]-byla to wersja w typie Navy , wyprodukowano tych rewolwerow nieco ponad 1000sztuk i przyjela je marynarka Austryjacka na Adrjiatyku [porty wojenne w Poli ,Triescie i Wenecji].Ogolnie wiadomo ze S.Colt byl w Europie w latach 1850tych az szesc razy !!!! Przypomne ze w 1851 odbyla sie wystawa broni w Londynie -nowe kontakty i zamowienia przyczynily sie do zalozenia fabryki filji w Londynie w 1853 roku.Posypaly sie zamowienia Europejskie na bron rewolwerowa ...i pierwszymi klijetami Colta byla Rosja zamawiajac pierwsze 4000 tys. szt. a nastepnie 5000 szt. dla floty a nastepnie 15.000 dla armi ladowej [kawalerja i oficerowie]. Londynska produkcja Navy od 1853 do 1856 to tylko 42 tys. sztuk z tego Armia Brytyjska dostaje 23.000 sztuk reszta idzie na wolny rynek w tym niewielka czesc do Rosji i marynarki Austryjackiej 496 sztuk CK KM. W 1854 wybucha tgz. Wojna Krymska pomiedzy Anglja [Francja-Austrjia -Wlochy] a carska Rosja [1853-1856 wlasciwe daty rozpoczecia i konca dzialan wojennych wszystkich stron tego konfliktu]. Nastepuje blokada dostaw broni do Rosji w tym z Liege i Londynu [Rewolwery] ....Rosja potajemnie prosi S.Colta o dostawy Rewolwerow i te Colt dostarcza KONTRABANDA morska poprzez Europe w tym Prusacy przejmuja okolo 3000 sztuk w 1855 lub 1856 roku , owy przemyt byl ukryty w balach bawelny na statku...te rewolwery nastepnie w czesci okolo 1000 sztuk przejela Pruska Marynarka a reszta zostala rozsprzedana oficerom w Berlinie itp. po 8 talarow za sztuke. Nr seryjne tej parti Navy to pomiedzy 31.ooo a 40.ooo. Owe feralne rewolwery byly z doposazeniem w kabury oraz liniowe ladowniki kapiszonow i zapasowe bebenki oraz prochownice. Rosja w 1855/56 roku miala dostac przemytem z USA okolo 6000 szt Navy a cala suma zakupow Rosji tego modelu rewolweru to okolo 100. ooo $ :zdziw: W 1855/56 wybucha afera i konflikt pomiedzy S.Coltem a Anglikami o owe przemyty broni do Rosji ....Colt ''zwija'' interes -fabryke w Londynie a MASZYNY IDA DO ROSJI DO TULY !!!! Rosja na tych AMERYKANSKICH maszynach wyprodukuje okolo 15.ooo rewolwerow typ Navy sygnowanych po Rosyjsku i w typie ostatniego 4tego typu Navy lecz z malym kablakiem spustowym i bardzo drobnymi zmianami [6 gwintow w lufie prawoskretnych, oczko na smycz pod raczka, brak grawery na bebnie ]....Niebylbym sobo jak bym niedopisal ze jak zwykle Ruscy sami nic nieumieja wyprodukowac :diabel: Dla smaczku dodam ze Armia US zakupila od Colta tylko 20.ooo sztuk a Marynarka 15.ooo sztuk rewolweru Navy :one: Czyli nikla czesc z wyprodukowanych 215 tysiecy :one:
Calkiem zapomnialem i musze uzupelnic powyszy tekst historyczno-bronioznawczy o Navy ....a wiec w tekscie niemieckim o zkonfiskowanej kontrabandzie rewolwerow Navy dla Rosji przez celnikow Pruskich w 1855 obie strony-kancelarje domawiaja sie ze ow przemyt niebyl dla Rosji tylo dla REWOLUCJONISTOW POLSKICH aby przy istniejacyn stanie neutralnosci [ wojna krymska] Prus w stosunku do Rosji niebylo w kwesti zarekwirowanej kontrabandy rewolwerow Navy reperkusji miedzynarodowych...Jak zwykle oba mocarstwa lubia sie dogadac ponad Naszymi glowami :diabelek:
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