Percussion revolver
A percussion revolver is a revolver in which a percussion lock ignites a separate primer for the propellant charge of the projectile . They are muzzle-loaders and represent the link between the first multi-shot handguns , such as the bundle revolver , and modern breech- loaders for metal cartridges .
In contrast to the breech-loading revolver that is common today, propellant charges and projectiles resp. the paper cartridges are inserted from the front into the chambers of the revolver drum. At the rear end of each chamber a piston for the primer was screwed in, which ignited the propellant charge through an ignition hole.
history
In 1835, Samuel Colt, only 21 years old, applied for a patent in the UK for a revolver known as the Colt Paterson. By filing in the UK, he kept the option of filing the same patent in France and the United States. Conversely, this would not have been possible for legal reasons. Since other inventors of this time rarely applied for patents in several countries, it can be assumed that Colt wanted to market his invention internationally, including with the military.
British patent no. 6,906 dated October 22, 1835 and US patent no. 9.430x dated February 25, 1836 secured him the sole implementation of a number of ideas until 1856. These mainly concerned the separation of the primer caps as protection against simultaneous ignition of several drum bores and the movement and locking of the drum, i.e. the exact positioning of the drum bore in front of the barrel.
According to a legend about this invention, Samuel Colt came up with this idea when he was traveling by ship from England to the USA in 1834. He watched as the helmsman locked his steering wheel with the help of a wooden bolt from below. This kept the rudder straight and the ship on course. Colt was enthusiastic about this mechanism and immediately carved a model of his idea. In the same year he had a model made by the gunsmith John Pearson. However, it is also suggested that Colt may have seen a latch revolver from before 1650 at the Royal United Service Museum in Whitehall. This rifle in .500 caliber has a lot in common with the revolver developed by Colt in terms of drum locking.
Colt's cousin Dudley Selden was tasked with founding the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company . Based in Paterson, New Jersey , the inventor wanted the company to sell Colt percussion revolvers and revolver rifles to the military. However, the investors demanded a quick implementation and servicing of the private arms market. The result was a hasty introduction, so the U.S. Army rejected the weapon in June 1837. To reload the Colt Paterson had to be dismantled and there were extensive accessories that could get lost in everyday troops. In addition, the weapon was viewed as too expensive and complex to be mass-produced. Eventually the company had to close in 1841.
When the war with Mexico began in 1846, the Texas government already had a number of Colt Paterson revolvers. After talks with Captain Samuel H. Walker, on January 4, 1847, a contract was signed between Samuel Colt and the US government for 1000 .44 caliber revolvers. Since Colt did not have its own manufacturing facility, the guns were manufactured in Eli Whitney's arms factory in Whitneyville, Hamden, Connecticut . They became known as the Whitneyville Walker revolvers. From July 1847, the weapons with the official designation Colt Model 1847 Army Revolver were delivered.
Important improvements to the Whitneyville Walker compared to the Paterson were its greater robustness and the possibility of a heavier load, even if this had to be bought at the expense of additional weight. The weapon now weighed more than 2 kg . Instead of a retractable trigger, it had a trigger protected by a trigger guard. In addition, the loading lever, which was previously supplied as an accessory, is now hinged directly to the weapon under the barrel.
Samuel Colt was more cautious on his next attempt than on his first attempt at Paterson. As contractually agreed, Colt was able to take over the machines and tools from Eli Whitney and resume production in Hartford, Connecticut, this time under his own direction. His company, founded in 1847, was smaller, firmly in his hands and located in rented premises in Hartford. As early as December 1847, the order for 1,000 more revolvers for the US Army was received. Many production orders were subcontracted.
A total of over 7000 revolvers of the successor model Dragoon (also: Old Model Army , six-shot: Model 1848) were sold to the US Army, together with civilian production over 20,000 Dragoons were made.
In addition to the actual weapon, Colt also advanced industrial production, which was reflected not only in larger production numbers, but also in the interchangeability of parts and thus a quick and easy supply of spare parts .
Until 1850 there was little competition for Samuel Colt. On the European continent, revolvers were only handcrafted by Devisme and Lenormand. There was not a single manufacturer in England, and otherwise only bundle revolvers were produced in the USA. In 1850, the Massachusetts Arms Company from Chicopee Falls presented a Leavitt revolver modified by Edwin Wesson, for which US patent 6,669 was granted on August 28, 1849. Colt won a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Arms Company, which incurred a cost and fine of $ 65,000. This gave Colt the sole production rights for single-action revolvers in the USA until 1856.
At the beginning of the sixties, numerous other suppliers of percussion revolvers came onto the market in the USA. The most successful was Remington Arms, Ilion, NY ; others were the Rogers & Spencer percussion revolver, the revolvers from Starr, Whitney, Savage, Cooper and Joslin. Most of these weapons were used on the side of Union forces in the American Civil War. The southern states were short of handguns and bought them in Europe (English Adams revolvers and from France revolvers with Lefaucheux ignition ). In addition, more or less exact copies of Colt revolvers were made (Griswold & Gunnison, Leech & Rigdon, Dance Bros.). The LeMat revolver, which had a shot barrel in the center of the drum axis, deserves particular interest.
In 1851 Colt had hired the designer Elisha K. Root. Root not only modernized production by introducing new machines, he also further developed the revolver, such as a pocket revolver with a closed frame in calibers .28 and .31. and a rifle on the same principle.
Now they started to open up new markets, such as Europe. In 1852, for example, a factory was built in the London borough of Pimlico near Vauxhall Bridge, employing 230 people. In 1854 they received an order for 4000 Navy Revolvers Model 1851 for the British Navy. By 1873, around 850,000 percussion revolvers were sold worldwide, in which the drum was rotated further by cocking the cock (single action).
It is interesting that one of Colt's employees, Rollin White , developed a revolver loading mechanism that later caused problems for Colt's company. This loading mechanism required a cylindrically drilled drum, which Rollin White clearly described in his patent application. To produce the test model, he used components of a Colt revolver. Since nobody was interested in the loading mechanism, because it seemed too expensive, selling White patent of 3 April 1855, the partners Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson and they brought two years later the first cartridge revolvers on the market ( Smith & Wesson Model 1 ) . Colt was not allowed to bring a cartridge revolver with a continuously cylindrical drilled drum onto the market until the late 1960s.
At the first World Exhibition in London's Crystal Palace in May 1851, however, the situation for the European market changed. While the Times said of Colt's revolvers that they are a new inoculant against the wild tribes that obstruct the way into the wilderness , and that the six-shot revolver most likely outperforms any other firearm currently used in cavalry or any other military force , it does there was a small booth with a new revolver. This was a weapon patented by Robert Adams under British patent number 13,527 on February 24, 1851. In the case of Adams revolvers, the frame and barrel consisted of one piece; the main structural features of the drum were the same. The biggest difference was the way the shot was released. The Adams revolver was self-cocking (double-action-only), the Colt revolver had a single-action trigger.
On September 10, 1851, there was a public comparison shooting at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich at a distance of 50 yards . Unlike the Colt revolver, the Adams gun did not fail and the gun reloaded in 38 seconds instead of 58 seconds. In addition, the precision was greater, even when using different bullets. The five-shot weapon was also 681 g lighter than the 1985 g Colt revolver.
Lieutenant Beaumont of the British Royal Engineers patented an invention in 1855 that combined the single-action trigger and the double-action-only trigger. This new double-action trigger was soon established on the market by the Beaumont-Adams revolver, which had now also taken over the permanently attached loading lever.
As the various patents for percussion revolvers expired, production increased in the United States and Great Britain. George Daw produced revolvers in London that were very similar to the Colt models, James and Philip Webley had built percussion locks in Birmingham since 1835 and now used their experience to build revolvers.
William Tranter made various revolvers. In 1853, for example, he patented a revolver with an extra-long trigger blade. This protruded through the trigger guard. If you pressed the lower part, the hammer was cocked like a single-action revolver. If you pressed the part inside the trigger guard, the shot was released. This invention made it possible to bring the weapon to the stop with the hammer withdrawn and trigger the shot precisely (with little pressure from the finger). Other well-known manufacturers of this time were Nagant in Belgium and Rast & Gasser in Austria.
There were also curiosities such as the revolver developed by John Walsh in 1859, which brought two charges in a row into six chambers. Thus, the shooter had twelve shots available. Dr. Le Mat ( New Orleans ) invented the nine-shot LeMat Percussion Revolver with an additional barrel for a shotgun. Enouy Joseph even developed a 42-shot revolver in 1855. There were seven drums with six chambers each on a spindle. However, the gun was too big to be really practical.
For a long time Colt led the American market, although the English models from Webley & Scott and Adams were particularly strong competitors. It was not until the Civil War (1861–1865) that production continued. Several revolvers per man on the belt and / or on the saddle were the preferred weapon of the cavalry in the first years of the war and in the southern states until the end, before they were increasingly displaced by bolt-action carbines in the north. The southern states in particular had to resort to more import models, as the largest American companies were all located in the north. Own models were also designed, which were either copies of Colts or, for example, the LeMat revolver from New Orleans , which was an invention of an armorer.
Percussion revolver today
From the early 1960s the shooting was muzzle , especially more popular with percussion revolvers in the United States, which also spread to Europe. Today, replicas of the five- or six-shot percussion revolvers made in Italy by Colt, Remington, Rogers & Spencer are mainly used today.
Handling of percussion revolvers
preparation
When putting a percussion revolver into operation, you first only place the primer caps on the pistons and then fire them all (without loading the drum beforehand). This ensures that there is no oil or moisture in the powder chamber. To load the gun, the barrel is pointed upwards and the hammer is brought to the loading position, the drum can now be turned by hand.
Powder and ammunition
A measured amount of black powder is poured into the powder chamber . The amount varies depending on the caliber and weapon size.
The recommended amount for handguns is: 0.1 grams per millimeter caliber, e.g. B. for caliber .36: 0.36 × 25.4 = 9.144 mm (caliber); 9.144 mm × 0.1 = 0.9144 grams of black powder
Then a flake made of felt, paper or the like is placed on the powder. This insert prevents the fat from the ball from rendering the powder unusable. The balls are greased in order to be able to load them more easily and to ensure a safe locking.
In the next step the lead bullets ( projectile ) are introduced into the drum. Initially, the revolvers were loaded with round balls that were a little larger than the caliber. This is called over-caliber: For example, in the .44 caliber the bullet was .451
The Colt revolvers were delivered with ball casting tongs, with which a round ball and an ogival bullet, both over-caliber, could be cast. Gang molds were also supplied to the army, which allowed six Ogival bullets to be poured at the same time. The Ogival bullets had a flat bottom.
Pressing in the charge
The bullet is now firmly pressed into the charge chamber - this is usually done with a loading ram attached directly to the revolver. To do this, the drum is turned to where the loading ram is located (on Colt models under the barrel), then the lever of the ram is released and pushed down. A precisely fitting bolt pushes the projectile into the chamber and presses it onto the powder, which is thus compacted.
The early Colt-Paterson revolvers did not have a loading press. The barrel and drum had to be removed for loading. The five-barrel drum was loaded with special powder bottles that had five filler nozzles for the powder at one end and five channels for the balls at the other, which allowed all chambers to be loaded simultaneously. A separate loading lever was used to press the balls into the re-attached drum, with the slot at the front end of the drum axis serving as an abutment. It wasn't until August 29, 1839 that Colt was granted a US patent for a ball setter. This is a lever attached under the barrel which is colloquially referred to as a loading lever or loading press.
Arming the gun
After all the chambers have been loaded, the primers are placed on the pistons . To make this easier, the revolver has a side recess behind the drum, you turn the drum until a piston is in front of the recess and put the primer on. When the gun is fully loaded, all you have to do is fully cock the hammer to fire, the gun is ready to fire. To secure it, the tap is placed on the drum by hand between two pistons. The drum (with the Colt revolver) is secured against unintentional turning by small cams and a suitable milled recess on the tap. At Remington, the drum has millings into which the tap engages.
After firing
After the shot, the broken primers must be removed from the piston and the charge chambers roughly cleaned. The charging process can now start all over again.
Alternatives
Since loading takes a relatively long time, it was common to use a second or third drum ( this was often done by officers , especially during the Civil War ). This was summoned. When a drum was empty, it was replaced by a loaded one. With Colt revolvers, this turned out to be relatively cumbersome:
- Loosen the locking wedge with a knife or a piece of wood. A screw prevents it from falling out.
- Pull off the running group forwards
- Pulling the empty drum off the barrel axis
- Insertion of the new drum. The tap must be raised a little to remove and insert the drum.
- Attaching the running group
- Slide in the locking wedge
So the shooter handled four individual parts.
In contrast to this, changing drums was much easier in the Remington New Model Army, which was led in particular by Union troops :
- Fold down the loading press
- Pulling the drum axis forward, keeping it on the weapon
- Remove the empty drum to the side
- Insertion of the new drum
- Pushing back the drum axis
- Fold up the loading press
To ensure faster loading, paper cartridges were soon used. These were ready-made paper tubes that contained the bullet and the powder charge. For loading, the paper was torn open, the powder poured into the chamber and the paper used as an intermediate layer. The projectile was then deployed. The rest followed as described above.
Legal situation
Germany
The legal possession of percussion revolvers in Germany requires a permit (usually a weapon possession card ), otherwise all regulations that also apply to cartridge weapons apply to them.
Austria
In Austria, as in Germany, you also need a valid weapon possession card to purchase. Weapons whose development date is before 1871 are not to be added to the approved number of category B weapons.
"Section 23 (2a): Category B firearms, the model of which was developed before 1871, should not be included in the number specified by the authorities."
Switzerland
In Switzerland, the acquisition, possession and handling of weapons are regulated by the Federal Weapons Act. Since December 12, 2008, percussion revolvers manufactured after 1870 have been subject to the obligation to acquire a weapons acquisition license, that is, a license is required for acquisition (Art. 9 WG). Possession is free, except for nationals of certain states (Art. 9 of the regulation).
literature
- Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols, Optimum , ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- Bruce McDowell Colt Conversions and other Percussion Revolver 1997, Krause Publications, ISBN 0-87341-446-2
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Edward C. Ezell, Handguns Of The World - Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders from 1870 to 1945 , Barnes & Noble Books Inc., 1993, page 24, ISBN 0-88029-618-6
- ^ Samuel Colt: Revolving Gun . Improvement in Fire Arms. Ed .: United States Patent Office. February 25, 1836 ( online here [accessed September 30, 2008]).
- ^ WHB Smith, Joseph E. Smith, Small Arms Of The World - a basic manual of small arms , 10th Edition, Stackpoole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1973, p. 159, ISBN 0-88365-155-6
- ^ A b c d Edward C. Ezell, Handguns Of The World - Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders from 1870 to 1945 , Barnes & Noble Books Inc., 1993, page 27, ISBN 0-88029-618-6
- ↑ Captain Sam Walker , Texas Ranger Dispatch Magazine, URL: Captain Sam Walker ( memento of March 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), as of July 3, 2008
- ^ Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, p. 116, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ^ Wilson, 117
- ^ A b Edward C. Ezell, Handguns Of The World - Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders from 1870 to 1945 , Barnes & Noble Books Inc., 1993, page 28, ISBN 0-88029-618-6
- ^ A b Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, page 123, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ^ Edward C. Ezell, Handguns Of The World - Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders from 1870 to 1945 , Barnes & Noble Books Inc., 1993, pages 28-29, ISBN 0-88029-618-6
- ^ Edward C. Ezell, Handguns Of The World - Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders from 1870 to 1945 , Barnes & Noble Books Inc., 1993, p. 29, ISBN 0-88029-618-6
- ^ Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, p. 125, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ^ Edward C. Ezell, Handguns Of The World - Military Revolvers and Self-Loaders from 1870 to 1945 , Barnes & Noble Books Inc., 1993, page 31, ISBN 0-88029-618-6
- ^ Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, pages 125-126, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ^ Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, p. 127, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ↑ Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, pages 127-128, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ^ Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, p. 128, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ^ Frederick Wilson, The Great Illustrated Book of Pistols , Optimum, p. 130, ISBN 0-600-37218-9
- ↑ Ordinance Art. 9 WG. In: admin.ch.