The Colt Revolver
The story behind America’s most prized firearm.
Arguably the most well-known American firearm is the Colt revolver. Since the 1800s, the six-shooter has been synonymous with the image of the ragtag American cowboy.
The revolver is so named for the revolving cylinder that contains five to six chambers. Once fired, the chamber rotates the next bullet(s) into place. Although bulkier than a standard pistol, its simple design makes it popular with law enforcement and ideal for home defense (1).
Interestingly, the revolver’s concept was considered flawed for many years — if not centuries.
Gunsmiths experimented with revolving mechanisms for firearms as far back as 1530 (2). Several prototypes were produced until the 19th century with mixed results.
In the early 1800s, Elisa Collier introduced the first commercially viable revolver (3). Though 10,000 models were distributed, his model was prone to misfires.
It wasn’t until a sailor-turned-inventor named Samuel Colt (b. 1814) entered the scene that the revolver finally saw its day (4). As a teenage sailor, Colt took interest in how the ship’s wheel spun and could be locked into position with a clutch.
