The Colt Six-Shooter
The colt six shooter will always be a legend to Texas.
Whether you know it as an accurate, cowboy, Texas Ranger, gun-
slinging, out West, corral gun, or as a little protection, the
colt will never be forgotten in Texas.
Sam Colt is known as the inventor of the first revolving
firearm. Sam's mother died when he was six and his father owned a
silk mill in Ware, Massachusetts. When Sam Colt was seven, he was
fascinated by guns. He took apart his father's gun in a field
and was able to successfully rebuild it. Science, adventures of
an active life, and mechanics were all the favorite passions of
young Samuel Colt.
During 1830 - 1831, Sam Colt was abroad at sea. It was
during these years that Samuel first conceived the idea of a
revolving firearm. Some think it may have come from watching the
revolving wheel of the ship, turning and locking. While on
board ship, Sam must have seen other revolving firearms in
London or India. Sam carved a wooden model of his ideal gun
while he was at sea. None of what Sam may have previously seen
on revolving guns could have led to his invention. His ideas were
not copied from any source, even though the revolving idea was
not unique.
When Sam arrived home from sea, he showed the wooden
model to his father and a family friend. This friend was Henry
Ellsworth, Commissioner of the United States Patent Office.
Both Sam's father and Mr. Ellsworth were greatly impressed by the
model. They encouraged Sam to file for a patent for his
revolving firearm.
On February of the 25, in the year 1835, the first United
States patent was granted for a colt revolver. The patent that
Samuel received covered eight basic features. First, the
application of caps at the end of the gun cylinder. Second, the
application of a partition between the caps, as well as other
basic ideas. The other areas of the patent cover the
application of certain parts of the gun, the principle of
locking and turning the cylinder , and all of the basic revolver
parts.
In 1848, the new pocket model revolver was introduced. Colt
devised an alternative means of loading the gun - removing the
barrel and cylinder, and either switching an empty cylinder for a
loaded one or using the axis pin as a ramrod. This gun was
nicknamed the "Baby Dragoon" because it resembled the bigger
Dragoon. The pocket-sized pistols had a larger span of appeal to
the public. Even Sam Houston of Texas ordered a Baby Dragoon
from his friend Sam Colt.
Houston told Colt, "(If) you have a small pistol, or will
soon have one made of choice quality, I wish you to bring it with
you as I wish to purchase one. I did not know (of them) until a
few days since- I then saw one for the first time and was
greatly pleased with it." The type seen be Houston was an
actual Baby Dragoon with a square-back trigger guard and a Texas
Ranger scene on the cylinder. This particular scene was of a
Texas Ranger and an Indian in a fight scene.
The colt revolver served a great purpose for the Texas
Rangers. This pocket-sized gun could be casually carried around
and easily reloaded. The beauty of the gun was its six
consecutive shots and its precise accuracy. The Texas Rangers
and other Texas gunslingers know Colt as the "cream of the crop"
in gun making, supreme revolving techniques and great precision
make Colt the number one gun for Texans.
Bibliography:
1. The Handbook of Texas, p 382
The Texas Historical Association
2. Colt : An American Legend, all pages
Wilson Publishings ; Robert Lawrence Wilson
3. How It Works, p 3240
H.S. Stuttman Inc.
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