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- Ancient Firearms
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- Seeds of Greatness
- The Prospering New Republic
- A Nation Asunder
- The American West
- Innovation, Oddities and Competition
- Theodore Roosevelt, Elegant Arms
- World War I and Firearms Innovation
- WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Beyond
- For the Fun of It
- Firearms Traditions for Today
- William B. Ruger Special Exhibits
- Freedom's Doorway
Colt Special Model 1861 Contract Rifle-Musket
Colt patterned this rifled musket on the British Enfield Model 1853 design. Some of its design features were later incorporated into the U.S. Model 1861 rifle. Among these were the "S"-shaped hammer, the elimination of the bolster clean-out screw, and split barrel bands which were secured by screws rather than bandsprings. Although of similar design, parts were not interchangeable between the Colt Special Musket and the U.S. Models 1861 and 1863 Rifle-Muskets.
Colt Model 1861 Special Muskets were produced throughtout the
Civil War period. Colt contracts with Federal and state governments
resulted in the manufacture of approximately 100,000 muskets. These
arms had some features common to the British Enfield rifle-muskets
that were widely imported during the War. Among these were the
S-shaped hammer (later adopted for the U.S. Model 1863
Rifle-Musket), and the use of screws rather than springs to secure
the barrel bands. The general shape of the stock, the .58 caliber
bore, and the short-base three-leaf rear sight were all similar to
those of the U.S. Model 1861 Rifle-Musket.
Although Colt was the largest single manufacturer of these arms,
other contractors, including Amoskeag and E. G. Lamson, produced an
additional 50,000 Model 1861 Special Muskets.
Samuel Colt was born in Hartford, Connecticut on July 19, 1814. He
showed an early fascination with science, and during his youth,
Colt studied both chemistry and mechanics. While still a boy, he
attempted to produce a pistol that was capable of firing multiple
shots without reloading, but his efforts were unsuccessful. In
1830-31, while the sixteen year-old Colt was serving as a seaman
aboard the brig Corvo, he observed the ship's wheel and the
relationship of the various spokes to the center hub. This inspired
him to make a wooden model of a revolving pistol. Although others
had already experimented with revolvers, Colt's design was the
first to automatically rotate the cylinder when the gun was
cocked.
After his return to the United States, he showed his model to his
father, Christopher, and to Henry L. Ellsworth, a friend of the
elder Colt who was then serving as Commissioner at the U.S. Patent
Office in Washington. Both men encouraged Samuel to continue with
his work and to seek a patent for his design. At this point in his
life, Colt had an idea but no money with which to proceed on his
new career path. For the next four years, he worked the traveling
show circuit as "Dr. Coult of Calcutta." His lectures and
demonstration of nitrous oxide to crowds in the U.S. and Canada
provided a source of capital, which was forwarded to gunsmiths who
produced working versions of his firearms designs. In addition to
the money he received, this period in his life also provided Colt
with valuable experience in public speaking, marketing, and public
relations.
At age 20, Colt gave up touring and, with borrowed money, traveled
to Europe to secure English and French patents for his revolving
pistol. Upon his return to the United States in 1836, he also
received a U.S. patent. In March, 1836, Colt formed the Patent Arms
Company and began operation in an unused silk mill along the banks
of the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey. His first product was
a ring-lever revolving rifle, available in .34, .36, .38, .40, and
.44 caliber, in which a ring located forward of the trigger served
to cock the hammer and advance the cylinder for each shot. This was
soon followed with a revolving pistol. These five-shot "Paterson"
revolvers featured folding triggers, and were available both with
and without loading levers in .28, .31, and .36 caliber. Patent
Arms also produced smoothbore revolving carbines and
shotguns.
The outbreak of war between the U.S. government and the Seminole
tribe provided Colt with his first break. Seminole warriors had
learned that soldiers were vulnerable while reloading their
single-shot firearms, and they developed a tactic of drawing fire,
then rushing the temporarily defenseless soldiers and wiping them
out before they could fire a second volley. Colt's revolving rifles
were quite effective against this, and the Army purchased his
products for use by troops in the Florida campaign.
Unfortunately for the young inventor and businessman, the Patent
Arms Company went bankrupt and ceased operation in 1842. The
company's assets were sold at auction, and Colt turned his
attention to other areas, including the use of electric current
from galvanic batteries to detonate underwater explosive mines. The
U.S. government was sufficiently interested in this idea that Colt
received funding to continue his work for possible use in harbor
defense.
During this period, Colt met Captain Sam Walker of the Texas
Rangers. Walker and his fellow Rangers had experience with Colt's
Paterson revolvers, and one Paterson-armed troop of 15 men under
the command of Jack Hays had successfully charged and defeated 80
Comanches, then considered to be the finest light cavalry in the
world. Walker believed that an improved version of the earlier
revolver would be an asset on the frontier. The two men designed a
massive 4 pound, 9-ounce .44 caliber six-shot revolver, and the
government ordered 1,000 of them for issue to mounted troops. Since
Colt no longer had a manufacturing facility, he contracted with Eli
Whitney of Whitneyville, Connecticut, to produce these guns. This
order was completed in 1847, and Colt once again devoted himself to
firearms production.
He established a new factory in Hartford during that same year,
and began production of a smaller, lighter .44 caliber revolver.
These so-called "transitional Walkers" were followed by the First,
Second, and Third Model Dragoon revolvers, as well by as the Baby
Dragoon, the Model 1849 Pocket Revolver, and the Model 1851 Navy
Revolver. Many of these guns saw service through the Civil War and
beyond. The discovery of gold in California stimulated the demand
for firearms, and Colt also received orders from Russia and Turkey
during the Crimean War. He expanded his operations to England,
operating a manufacturing plant in London between 1853 and
1857.
By this time, Colt operated the world's largest private armory,
and he had introduced standardized production, division of labor,
and assembly-line mass-production methods to his factory. In 1855,
Colt introduced a spur trigger revolver that featured a
fully-enclosed cylinder. These sidehammer, or "Root" revolvers,
were named for Elisha K. Root, a noted inventor and holder of the
sidehammer patent, who at that time was employed as Colt's factory
superintendent and Chief Engineer. Colt also produced the
sidehammer Model 1855 rifles and carbines for military and sporting
use, as well as a revolving shotgun. In failing health, Colt
expanded his factory on the eve of the Civil War, and began
production of a new, lightweight .44 caliber Army revolver,
followed a year later by a .36 caliber Navy version.
Samuel Colt died in Hartford on January 10, 1862 at the age of 47.
Although he did not see the end of the Civil War, his products
played an important role in its outcome. During the war, the
Hartford factory produced revolvers, as well as the Colt Special
Musket, based on the government's Springfield Rifle-Musket. The
Model 1860 Army revolver was the primary issue revolver for U.S.
troops, while other Colt revolvers were acquired through private
purchase. The Colt Special Musket was issued to state troops, and
the Model 1855 Revolving Rifle saw service with both Union infantry
and cavalry, as well as with Colonel Hiram Berdan's United States
Sharp Shooters.
Colt firearms have continued to play a significant role in
America's history. The post-Civil War period brought with it a
variety of metallic cartridge revolvers, including conversions of
percussion arms. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Single
Action Army revolver, often known popularly as the "Peacemaker,"
which saw widespread use in the hands of soldiers, settlers,
gunslingers, and peace officers. Colt also produced a variety of
other handguns, ranging from their deringer models to a line of .44
and .45 double-action revolvers. The slide-action Lightning rifles
competed for a place in the market dominated by Winchester's
lever-action models.
In the 20th century, Colt-produced arms have served with U.S. and
foreign forces in two World Wars, as well as a variety of limited
conflicts. The John Browning-designed M1911 semi-automatic pistol
is still in use after more than 70 years, and Colt machine guns,
also designed by Browning and manufactured under license, saw use
in everything from infantry positions to armored vehicles,
aircraft, and ships. The Hartford-based company, now a division of
C.F. Holding Corporation, also produces the M16 battle rifle that
is currently used by both U.S. and foreign military forces. In
addition to military sales, Colt's revolvers, and the company's
semi-automatic pistols and rifles are popular with law enforcement
agencies and with competitive and recreational shooters.