The history of mankind is the history of wars. Throughout its existence, people have repeatedly entered into armed confrontations. Over time, technology improved, methods and means of warfare changed. The Colt revolver with its appearance marked another milestone in the development of weapons, laying new principles in the design of pistols. Its creation was accompanied by a number of interesting facts that will be described in this article.
First pistols
This type of firearm has been known since the 15th century. The first samples were single-shot. Black powder was used as the explosive , and the lead element was usually a lead ball. The gun was loading from the barrel. Ignition of the powder occurred using a special device called a lock. Since the 18th century, pistols were equipped with silicon-type locks. The development of technology led to the appearance of the first revolvers, i.e. models with a drum mechanism. Initially, such a weapon was not widespread, since a complex loading system did not provide fast continuous firing. Everything changed after the invention in 1807 of capsular detonation of powder composition. This principle of shooting opened up wide prospects for the revolver. Now the main question was who would be the first to introduce this technology into production and organize the production of new revolvers on an industrial scale.
Future gun king
Samuel Colt was born in the family of the manufacturer Christopher Colt on July 19, 1814. From a young age, Sam was attracted to weapons. He studied with great interest the various models of the time. The knowledge gained was subsequently useful when the first Colt revolver was created. In addition, a number of observations made during the service as a sailor on the Corvo merchant ship helped Samuel rethink the design of the pistol. His attention was drawn to the mechanism of raising the ship's anchor, which carried out rotation only in one direction. He also became interested in the helm device with fixing the position after the turn. The operating principles of these mechanisms were incorporated into the Colt capsule revolver, patented in 1835 in England. A year later, a patent was obtained in the United States.
Industrial production
In 1847, Colt registered his own company. He opened his first weapons workshop in Patterson. The new Colt revolver produced in the workshop was notable for its quick shooting and good firepower. Despite this, at first the company had serious sales problems. The situation was changed by the incident that occurred with a group of Texas rangers. With a Colt revolver as their primary weapon, 16 law enforcers ran into 80 Indians. The Rangers came out of the fray with the winners, without losing a single person. Such success provided the gunsmith with an order for 1,000 units for the Texas Expeditionary Force, and also laid the foundation for further cooperation with the US government. The conflict with Mexico and the domestic civil war further strengthened the financial position of the manufacturer. Revolver Colt became a real symbol of America. For ordinary citizens, it was an effective means of self-defense, and sometimes a survival factor in difficult times.