A lot of time has passed since the creation of the first weapon. At one time, the revolver became one of the main ones for close combat. Its main feature was a rotating block of charging chambers, and its history begins at the end of the 16th century. But revolvers began to develop most actively in the 19th century. At that time, a lot of now popular models were released.
Weapons
Revolver speaks for itself, since this word is translated from English as "rotate". It is a melee weapon with multiple charges. Its main feature was the rotating drum. It has several chambers where ammunition is inserted.
The beginning of the history of the revolver
For the first time, such a mechanism was heard at the end of the 16th century, but then the drum was placed more often in a hunting rifle than in a pistol. This version of the weapon did not take root at that time, since its production was expensive and difficult.
The first was a flintlock revolver, which was patented by an American officer in 1818. Artemas Wheeler somehowgave a copy of his invention to Elisha Collier, who sailed to England and patented the weapon there in his name in the same year. There, Collier opens a factory for the production of a revolver, but an improved version.
Breakthrough
Revolvers of the 19th century were not only due to Wheeler and Collier. Much was decided by the invention of the primer, since many still wanted to achieve continuity of fire. It was from that moment that the mass production of such weapons began.
The first in this area was Samuel Colt, who already in 1836 opened a factory in the United States and developed his own design of revolvers. For about three decades, single-shot pistols were inferior to the novelty. Since so much really happened thanks to Colt, some credit him with the invention of this weapon.
Variety
Despite the fact that the revolvers of the 19th century were approximately similar to each other, since they had a similar design, later they began to be differentiated by the type of frame and trigger mechanism.
In general, the revolvers consisted of:
- trunk;
- drum with chambers;
- body;
- shitika;
- handles;
- frames.
But later pistols with a blank frame and a sliding one began to appear. In the first case, the extraction of used cartridge cases was carried out sequentially, and in the second - in one step using a breaking device or extension of the drum.
The cocking also differed depending on the firing mechanism. The revolvers were single, double action or self-cocking.
Weapons in the 19th century
Of course, weapons have evolved and improved over the course of their existence. Most actively it began to be produced in the 19th century. Revolvers at that time appeared almost every year, so there are a lot of models. But there were also the most memorable ones:
- Colt Paterson.
- Bundelrevolver Marietta.
- Colt Walker.
- Dreyse revolver.
- Smith & Wesson Model 1, 2 and 3.
- Lefaucheux M1858.
- Goltyakov's revolver.
- Galand.
- Colt Single Action Army.
- Price's revolver.
- Colt Buntline.
- Nagant M1886.
- Webley.
- Type 26.
- Colt New Service.
Colt Paterson
This is the first Colt revolver in the 19th century. In addition, this weapon was the first primer type, which Samuel Colt patented in 1836. This revolver got its name thanks to the city in which the manufactory was created. But later this gun began to be called "Texas", since it was in this republic that he gained great popularity.
At one time, Colt Paterson was used in the US Army, but not for long. It turned out that the weapon is unreliable and rather fragile. The Republic of Texas also purchased 180 copies. Although this particular model did not become particularly popular, it advertised Colt's subsequent work in advance.
Bundelrevolver Marietta
This is a 19th century Belgian revolver. His photo might surprise you.because the weapon looks very unusual. This is a six-barreled smoothbore pistol. First appeared in 1837.
This gun has six barrels, but they are not connected in one block. Each of them is screwed to the chambers and has its own primer. The barrels have four rectangular holes in the muzzle. The capsules are placed on the same axis as the barrels.
Colt Walker
This is another Colt work and another 19th century capsule revolver. It has a 44 caliber, an overall length of 39 cm and a barrel length of 23 cm. Samuel Walker and Samuel Colt worked on the pistol. It was this weapon that became the favorite for the famous actor Clint Eastwood.
The revolver appeared in 1847. The basis for its creation was Colt Paterson. Officer Walker came to Colt and offered to create a weapon that could be fired from a horse. Walker took the first 180 copies after production. Now this revolver continues its life, but already slightly modified. His replicas are still produced by some European and American factories.
Dreyse revolver
Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse - a famous gunsmith - once developed a needle weapon mechanism. His son Franz Dreyse further developed his father's idea and introduced the needle revolver in 1850.
In the elongated breech of the handle was a needle that served as a striker. On the left in the frame was a recess where the cartridges should be installed. The drum had room for six rounds, in rare cases for five. The position of the front sight could be adjusted horizontally. The drum was attached to the axle.
Pressing the trigger actuated the drum, then the spring was activated, which exposed the needle to the cocking. While the hook was returning to its position, the needle broke off the cocking, passed through the bottom of the paper cartridge, and then pricked the primer. This is how the shot happened.
Smith & Wesson Model
Smith and Wesson revolvers in the 19th century came out in several modifications. The first was a seven-shot sample, which was produced since 1857. It was the first commercially successful revolver. Its mechanism used a rimfire cartridge. Thus, it turned out to abandon gunpowder, bullets and primers as separate elements.
Smith & Wesson (S&W) Model 2 has been in production since 1876. This sample had five charges. The weapon was of a "breaking" type, the barrel lock moved up, next to the trigger. This version also has an increased caliber.
Smith & Wesson Model 3 entered service in 1869. Often this model is called Russian, since it was exported to the arsenal of the Russian Imperial Army. After that, special drawings were created by Russian engineers, and according to them, the countries began to manufacture these weapons themselves. Now you can also find small productions of this model for collectors.
Lefaucheux M1858
This weapon became famous in France thanks to Casimir Lefoche. The first version of the designer worked with a hairpin cartridge. After that, in 1853, the revolver was adopted in the country. This eventmarked the beginning of the use of this type of weapon in the army.
The 1858 version is fitted with an octagonal front sight barrel. The drum got ledges. When the cartridge hits the same line with the barrel, the drum is blocked. The trigger can be cocked manually. The spring protects the rod from accidentally hitting the drum.
By the way, Lefoshe's revolvers were also used by the army of the Russian Empire. The Officer Rifle School liked them and found them comfortable and simple.
Goltyakov's revolver
There were very few Russian revolvers of the 19th century. Often, foreign inventions or ready-made drawings were used in Russia. But in 1866, the Goltyakov revolver was released. This is a capsule model for five rounds. Produced at the Tula factory.
The pistol had a.44 caliber, one-piece closed steel frame, but was produced without a charging lever. The trigger mechanism is self-cocking, and the trigger did not have a spoke. The factory at one time produced 71 copies and demanded 15 rubles apiece.
Galand
Another Belgian revolver, which was released in 1868 under a patent. It is interesting that they worked on it for the Russian navy. Up to six 12-mm cartridges were placed in the drum.
The peculiarity of the revolver was in its unusual and capricious design. During reloading, part of the frame, the drum and the barrel were partially pushed forward. Weapons were made for special cartridges, which replaced hairpin ammunition. There were military samples fromcaliber 12 mm, and there were commercial ones - 7 and 9 mm.
Galan worked hard on revolvers. Therefore, several types of weapons came out in four years. The pistol of the 1868-1872 model was the first, followed by a pocket sample with reduced dimensions. There was also a "Baby" revolver, which turned out to be even smaller than the previous one.
Colt Single Action Army
This particular revolver model of the late 19th century was developed specifically at the request of the US government, and after a series of tests was adopted by the army. The weapon is a six-shot single action.
The revolver proved to be popular due to the fact that it was simple, but at the same time powerful and heavy. This weapon turned out to be prefabricated, as it was made according to several drawings of Colt. This is probably why the design and construction of the handle, partly the appearance of the trigger and the trigger mechanism have been preserved. To all this, a monolithic closed frame and the use of special cartridges were added.
Price's Revolver
Charles Price filed a patent for a new revolver, the production of which began in 1877 thanks to the Webley company. The weapon received a caliber of 14.6 mm. The cartridge itself was considered powerful even for a rifle. In the early 1860s, the British army adopted this caliber for rifles, and only after a while it became possible to use it for revolvers. Because of this size, the weapon received a very significant weight, as well as an impressive return, which made the shooters uncomfortable.
Colt Buntline
"Buntline" - modification of ColtSingle Action Army. It was developed on the basis of "peacemaker". It owes its name to the American writer Ned Buntline. The Buntline Special is another modification from 1873 that has a very long barrel, making the revolver itself look ridiculous.
Nagant M1886
Another revolver of the late 19th century, which was created for the Russian Empire. The weapon had seven charges, and the development was carried out by the brothers Emil and Leon Nagant. Model 1886 received a reduced weight, reliable and technological design. For example, it was decided to replace four springs with one double spring. It was decided to go in the direction of decreasing the caliber, so the revolver received 7.5 mm.
This revolver of the 19th century was especially popular in Russia. It began to be actively used in 1900. By 1914, almost 500 thousand copies were adopted for service. It is also believed that the Nagant became one of the symbols of the Russian Revolution. Due to the events of 1917, other models, and even self-loading pistols, were often named after this revolver.
Webley
This is a British weapon that has long been used by the countries of the British Commonwe alth. It is believed that the revolver was in service from 1887 to 1963. It was designed to be quick to reload and fire, so a break frame design was adopted.
During the First World War, this weapon proved to be the most popular. A cartridge of the same name was specially developed for it. Since that moment, this revolver has become the most powerful weapon of this design. Now,despite the fact that the cartridge was no longer produced, it is still used in service in a number of countries around the world.
After the cartridge of the same name was discontinued, it was decided to rework the weapon under.45 ACP.
Type 26
This weapon is also known as the Hino revolver. It was developed in Japan in 1893, and was also adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army. This model got its name due to the special chronology, which is still used in its homeland.
Initially, it was decided to take this revolver into service for the cavalry. In this case, a safety cord was used, attached to the ring on the handle. It is a breakaway type pistol and was somewhat similar to early Smith & Wesson models. The trigger worked without a spoke. For weapons used cartridges 9 × 22 mm R.
Colt New Service
This is one of the last 19th century revolvers in America. Then Colt was already working on it. It was produced from 1898 to 1940. His peculiarity was that he could use various cartridges. The revolver was adopted by the US Army and Navy.
Its design was not new: a monolithic solid frame, a drum that leans to the left. The double-action trigger was well thought out, so even with the hammer pre-cocked, it was possible to shoot accurately.
