Colt 1851 Navy Revolver facts for kids
The Colt Revolving Belt Pistol or Navy Pistol was a type of revolver designed by Samuel Colt. He created it between 1847 and 1850. Colt first called this revolver the Ranger Size model. Later, it was known as the Revolving Belt. However, the name "Navy" quickly became the most popular.
This pistol used a "cap and ball" system. This means you loaded it with loose gunpowder and a lead ball. A small percussion cap on the back of the cylinder would ignite the powder.
After the American Civil War, new revolvers became popular. These newer guns used fixed metal cartridges. The Colt Navy was made until 1873. It was then replaced by the famous Colt Single Action Army. This new gun was also known as the Peacemaker or Colt 45.
About 215,000 Colt 1851 Navy Revolvers were made in the United States. Another 42,000 were produced in Colt's factory in London, England.
Contents
The Colt Navy revolver had six shots. It fired a .36-caliber bullet. This gun was much lighter than the bigger Colt Dragoon Revolvers. Those larger revolvers were often carried in holsters on a horse's saddle. The Colt Navy was easy to carry in a belt holster. This made it very popular in North America during the time of Western expansion. Colt also worked hard to sell these revolvers across Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Design and Features
The cylinder of this revolver has a special engraving. It shows a scene from the Naval Battle of Campeche in 1843. This battle was a victory for the Second Texas Navy. The Texas Navy had bought earlier Colt revolvers. So, the engraving was Colt's way of saying thank you. Even though it was called "Navy," most of these revolvers were bought by regular people and soldiers on land.
The .36-caliber bullet was a round lead ball. It weighed about 80 grains. It could travel at about 1,000 feet per second. This power was similar to a modern .380 pistol cartridge. People loaded these guns with loose powder and a ball. They also used special paper cartridges during the Civil War. A small percussion cap on the back of each chamber would make the gun fire.
How to Aim
To aim the Colt Navy, you used a small brass cone at the front of the barrel. There was also a notch at the top of the hammer. Even though it was a simple aiming system, these revolvers were usually very accurate.
Over time, guns changed. The first Colt revolver that used metal cartridges was the Thuer-Conversion Model. This design was special because it didn't copy another company's patent. A small number of Model 1851 Navy revolvers were changed to use these new cartridges.
Later, after a patent called the Rollin White patent ended in 1869, more changes happened. Colt 1851 revolvers were either upgraded or newly made to fire .38 rimfire or centerfire cartridges. These upgraded guns were called the Colt Model 1851 Richards-Mason Conversion.
Many famous people used the Colt Navy. These included:
- Wild Bill Hickok
- Buffalo Bill Cody
- John Henry "Doc" Holliday
- Richard Francis Burton
- Ned Kelly
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Robert E. Lee
- Most Texas Rangers before the Civil War
People kept using this revolver for a long time. Even after newer cartridge revolvers came out, it was still in use. For example, the Ottoman Empire used it during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78.
You might also recognize this gun from movies! The fictional character The Man With No Name uses a converted Navy revolver in the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Images for kids
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Combustible paper cartridges; six to a box
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Loading sequence for percussion revolvers
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Early Colt Navy Mod 1851, Second Model squareback trigger guard
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Colt Navy 51, Gustav Young engraving
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Top: Navy 51 .38 Conversion, below Colt Model 1871-72 Open Top
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A pair of Colt 1848 Dragoon sent by Abraham Lincoln to Emir Abdelkader for having protected Christians in the 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war.
