Colt Navy 1851 Revolver of the Year (Colt 1851 Navy)
Revolvers Colt Walker and Colt Dragoon about which the site HistoryPistols.ru already told quite massive. Considering their size and weight, as a rule, they were the arms of the riders and transported in mounted holsters. The revolver Colt Baby Dragoon is more compact, but its 0,31 caliber corresponds only arms self defense.
The need for a revolver, which could be carried in a belt holster and would be powerful enough, prompted Colt to develop a new weapon.
The Colt Navy 1851 of the Year Revolver (Colt 1851 Navy) was designed by Samuel Colt between the 1847 and the 1850 year. The Colt Navy 1851 of the .36 caliber is much lighter than Walker or Dragoon and much more powerful than Baby Dragoon. The total length of the weapon 330, mm, barrel length 190 mm, weight 1190 grams. The revolver is quite conveniently placed on a belt in a holster.
Samuel Colt originally called the weapon New size Ranger revolver (revanger Renger new size) or simply Ranger. This is certainly not by chance, since the new Colt was mainly intended for the Texas Rangers.
However, ordinary people find a lighter name for weapons. It is associated with the image of a naval battle on the surface of the drum. The revolver began to be called Colt Navy (Colt Naval fleet) The name was so fixed to the weapon that from now on any revolvers made under 36 caliber were also called marine - Navy (for example: Remington Navy .36).
According to historians, the Colt 1851 Navy could have been released back in 1847, but the production facilities of the Colt company were loaded with numerous orders for the Colt Dragoon. For this reason, the production of the Colt Nevi began only in the 1851 year, in connection with which this figure appeared in the name of the weapon.
Colt received a patent 10 September 1850 of the year, in which structural changes were made to the design of the weapon. The design changes were also related to the increased safety of the handling of weapons. Fundamentally, the design of the revolver has not changed. Colt 1851 Navy is very reminiscent of the Colt Dragoon.
The combustion products of black powder settled on the details of the weapon, which required regular cleaning and lubrication of the revolver. The Colt Navy 1851 of the Year is easily disassembled, like its predecessors, which is very convenient for maintenance.
The Colt Navy 1851 revolver of the year consists of a barrel, a frame, a drum, a firing mechanism, a drum turning mechanism, a loader, and a crank. The handle of a revolver of private execution is made of walnut wood.
The barrel of the revolver is octahedral with a protrusion in the lower part for fastening the lever for loading and fixing in the frame. At the top of the barrel at the muzzle cut is a front sight.
In the stowed position, the trigger needle closes the aiming line. After the trigger is set on the combat platoon, the slot in its upper part serves as a pillar.
As a rule, the heads of all mounting screws are located on the left side of the revolver.
Under the barrel there is a lever for equipping the drum chamber. The front part of the lever in the stowed position is held by a special lock installed in the lower part of the barrel at the muzzle.
The lever is hinged in the protrusion under the barrel of the weapon.
On the right side of the frame in the breech there is a groove for fitting the drum brand tubes with caps. On the protrusion of the barrel on the right side, in front of the drum there is also a recess for placing bullets in front of the lever to load the drum chamber.
Fixing the barrel of a revolver in the frame is carried out using a special wedge that enters the groove of the protrusion under the barrel on the left side of the weapon.
A correctly installed wedge presses the frame of the revolver through the axis of rotation of the drum to its barrel, rigidly fixing the details of the weapon without gaps and backlashes.
The drum is cylindrical in shape, has six chambers. The jumpers between the branded tubes in the back of the drum do not allow the trigger to hit the primer until the drum chamber is positioned clearly against the barrel. This design significantly increases the security of the shooter.
Depending on the model, various engraved drawings were made on the drums of the Colt's revolvers. For example, an advertising poster with images of the engraving surfaces of the drums.
The drum of the Colt Navy 1851 revolver of the year engraved a naval battle scene depicting the victory of the Navy of the Republic of Texas over the Mexican navy at the battle of Campeche 16 in May, 1843 of the year.
This battle is famous for being the only maritime battle in which sailing ships confronted steam-powered ships.
Marking on the details of the revolver Colt 1851 Navy is a serial number and brand. Serial numbers are inscribed in the lower part of the handle and the frame of the weapon, on the lower protrusion of the barrel, the front part of the trigger guard, the lower part of the drum axis and on the surface of the drum after the text "COLTS PATENT No.". On the upper edge of the barrel is marked as the text "ADDRESS COL. SAML COLT NEW - YORK US AMERICA". On the left side of the frame, under the drum, the text in two lines “COLTS / PATENT” is visible. The caliber of the 36 CAL weapon is indicated on the left above the rear pillar of the trigger guard.
The revolver was completed with a leather holster, which was attached to the waist belt. The cost of such a holster with a belt in the US antiques market varies between 400-800 dollars.
As a rule, a powder flask, a pulleigh and a set of primers were supplied with any Colt revolver.
Despite the relatively small size of the Colt 1851 Navy is still a heavy weapon. For the convenience of aimed fire on some revolvers installed attachment butts. To install the butt on the sides of the breech frame, special grooves were made into which the upper part of the butt base was inserted.
An additional screw was installed in the frame to restrict the movement of the butt base. After installing the butt, it was attached with a nut and a lower clamp, which pressed the butt to the handle. Here is an example of a Colt Navy 1851 pistol with 68220 serial number.
The Colt Nevi 1851 revolver of the year became the second most popular Colt revolver, giving up only to the 1849 Pocket Revolver of the year (Model 1849 Pocket Revolver). Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, in the period from 1850 to 1873, produced 215 348 copies of the Colt 1851 Navy. Approximately another 42 000 revolvers were made in Britain at Colt's London Armory.
Colt Navy 1851 produced of course and in the piece, gift design.
The unique engraving of the frame and other parts of the weapon, the use of precious metals to cover the surface of the drum or other parts of the revolver, this is not a complete list of the possible design of weapons for individual orders.
Often the cheeks of the arms of such weapons were made of bone and covered with elaborate carvings.
The average price of a Colt 1851 Navy revolver gun auction ranges from 2 000 to 4 000 dollars. However, for a rare weapon with a unique design, the price in the original weapon box can reach several tens of thousands of dollars. At one of the American auctions put a revolver, presented by Colt as a token of gratitude to Silas Cole. Cole (Silas Cole), a Canadian lawyer, was hired by Colt as a patent attorney. The price for this revolver is 85 000 dollars.
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