A lot of time has passed since the creation of the first weapon. At one time, the revolver became one of the main for close combat. Its main feature was the rotating block of charging chambers, and its history begins from the end of the XVI century. But revolvers began to develop most actively in the 19th century. At that time, a lot of now popular models were released.
Weapon
The revolver speaks for itself, since this word is translated from English as “rotate”. This is a melee weapon with multiple charges. Its main feature was a rotating drum. It has several chambers where ammunition is inserted.
Beginning of revolver history
For the first time such a mechanism was heard at the end of the XVI century, but then the drum was placed more often in a hunting rifle than in a pistol. Such a variant of the weapon did not take root at that time, since its production was expensive and complicated.
The first was a flintlock revolver, which was patented by an American officer in 1818. Artemas Wheeler somehow handed over a copy of his invention to Elisha Collier, who sailed to England and patented weapons there in his own name the same year. There, Collier opens a revolver factory, but an already improved version.
Breakthrough
Revolvers of the 19th century appeared not only thanks to Wheeler and Collier. The invention of the capsule decided a lot, since many still wanted to achieve firing continuity. From that moment began the mass production of such weapons.
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 much has really developed thanks to Colt, some attribute it to him to invent this weapon.
Diversity
Despite the fact that the 19th century revolvers were approximately similar to each other, since they had a similar design, they later began to differentiate according to the type of frame and trigger mechanism.
In general, the revolvers consisted of:
- trunk;
- drum with cameras;
- body;
- shitika;
- handles;
- framework.
But later pistols with a blank frame and a sliding began to appear. In the first case, the extraction of used shells was carried out sequentially, and in the second - in one step using a tipping device or extending the drum.
The erection of the trigger also varied depending on the trigger mechanism. Revolvers were single, double acting or self-cocking.
Weapons in the 19th century
Of course, during its existence, weapons developed and improved. Most actively it began to be produced in the 19th century. Revolvers appeared at that time almost every year, so there are a lot of models. But there were the most memorable:
- Colt Paterson.
- Bunderevolver Marietta.
- Colt Walker.
- Revolver Draise.
- Smith & Wesson Model 1,2 and 3.
- Lefaucheux M1858.
- Revolver Goltyakova.
- Galand.
- Colt Single Action Army.
- Price 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 capsule type that Samuel Colt patented in 1836. This revolver got its name thanks to the city in which the manufactory was created. But later this pistol began to be called "Texas", since it was in this republic that it 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 quite fragile. The Republic of Texas also purchased 180 copies. Although this particular model did not become particularly popular, it previously advertised Colt's subsequent work.
Bunderevolver Marietta
This is a 19th century Belgian revolver. A photo of him may be surprising, since the weapon looks very unusual. This is a six-barrel smoothbore gun. First appeared in 1837.
This gun has six barrels, but they are not connected in one block. Each of them is screwed to the chamber and have their own capsule. The trunks have four rectangular holes in the barrel. Capsules are placed on the same axis as the trunks.
Colt walker
This is another Colt work and another 19th century capsule revolver. It has a 44th caliber, a total 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 favorite for the famous actor Clint Eastwood.
A revolver appeared in 1847. The basis for its creation was Colt Paterson. Officer Walker came to Colt and suggested creating a weapon that could be shot from a horse. The first 180 copies after the production took Walker. Now this revolver continues its life, but already slightly modified. His replicas are still produced by some manufactures in Europe and America.
Revolver Draise
Johann Nicolaus von Dreise - a famous weapons master - at one time developed a needle weapon mechanism. His son, Franz Draise, finalized the idea of his father and introduced in 1850 a needle revolver.
In the elongated breech of the handle was a needle that served as a drummer. To the left in the frame was a recess where cartridges should be installed. A drum took place for six rounds, in rare cases for five. The position of the front sight could be adjusted horizontally. The drum was attached to the axis.
Pressing the trigger actuated the drum, then the spring was activated, which put the needle on the cock. While the hook was returning to its position, the needle broke from the platoon, passed through the bottom of the paper cartridge, and then pierced the capsule. And so the shot happened.
Smith & Wesson Model
Revolvers Smith and Wesson in the 19th century came 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 ring ignition cartridge. Thus, it turned out to abandon gunpowder, bullets and capsules as separate elements.
Smith & Wesson (S&W) Model 2 has been released since 1876. This sample had five charges. The weapon was of a "tipping" type, the barrel lock moved up, next to the trigger. Also in this version the caliber has increased.
Smith & Wesson Model 3 began to operate in 1869. Often this model is called Russian, because it was exported to the arsenal of the Russian Imperial Army. After that, special drawings were created by Russian engineers, and according to them, countries began to make these weapons themselves. Now you can also find small production of this model for collectors.
Lefaucheux m1858
This weapon became known 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 event marked the beginning of the use of this type of weapon in the army.
The 1858 version is equipped with an octagonal barrel with a front sight. The drum got ridges. When the cartridge falls in line with the barrel, the drum is blocked. The trigger can be cocked manually. A spring protects the shaft from being accidentally hit in the drum.
By the way, the Lefoshe revolvers were also used by the army of the Russian Empire. They were liked by Officer Rifle School and were considered comfortable and simple.
Revolver Goltyakova
There were very few Russian revolvers of the 19th century. Often in Russia they used foreign inventions or ready-made drawings. But in 1866, the Goltyakov revolver was released. This is a five-round capsule model. Produced at the Tula factory.
The pistol had a 44th caliber, an integral closed steel frame, but was issued without a charging lever. The trigger mechanism is self-cocking, and the trigger did not have a spoke. The factory at the time released 71 copies and demanded 15 rubles apiece.
Galand
Another Belgian revolver, which was issued in 1868 for a patent. Interestingly, they worked on it for the Russian Navy. Up to six cartridges of 12 mm caliber were placed in the drum.
The peculiarity of the revolver was in its unusual and capricious design. During reloading, part of the frame, drum and barrel partially advanced. Weapons were manufactured under special cartridges that replaced the hairpin ammunition. There were military samples with a caliber of 12 mm, and there were commercial ones - 7 and 9 mm.
Galan worked a lot on revolvers. Therefore, over four years, several types of weapons came out. The first was a pistol of the sample of 1868-1872, followed by a pocket sample with a reduced size. There was also a Baby revolver, which turned out to be even smaller than the previous one.
Colt single action army
Specifically, this model of a revolver of the late 19th century was developed specifically at the request of the US government, and after a series of tests it was adopted by the army. Six-shot single-action weapon.
The revolver was popular because it was simple, but at the same time powerful and heavy. This weapon turned out to be prefabricated, since it was manufactured 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, have been preserved. To all this was added a monolithic closed frame and the use of special cartridges.
Price 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 such a caliber for rifles, and only after a while it became possible to use it for revolvers. Because of these sizes, the weapon received very significant weight, as well as impressive returns, which made the shooters uncomfortable.
Colt buntline
Buntline is a modification of the Colt Single Action Army. It was developed on the basis of the “peacemaker”. His name is due to the American writer Ned Buntlein. The Buntline Special is another modification of 1873 that received a very long barrel, so the revolver itself looks ridiculous.
Nagant M1886
Another revolver of the late 19th century, which was created for the Russian Empire. The weapon had seven charges, and the brothers Emil and Leon Nagan were engaged in the development. The 1886 model received a reduced weight, reliable and technological design. For example, it was decided to replace four springs with one two-feather. It was decided to go in the direction of reducing the caliber, so the revolver got 7.5 mm.
This 19th century revolver in Russia was especially popular. Actively began to use it in 1900. By 1914, almost 500 thousand copies were adopted. It is also believed that "Nagan" has become one of the symbols of the Russian Revolution. Because of the events of 1917, other models, and even self-loading pistols, were often called the name of this revolver.
Webley
This is a British weapon that has been used by the countries of the British Commonwealth for a long time. It is believed that the revolver was in service from 1887 to 1963. It was designed for quick reloading and shooting, so the tipping frame scheme was applied.
During the First World War, this weapon was the most popular. A cartridge of the same name was specially developed for it. From that moment on, this revolver became the most powerful weapon of this design. Now, despite the fact that the cartridge is no longer produced, it is still used in service in several countries around the world.
After the cartridge of the same name was discontinued, it was decided to redesign the weapon under the .45 ACP.
Type 26
This weapon is also known as the Hino revolver. It was developed in Japan in 1893, and also adopted by the Imperial Army of Japan. This model got its name due to the special chronology, which is still used in his homeland.
Initially, this revolver was decided to be adopted by the cavalry. In this case, a safety cord was used, attached to the ring on the handle. This is a pistol of a flail type and was a bit like the earlier 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 strong frame, a drum leaning to the left. The double-action trigger was well thought out, so even with a preliminary cocking of the trigger it was possible to shoot accurately.