Pre 19 th Century Events: (important dates in history of firearms American Firearms Institute )

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1 19th Century American Pistols (work in progress last updated ) message to self: self, to access internal links control, right mouse click at this time, links will not work on the web site Pre 19 th Century Events: (important dates in history of firearms American Firearms Institute ) 1044: Earliest known written formula for Gunpowder from the Chinese Wujing Zongyao 1247: The first record of the use of Gunpowder in Europe is a statement by Bishop Albertus Magnus in 1280 that it was used at the Siege of Seville. 1354: Traditional date for the German monk Berthold Schwartz to invent gunpowder. 1425: Matchlock ( arquebus ) introduced. Uses a serpentine to arc taper into the flash pan loaded with a finer grade of gun powder. Guns were fired by holding a burning wick to a touch hole in the barrel igniting the powder inside. The Matchlock secured a lighted wick in a moveable arm which, when the trigger was depressed, was brought down against the flash pan to ignite the powder 1490: Corning of Gunpowder makes it coarser and burns better. European powdermakers began adding liquid to the constituents of gunpowder to reduce dust and with it the risk of explosion. The powdermakers would then shape the resulting paste of moistened gunpowder known as mill cake into corns, or granules, to dry. Not only did corned powder keep better because of its reduced surface area, gunners also found that it was more powerful and easier to load into guns. The main advantage of corning is that each corn contains the ideal proportion of the three gunpowder components. Prior to corning, gunpowder would gradually demix into its constitutive components and was too unreliable for effective use in guns] 1498: Rifling was invented. The first rifled gun barrels were made in the 1400s. This early date may be surprising, however it makes sense when one considers that arrow makers had learned to angle the fletchings on an arrow s shaft to make it spin as it flew through the air, giving it greater stability. This technique carried over to firearms. Rifled barrels were rare until improvements in manufacturing techniques in the 1800s made them easier to fabricate 1526: Beretta Firearms founded. Sold 185 Arquebus barrels to the Arsenal of Venice 1540: Rifling appears in firearms. 1612: The muzzle loading, smoothbore Flintlock Musket was invented as an improvement on the matchlock and wheel lock muskets. Developed in France. A key contributor to this development was Marin le Bourgeoys who was assigned to the Louvre gun shops by King Louise XIII of France. 1670: Flintlock Revolving Rifle 1690: The Brown Bess was known in Ireland as a King s Arm from its use by William at the Battle of the Boyne and would be used by the British Army for over 100 years 17??: Kentucky Rifle, Pennsylvania Rifle. (Also pistol, battle of new orleans, document) 1776: American Revolution Henry Derringer. 1788: Elisha Collier born, died Had patent on a revolving flintlock. From Boston. This was improved upon by Colt for his 1836: Colt Revolving Cylinder Patent. See also Pepperbox 1781: Gunpowder Ratio. Richard Watson DD FRS, Bishop of Llandaff, England, professor of chemistry, gunpowder for general purposes, proportions shall be saltpeter 75%, charcoal 15%,

2 sulfur 10%. For British gunpowder it has remained the same ever since. 1795: Springfield Armory established. 1798: Eli Whitney Sr. established an arms production business and the company went on to manufacture several revolvers and rifles of outside origin. (name of business) 19 th Century Events: 1800: The First Baker Rifle* The Infantry Rifle, was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British armed forces. The Baker rifle has a ¼ twist of rifling for the entire barrel and that is the essence of a Baker rifle. Barrel was only 30 inches. (what about the enfield.) 1805: 1807? The Percussion Cap ignition system developed and patented by Reverend John Forsyth of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Explosive cap, contains fulminate of mercury, powder made of potassium chlorate, sulpher, and charcoal. Used first in a steel cap and then in a copper cap. Came into general artillery us nearly 30 years later. Used by gunsmiths and private individuals before coming into general use by the British Military c Same compound used in the paper or plastic caps in a child s cap gun. See 1842 Copper Percussion Cap, and Percussion Cap of (review the dates and facts of the percussion cap and coordinate entrys) 1808: First integrated cartridge in Paris by Swiss gunsmith Jean Samuel Pauly with French gunsmith Francois Prelat. Fully self contained. Copper base with integrated primer and round bullet and either brass or paper casing. Loaded through the breech and fired with a needle. Improved version made by Pauly Some form of paper cartridges actually go back the 14th century. 1810: Christian Sharps Born January 2, 1810 March 12, As a youth, Sharps worked for a gunsmith in New Jersey and then had an army apprentice position in the 1830's at the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, studied the early breech-loader Hall Rifle. Working for captain John Hall with the Hall Rifle is what gave him his design ideas for his own Sharps rifle. Reference 1848: Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company 1811: Hall Patent. The first serious military breech loader American invention, Colonel John H. Hall s Patent This was made first as a flintlock, then as percussion, and is the first breech loader officially adopted by any army. The flintlocks were made till 1832, the percussion model from Samuel Colt born July 19, 1814 Hartford, Connecticut, died January 10, 1862 age 47, in his home. 1818: Elisha Collier Patent invented a flintlock revolver around One of the earliest true revolvers, in contrast to the earlier Pepperboxes. Single-action, Collier's revolver was selfpriming, produced from 1819 by John Evans & Son of London, and used in quantity by the British forces in India. Over 10,000 were made between 1819 and The origination of this invention is in doubt, as similar designs were patented in the same year

3 by Artemus Wheeler in the United States and by Cornelius Coolidge in France. Samuel Colt saw these in 1832 which inspired him create his own caplock revolver: the Colt Paterson. (1836: Colt Revolving Cylinder Patent) In addition to handguns, Collier produced revolving shotguns and carbines in the 1820s. Only 150 of these now rare guns were made. 1820: Percussion Cap enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather. This gave rise to the caplock or percussionlock system. Flints were converted to percussion caps. Before this flint-on-steel, Many flintlock firearms were later converted to the percussion system. Cap was made possible by the discovery of a chemical compound called mercuric fulminate, extremely explosive, shock sensitive. A sharp blow, or even too much finger pressure, can cause it to detonate. Small size made them difficult to handle under the stress of combat or while riding a horse. Accordingly, several manufacturers developed alternative, "auto-priming" systems. However, these automatic feed systems were difficult to make with the manufacturing systems in the early and mid-nineteenth century and generated more problems than they solved. In the 1850s, the percussion cap was integrated into a metallic cartridge, which contained the bullet, powder charge and primer. By the late 1860s, breech-loading metallic cartridges had made the percussion cap system obsolete. Colt Patterson Colt Handguns Percussion Cap 1820: The First Percussion Revolver was made by Lenormand of Paris in 1820 and the first Percussion Cap revolver was invented by the Italian Francesco Antonio Broccu in He did not patent it. In 1836 a similar handgun was patented by Samuel Colt, coordinate the time frames here. This does not make sence 1833: Christopher Minor Spencer was born. Was innovative and diversified inventor. Initial apprenticeship with Cheney Brothers silk manufacturing company. Did short stint at Colt. In spare time Cheney Brothers allowed him to use their work shop in off hours to develop his rifle. On March 6, 1860, Spencer received a patent on a lever-action repeater with a rotating block, which fed rimfire cartridges into the chamber via a tubular magazine bored through the buttstock. See 1860 for his lever action patent 1833: First percussion revolver was invented by the Italian Francesco Antonio Broccu in he did not patent it. In 1836 a similar handgun was patented by Samuel Colt, The first percussion revolver was made by Lenormand of Paris in 1820 (does not make sense, 1833 v. 1820? verify) 1834: The British army adopted the percussion cap.

4 1836: Colt Revolving Cylinder Patent. invented revolving cylinder patented Europe 1835 and US February 25, Expired This gave Colt a monopoly on revolvers for the next 20 years. Actually improved upon a revolving flintlock patented by Elisha Collier of Boston ( ) 1836: Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company founded. Folded in 1842, His big break came when Captain Samuel Walker came to him to design and manufacture a heavier more powerful gun than the Patterson. This became known as the 1847 Colt Walker a.44 caliper. General Zachary Taylor ( ) ordered 1,000 Colt revolvers. The guns were delivered to the Army in This was the rebirth of the company. Factory was in Hartford, was managed by Elisha K. Root ( ). Renamed Colt Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company in the early 1850s, a branch was established in London, and in 1855 a new Hartford factory the largest privately owned armament manufacturing plant in the world was built, he had introduced standardized production, division of labor, and assembly-line mass-production methods to his factory. By 1856, the company could produce 150 weapons per day using interchangeable parts, efficient production lines and specially designed precision machinery. During the late 1850s, while tensions mounted between the North and South that would soon lead to the American Civil War, Colt continued to do business with longstanding customers in Southern states. However, when war was finally declared on April 12, 1861, he turned his focus almost exclusively to supplying the Union army. Colt s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company operated at full capacity and employed over 1,000 people in its Hartford factory. By that time, Samuel Colt had become one of the wealthiest men in America and owned a Connecticut mansion called Armsmear. Suffering from chronic rheumatism, the 47-year-old gun manufacturer died at his home on January 10, 1862, leaving behind an estate worth millions. The company, which manufactured more than 400,000 firearms during Colt s lifetime, was left to its founder s wife, Elizabeth, and Root was appointed president. In 1901, the Colt family sold the company to a group of investors To date, the company founded by Samuel Colt has produced more than 30 million pistols, revolvers and rifles : Colt Paterson..36 caliber, cap and ball first percussion cap (originally.28 caliber) 5 shot. First practical revolving cylinder pistol. (Pepper-Box was around but not rifled, not accurate,, belly gun.) After the Colt Patterson, Patent February 25, 1836 single shot pistols became obsolete and the percussion or cap and ball revolvers became the norm. Produced and in service with 7 1/2 barrel, 2# 12 oz. 900 fps Many caliber variants. Produced in Patterson NJ. Originally produced in.28 caliber, followed a year later by the.36. Had different sizes, calibers and configurations. 2,800 produced It was the first commercial repeating firearm employing a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers aligned with a single, stationary barrel. (unlike the Pepper-Box where the barrels revolved around a shaft.) Its design was patented by Samual Colt on February 25, 1836, in the

5 United States, and also France, and England. Initially, Colt produced three revolving handguns belt, holster, and pocket pistols and two rifles. All models incorporated a revolving cylinder into which gunpowder and bullets were loaded. As originally designed and produced, no loading lever was included, had to disassemble the revolver partially to re-load it. In 1839 reloading lever and a capping window were added allowing reloading without requiring partial disassembly. This loading lever and capping window design change was also incorporated after the fact into most Colt Paterson revolvers that had been produced from 1836 until Unlike later revolvers, a folding trigger was incorporated into the Colt Paterson. The trigger only became visible upon cocking the hammer. No grease grooves on the cylinder axis. Cylinder wratchets different than later models. Water table seperate piece from the frame. The model most identified with is the "Paterson Colt" designation is the Number 5 Holster or Texas Paterson (1,000 units), which was manufactured in.36 caliber When the Paterson revolvers with loading levers finally reached Texas in 1842, Texas Ranger Captain John Coffee Hays companies could now reload from horseback to fight the Comanches. See Battle of Bandera Pass or actually the Battle of Walker's Creek The available power of the.36 caliber is comparable to a modern.380 pistol cartridge. The inch round ball weighs a near-identical 83 grains (5.4 g) and the velocity is also essentially the same. c.880 fps Colt folded the company after this endeavor and later re-established the company for the 1847 Colt Walker Main differences between the Colt and the Remington. A. Remington rear sight on the breech end of the barrel, and Colt hammer was cut so when cocked served as the rear sight. B. The Colt has a wedge to hold the barrel to the frame, the Remington has a top strap holding the barrel and frame together. Shooting The Colt Patterson Revolver- Mike Beliveau - duelist Colt Patterson (Sam Trisler) Colt Patterson (wikipedia) 1841, 1844? Battle of Bandera Pass, Texas. Texas Rangers. Actually was the Battle of Walker s Creek June Fighting Comanches who had bows and 14' lances. They were the superior fighters until the Paterson. Two single shot pistols and a muzzle loaded rifle were by used Rangers prior to this. Not first time Patersons were used but most significant one. That pivotal battle, little noted at the time, would eventually change the course of what had been a dead-end war against the Comanches. Now, with this new revolving pistol, the rangers and anybody else battling the Comanches could stay on horseback and fight the enemy with a gun that fired five times in a row without reloading. A Comanche who took part in the fight noted that the rangers had a shot for every finger on the hand. In the end, that advantage made all the difference. However, that battle did not take place at Bandera Pass and it did not happen in 1841, 1842 or

6 1843. The battle that changed history though the fact was little recognized or noted at that time was the Battle of Walker s Creek and it was fought in June of 1844 in present day Kendall County. A battle between Texans and Comanches (and maybe Apaches, too) probably took place at Bandera Pass at one time or another, but the one most often recounted wasn t it. Alledged Battle of Bandera Pass 1841: The U.S. Army adopted the Percussion Cap. The British army adopted it in : Copper Percussion Cap generally applied to the Brits military musket The Brown Bess. Flint locks could be modified for percussion cap by replacing the powder pan with a perforated nipple to receive the cap and by altering the hammer. The percussion cap was now made with 3 of parts of potassium chlorate, 2 of fumigate of mercury, and powered glass on the nipple. This brought about the invention of the modern cartridge case, making possible the breech loading for rifles, shotguns and pistols 1845: Pepper-Box Revolver invented by Lefaucheaux which was loaded from the rear using bored through cylinders. Rollin White first American to have conceived having cylinders bored through to accept metallic cartridges c Used his patent with Colt for the Colt Model 1. Sharps also developed a 4 barrel one Pepper boxes in early 19 th century. Multiple barrels around a shaft. Began to dissapear c. 1840's when Colts and others revolving cylinder barrel pistols became popular. Barrel was manually turned after each firing. Loaded from muzzle end. Had to be primed at each firing. Later percussion caps were used. Barrel not rifled. Close firing only. Regained popularity in late 1800's as a concealed carry (verify dating here) 1847: First fully contained All-Metal Bullet Cartridge introduced by Frenchman, M. Houiller. However, early part of the 19th century first self-contained bullet cartridge was introduced. These early bullet cartridges used cloth or, more commonly, paper to wrap the powder and projectile into a single, self-contained unit. While extremely crude compared to their all metal successors, these early paper cartridges completely changed firearms combat. Instead of carrying containers of powder, measuring it and pouring it down the barrel, one simply had to ram one of these cartridges down the barrel, put on a new percussion cap and he was ready to fire. It increased the rate of fire considerably, however, being paper, wet conditions were still a problem. Paper bullet cartridges were used around the world from the early 1800 s through the 1860 s. Standardization of metal bullet cartridges would not be refined and implemented until around the 1860 s. The American Civil War was fought mainly with paper cartridges or lose powder and ball. (edit above) Two advantages: 1. Metallic bullet cartridges were waterproof. Weather had no effect in firearms effectiveness. 2. Included the charge into the case in the form of a primer. Percussion caps were no longer needed.

7 1847: 1847 Colt Walker. 44 caliber, cap and ball 60 grain black powder, 140 grain round ball, 9 barrel,..4 ½ pounds. 1,200 fps. Captain Samuel Walker, Texas Ranger sought out Colt. Saddle revolver. Rammer beneath barrel. Tended to come loose. Some cylinders were exploding due to powder overloading, Same amount of powder as the minnie ball used in the Civil War with 450 grain weight issued to military and 100 for private sale by Colt. These sales got Colt back on his feet after serious financial problems in the early 40's. On his death was considered one of Americas most wealthiest men. Turned to Eli Whitney Jr. to manufacture. This was the most powerful gun until the.357 magnum designed in the 1950's Problems with Walker, large size, four and a half pounds, suitable only for use as a saddlemounted revolver, the Walker's propensity for cylinders exploding on occasion when fired (due to the chambers being loaded with too much powder), and the Walker's habit of dropping the loading lever upon discharge, locking up the revolver action in the middle of combat. The Colt Dragoon Revolver had a comparatively shorter cylinder (thus preventing overloading the cylinder) and held up to 50 grains of powder, whereas the Walker had used up to 60 grains of powder. The Dragoon Revolver had a shorter barrel at 7.5 inches (some later revolvers 8 inches) as compared to the 9 inches (230 mm) barrel on the Walker. A loading lever latch in front of the lever replaced the spring to keep the lever from dropping during recoil, thereby preventing jamming of the revolver. See Dragoon : The Dragoon Models Colt Model Percussion Army Revolver Colt Holster Pistol, later named the Colt Dragoon by collectors was produced in service. cap and ball SA.44 caliber (.454 diameter) ,100 fps 7 1/2 barrel, some later ones were 8 barrels. 50 grains black powder so it would not overload like the Walker at 60 grains, the cylinder was shorter, 4# 4oz. Overall 14.7 and latch to secure rammer. 6 round cylinder. c.18,500 total made] The Dragoon was produced because of the problems with Colt Walker. See Problems Colt Walker. Civil War, Colt Dragoons became extremely popular. In the beginning Colt Dragoon Revolver were issued for the U.S. Army's Mounted Rifles. They were carried in pommel holsters on the saddle. Used by US Army Dragoons (mounted Troops) Texas. Calvary stayed on their horses, Dragoons rode from point A to point B then dismounted and fought like the infantry. Prior to the Dragoon Model they used big heavy caliber hand guns for up close combat. Three slightly different modifications known as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Models : 1 st Model Colt Dragoon. squareback triggerguard. c. 7,000 made : 2 nd Model Colt Dragoon. All the Second Model Dragoons have the squareback triggerguard. The company made about 2, : 3rd Model Colt Dragoon c. 10,000. More variations as compared to its earlier counterparts. Some had frame cuts for detachable shoulder stocks, horizontal loading lever latches and folding leaf sights. Round trigger guard.

8 1848: 1848 Pocket Pistol. Colt Model, a Dragoon, cap and ball AKA the Baby Dragoon. First concealed carry pistol..31 caliber, 4' barrel, 15 grains black powder, 5 shots. Issued at the start of the California gold rush. Marketed in California during Gold Rush Days. Evolved into the 1849 pocket revolver. Originally no rammer. Had to remove cylinder to load. No entirely successful in terms of sales. This was modified into the 1849 Colt Pocket Revolver Colt Dragoon Percussion Revolver 1848: Christian Sharps Patented, September 12, 1848, his breech-loading design for his rifle the Sharps. Single shot rifle using a linen or paper wrapped cartridge. In production Reference 1850 Sharp Rifle. 1849: 1849 Colt Pocket Revolver. 31 caliber with ball or conical, single action, grain bullet, c. 12 grains powder. Refinement of the baby dragoon of The '49 added a loading lever to the 1847 Baby Dragon. 75 yd effective firing range, ft/s., 3-6 barrel length. Possibly up c. 200 variants. Brought west by many for protection. Colts first attempt to market to civilians. Was Colts best selling cap and ball revolver of the 19 th century, c. 340,000. Most made in Hartford Ct. some 11,000 made in the London Factory, when the 1873 Colt SAA came out. c. 4,000 so-called "Wells Fargo" variants, with 3-inch barrels and without loading levers, were also manufactured. Extremely successful and popular. First of the Colts to have a rounded trigger guard in the rear, previous ones were squared. Octogon barrel. duelist1954 of youtube uses 15 grains of ffff powder. Above a.31 caliber he used fff to.44 special and ff with and.45 Colt Dragoon Revolver Colt 1849 Pocket Revolver duelist1954 The Colt 1860 Army Percussion cap and ball replaced the Dragoon 1849: Minie Ball invented by French Army officer Claud-Etienne Minie. Cylindrical bullet with hollow base that expand when fired. 1/2 in diameter 1 oz..58 caliber. First effective bullet design that was not round. Both Union and Confederate soldiers used the minnie bullet (as they called it) in their muzzle-loading rifles. It took 16# of lead to kill one man during the Civil War. Hollow base with three grooves made for lubrication. They all have 3 grooves and hollow base, otherewise not a Minie Ball. Before the development of the Minié ball, muzzle-loading rifles were not used in combat situations because of how difficult they were to load. Because the ammunition used had to engage the spiral grooves, or rifling, inside the rifle barrel, it had to be equal in diameter to the barrel, and shooters would have to jam the bullet into the rifle by force. In addition, the rifle tended to become even more difficult to load as gunpowder residue collected inside the barrel

9 The effective range of a Minié bullet was from 200 to 250 yards, a huge improvement on earlier ammunition. When a rifle containing a Minié bullet was fired, the bullet was rammed back on the charge, which exploded and sent the bullet hurtling down the barrel. On its way, the iron (it had an iron plug) bullet expanded, gripping the spiral rifling and spinning so tightly along its course that its range and accuracy were greatly increased, with fewer misfires. The effective range of a Minié bullet was from 200 to 250 yards, a huge improvement on earlier ammunition. The French army never adopted the Minié bullet, but the British did, paying Minié for his patent to use the ammunition in During the Crimean War of , which pitted Britain, France and the Ottoman Turkish empire against Russia, the bullet so improved the effectiveness of infantry troops that 150 soldiers using the minié could equal the firing power of more than 500 with a traditional musket and ammunition. In the early 1850s, James Burton of the U.S. Armory at Harper s Ferry, Virginia, improved further on the Minié bullet by eliminating the need for the iron plug and making it easier and cheaper to mass-produce. It was adapted for use by the U.S. military in During the Civil War ( ), the basic firearm carried by both Union and Confederate troops was the rifle-musket and the Minié ball. North supplied 2,000,000 Springfield Rifles to the men and made over 500,000,000 Minie Balls. Casualty figures for the American Civil War reached staggering proportions, with more than 200,000 soldiers killed and more than 400,000 wounded. The rifle-musket and the Minié bullet are thought to account for around 90 percent of these casualties. Minie Ball Civil War Times Magazine The Bullet That Changed History The Minnie Ball 1850: Sharps Rifle.. 52-caliber 475 grain projectile, 50-grain black powder, (paper cartridge), ft/s, max. range = 1000 yards, 8-10 shot / min., 1873 converted to Government. The best attributes of the Sharps rifle was both it's high accuracy and long distances as well as it's powerful punch. The Sharps' accuracy was superior to the Colts also being used and they were able to be reloaded much easier. The Union purchased over 9,000 Sharps Rifles during the war. Superior sniper weapon The Sharps became the preferred gun of buffalo hunters due to its power and long range accuracy. First Model of 1850: Manufactured by A. S. Nippes at Mill Creek, (Philadelphia) Pennsylvania. Second Model of 1851:.52 caliber. Was developed for mass production at Robbins & Lawrence Company of Windsor, Vermont. Rollin White of the R&L Co. invented the knifeedge breech block and self-cocking device for the "box-lock" Model This is referred to as the "First Contract", which was for 10,000 Model 1851 carbines - of which approximately 1,650 were produced by R&L in Windsor. In 1851 the "Second Contract" was made for 15,000 rifles and the Sharps Rifle

10 Manufacturing Company was organized as a holding company with $1,000 in capital and with John C. Palmer as president, Christian Sharps as engineer, and Richard S. Lawrence as master armorer and superintendent of manufacturing. Sharps was to be paid a royalty of $1 per firearm and the factory was built on the Robbins & Lawrence property in Hartford, Ct. Christian Sharps left the company in 1855 (or maybe '53 / verify) to form his own manufacturing company called "C. Sharps & Company" in Philadelphia; In 1874, the company was reorganized and renamed "The Sharps Rifle Company". After Sharps left the company he turned his attention to pistols, succeeding in creating a.22 and.32 caliber rim-fire metallic cartridge four-barrel pistol. Sharps' invention featured a hammer with a ratchet that revolved the firing pin by cocking and firing the four barrels in rotation. AKA the pepperbox. SA Derringer. There were many types of Derringers and makers including the Remington Elliot 5 barrel which was DA ring trigger. These were prized by gambles as easily hidden They were generally.22 short and.32 rim fire for close quarters defense. Before he died in 1874, he had secured patents on more than fifty other inventions Sharps formed a partnership with William Hankins in Sharps & Hankins manufactured four-barrel pepperboxes and single-shot breech loading rifles and carbines. That partnership ended in 1866 when he reverted back to the C. Sharps Company. He continued designing firearms into the 1870's and died in Connecticut in Sharps Model 1853 replaced Sharps Model 1851 Sharps 1863 Carbine: Calvary breech loaded. Unlike the Sharps Rifle, the Sharps Carbine version was very popular with the cavalry of both the Union and Confederate armies and was issued in much larger numbers than other carbines of the war and was top in production in front of the Spencer or Burnside Carbine. Almost 90,000 were produced. By 1863, it was the most common weapon carried by Union cavalry regiments, although in 1864 many were replaced by 7-shot Spencer carbines. The falling block action lent itself to conversion to the new metallic cartridges developed in the late 1860s, and many of these were converted to Government Some Sharps clones were produced by the Confederates in Richmond. Quality was generally poorer and they normally used brass fittings instead of iron. Sharps Model 1869 Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878, designed by Hugo Borchardt, c. 750 made,by the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company. The last rifle made by the Sharps Rifle Co. before its closing in caliber Sharps Cartridges introduced by Sharps Manufacturing Company primarily for buffalo hunting. Used in the Sharps This ammunition was so effective in hunting buffalo that the four herds in the west estimated to be about 20 million were moved to almost extinction in only about twenty years. A buffalo hunter could kill in excess of one hundred buffalo per day. This was the main firearm contributing to the decimation of the buffalo herds in the western U.S. The 1874 Sharps particularly popular rifle, several derivatives in quick succession. It handled

11 a large number of.40- to.50-caliber metalic cartridges in a variety of loadings and barrel lengths. Sharps The Sharps Rifle and Christian Sharps Sharps Rifle : Colt 1851 Navy or Navy Revolver..36 caliber. (paper and lead ball) cap and ball Known also as the Revolving Belt Pistol of Navel Caliber First called the Ranger by Colt.. 36 caliber ( ) rim fire later converted to center fire. (something wrong here, the 51 was a cap and ball not a cartridge, what is this rim fire thingy) 80 grain ball, 900 1,000 fps. 6 shot, 7 1/2 barrel, inches over all, 7.48 inch barrel, 2.58 lb pounds. Muzzle Velocity: 750 feet/sec., Typical Range: 75 yards, SA. Rounded back of trigger guard. Octagonal barrel. Model 1861 Navy, has a round-barrel. By 1851 the term " navy size" meant.36 caliber. In production until 1873, when metalic cartridges came into wide spread use. (Smith & Wesson, Rollin White Patent) Carried on a belt in a holster. For the next 20 years it was the premier choice of men who cared not whether someone saw them armed. Men who truly expected a fight carried two. Carried by cavalrymen and guerilla fighters during the Civil War This was modified for the.44 caliber 1860 Colt Army. Frame was cut down around cylinder to accommodate the larger.44 cylinder. It is an enlarged version of the Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers. That evolved from the Baby Dragoon and smaller than the larger Colt Dragoons The 1851 Navy and the 1861 Navy were engraved with a picture the Second Texas Navy's victory over the Mexican Fleet at the Battle of Campeche on May 16, 1843 (This was created by the gramograph) It went all the way around the cylinder. This was issued most commonly to cavalry and some artillery and was used extensively throughout the Civil War. The 1851 remained in production until 1873 because of its popularity. Even after the cartridge age firearms were available, Wild Bill chose to carry these as a law enforcement officer in western towns. Also made in Colts London Armory, 22,000 units. Total production numbers only exceeded by the pocket models being produced at the same time. 250,000 units domestically made After the expiration of the Rollin White Patent (Apr. 3, 1869), a number of Navy 1861 and its forerunner, the Colt 1851 Navy Revolver were converted or newly made to fire.38 rimfire or centerfire cartridges, the Colt Model 1861 Richards- Mason Conversion by the Colt factory. These remained popular even after the Colt 1873 SAA was introduced due to the comparable lower cost. Cimarron Richards-Mason Conversion for Man with no Name Model used by Clint Eastwood in the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Available for sale through Cimarron. See Gun never existed. Loaded for the.38 caliber. Not a true Richards-Mason Conversion but a movie prop. Firing pin in the hammer. Looks like black

12 powder pistol. Used metalic black on set as it is safter. Movie takes place in Civil War but conversions didn't happen until after War. Replica Navy revolvers (i.e. the 1851 and 1861) sold today are often sold in the historically incorrect.44-caliber; originally, all Navy revolvers were manufactured only in.36-caliber. Favored by "Doc" Holliday and Wild Bill Hickok as well as Confederate General Robert E. Lee. also made its way to Europe where it was used across Great Britain, Poland and Prussia as well as the empires of Austro-Hungary and Russia. Over 20,000 of the type were even manufactured at the London-based Colt London Armory. Recommended by duelist1954 on youtube as first cap and ball to buy and learn on : Smith & Wesson founded in Norwich Connecticut, by Horace Smith, Daniel B. Wesson. Founded to develop the Volcanic rifle and cartridge as patented in Name changed to Volcanic Repeating Arms in 1855, purchased by Oliver Winchester. Smith left the company with Wesson staying on as plant manager. Wesson began developing a revolver knowing that Colt Revolving Cylinder Patent of 1836 on the revolver was to run out Wanted to use a breech loading cylinder ( bored through cylinder) with metalic cartridges but found out that Rollin White held the patent. Wesson and Smith reconnected and made a deal with Rollin White for $.25 for every revolver they produced. This become White's responsibility to defend his patent in any court cases which eventually led to his financial ruin, but was very advantageous for the new Smith & Wesson Company. Developed the.22 short as used their Model 1. The company's design was being infringed upon by other manufacturers which led to numerous lawsuits filed by Rollin White. In many of these instances part of the restitution came in the form of the offender being forced to stamp "Manufactured for Smith & Wesson" on the revolvers in question. White's vigorous defense of his patent caused a problem for armsmakers in the United States at the time as they could not manufacture cartridge revolvers. At the end of the war the US Government charged White with causing the retardation of arms development in America. Demand for revolvers declined at the close of the Civil War and Smith & Wesson focused on the development of arms suitable for use on the American frontier. In 1870 the company introduced After the Civil War S&W concentrated on arms for the frontier introduced a large frame revolver in heavier calibers than the pocket sized revolvers it had been making. The design was known as the Smith & Wesson Model 3. Smith & Wesson Backgound : the Rollin White Patent. (April 3rd, April 3rd, 1869) The first American to have conceived having cylinders bored through to accept metallic cartridges. Colt told him patent was worthless and that the revolver would blow up in his face. Developed a relationship with

13 Smith and Wesson who had been working on same idea. Signed agreement and paid White $.25 for each pistol and White had to defend his patent. This was used in the Smith & Wesson Model 1. Patent expired (April 3, 1869) (add notes on White working for Robbins and Lawrence Co, Windsor, Vt. On the Sharp 1850) Smith & Wesson's design was being infringed upon by other manufacturers which led to numerous lawsuits filed by Rollin White. In many of these instances part of the restitution came in the form of the offender being forced to stamp "Manufactured for Smith & Wesson" on the revolvers in question. White's vigorous defense of his patent caused a problem for armsmakers in the United States at the time as they could not manufacture cartridge revolvers. (especially during the Civil War era. Liscence was granted to Remington who made the Remington 1858, a revolving cylinder with breech loading metalic cartridges.) At the end of the war the US Government charged White with causing the retardation of arms development in America The Philadelphia Deringer was a small percussion hand gun by Henry Deringer. A popular concealed carry handgun of the era, this pocket pistol design was widely copied by competitors, sometimes down to the markings. 1853: 1853 Enfield.577-caliber weapons made by the English. Most common. Used by the South in the Civil War 1854: Whitney revolver, Second Model, First Type..36 caliber, single action, percussion revolver, which was patented in 1854 as U.S. Patent No. 11,447. This model was in production at the Whitneyville factory outside of New Haven, Connecticut in (Spiller & Burr revolver modeled after this Whitney) Whitney revolvers were probably the first solid frame pistols to go into full production. The gun had a 7-5/8 inch, blued steel, octagonal barrel that was screwed into the frame. A portion of the thread of the barrel was exposed at the breech as a result of an opening in the frame. A brass pin was attached as a sight. The barrel was rifled with seven lands and grooves. The loading lever was held adjacent to the barrel with a spring and ball type catch. The rammer entered the frame, which had been angle cut to allow insertion of powder and ball. The grip straps were integral with the frame and held black walnut grips. An oval capping groove was cut out of the right recoil shield. A rearsight groove was cut in the top strap. A thumb bolt was located on the left side, which when turned properly would allow the removal of the cylinder axis-pin. The hammer, cylinder axis-pin, and trigger were all rotated on axes created by individual frame screws. The cylinder axis-pin, which was inserted into both ends of the frame, held the 1-3/4 inch long, six shot, steel cylinder suspended in its proper position. The nipples, or cones, were set at a slight angle to the chambers. The oval trigger guard was made of brass. The pistol's length from the end of the backstarp to the muzzle was slightly more than thirteen inches, and each weighed about 2-1/2 pounds. (Reference the 1861 Whitney Navy) 1854: The first cartridge revolvers were produced by Eugene Lefaucheux. SA pinfire, 6 round. ( do not know if this was breach loaded see the Rollin White Patent of 1855) John Moses Browning Born. died in Belgium

14 1855: U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, future president of the Confederacy, adopted the riflemusket and Minié Ball for the U.S. Army. (Was this the Sharp) 1855: Root Revolver. Colt Model First solid frame revolver by Colt. 5 Shot,.28 and.31 caliber. Lacked man-stopping qualities. cap and ball 47 grain bullet, 12 grain black powder, muzzle velocity of 750 fps. Spur trigger revolver that featured a fully-enclosed cylinder. Designed by Samuel Colt and developed by Elisha K. Root, These sidehammer revolvers were named for Root, a noted inventor and holder of the Sidehammer Patent, who at that time was employed as Colt's factory superintendent and Chief Engineer. Colt also produced the sidehammer Model 1855 Rifles and carbines for military and sporting use, as well as a revolving shotgun. Root, later ran the company after the death of Colt in how many made The cylinder was either smooth-sided or fluted. Some were sold with engraved cylinders showcasing typical anti-indian sentiment or stagecoach holdup scenes consistent with the times. The trigger was of a stud-trigger type with a single-action lock and finished sans a trigger ring. Side-mounted hammer which was set to the left side of the gun body, hinged by a screw along the right side. Hammer noticeable spur design, nearly vertical. 1856: Bessemer Process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The key principle is removal of impurities from the iron by oxidation with air being blown through the molten iron. The oxidation also raises the temperature of the iron mass and keeps it molten. Englishman Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in Steel manufacturing suddenly got cheaper and easier. Colt was among the first to harness one of the new steels silver steel to produce firearms.colt s 1860 SAA revolver owes itself in large part to metallurgical technology. A Short History of Steel 1856: Daniel B. Wesson and Horace Smith, on November 17, 1856, signed an agreement for the exclusive use of the Rollin White Patent at a rate of 25 cents for every revolver. Smith & Wesson began production late in 1857 and enjoyed years of exclusive production of rearloading cartridge revolvers in America, Although White held the patent, other manufacturers were able to sell firearms using the design, provided they were willing to pay royalties. 1857: The Colt patent for the revolving cylinder expired giving Smith & Wesson (and others) the ability to use the Rollin White Patent for using metallic cartridges and bored through cylinders. (along with the revolving cylinder) 1857: Smith & Wesson.22 short rim fire introduced. November Developed by Daniel Wesson. The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first American revolver to use rim fired cartridges, some used in the Civil War. May have been inspired by the Flobert cartridge. Later the rim fired cartridges were soon replaced by center fire which could hold more pressure. The production of this model could only begin after the Colt Patent for revolving cylinders expired in and they worked with Rollin White who received royalties on his patent. S&W immediately went into production. They produced the ammo and the pistol

15 Model 1 used the Rollin White Patent for a bored through cylinder and a metalic cartridge Patent expired 1869 allowing others to competitors to design their own. Such as the Colt Open Top of and Colt SAA 1873 which were designed as cartridge revolvers from the start.. Smith & Wesson and others helped to establish cartridge firearms as the US standard by the 1870's though many still used percussion revolvers well after that 1858: Fordyce Beals Patent. September 14, In 1858 Beals invented and patented a spur-trigger, single-action, percussion revolver. The unique feature of this pistol was the manner of securing the cylinder pin with the loading lever. This arrangement would have far-reaching implications for Remington s large-frame revolvers. Beals would receive at least eight more patents for revolvers and single-shot rifles in the decade that followed, and all of these patents were assigned in whole or in part to the Remingtons. 1858: Remington New Model Army. Aka 58 Remington, Fordyce Beals. born in Massachusetts and died in Connecticut. Granted US Patent No September 14, The 58 Remington aka the Remington-Beals. Manufactured by Eliphalet Remington & Sons. Remington Purchased the patent rights from Beals in Produced from round ball. Three basic models used during Civil War. All referred to as the 1858 Remington or 58 Remington. This name was never used at the time but strictly a newer nomenclature :Remington Beals Revolver : Old Model Army -OR- model caliper army.36 caliper navy : New Model Army.44 caliper army.36 caliper navy Remington had three large advantages over the Colt style revolvers. 1. It had a solid frame wrapping completely around the cylinder, "top strap". advantage, both in strength as well as accuracy over time. 2. Hammer groove ground into the cylinder in between each firing chamber on the cylinder. The Remington models had the extra notch for hammer placement. This allowed the gun to be fully loaded, all 6 cylinders and still have the hammer placed in between a firing chamber, by placing the hammer into the safety notch. 3: Loading and firing the Remington. On a Remington or Remington style pistol a soldier could carry with him an extra loaded cylinder with all of its 6 chambers loaded capped. The Remington-Beals came into its own with the onset of the Civil War. The US Government needed as many revolvers as it could get. It was a secondary, supplemental issue firearm for the Union Army until the Colt factory fire of Due to the fire the Colt 1860 Army was not available for some time, subsequently large numbers of the Remington revolver were ordered by the U.S. government. It was more expensive, by "50 cents" than the Colt, but more robust and hose who could afford it, remarked on its durability and ability to quickly reload by switching to another pre-loaded cylinder. Remington had the advantage of rapid cylinder swapping. Produced ,000 made. 8 barrel, 2 # 13 oz, 13 1/4. 6 cylinder, fixed post notched top strap. Single-action, cap-and-ball percussion revolver, usually.44 caliber, also. 31 and.36 in percussion..44 version, each of the six chambers can hold up to 40 grains of black powder. Most shoot them with charges down in the 20-grain range. Some were converted to the.46 caliber rimfire after paying royalty to S&W.

16 The stress on Eliphalet Remington II during the production must have been enormous on everyone, especially the proprietor, Eliphalet Remington II. On July 12, 1861, the founder of Remington Arms passed into gunmaking history. Samuel Colt died shortly thereafter on January 10, 1862 The strong Remington frame made it fairly easy to convert the pistol over to metallic cartridge use, as firearms technology rapidly advanced after the Civil War. Remington made a cartridge conversion in.46 rimfire, after paying royalty fee to Smith & Wesson for their Rollin White Patent. The 1875 Remington, a true metallic cartridge revolver, but one that clearly shows the influences from the Drawback. More susceptible for fouling than the Colt. One modern day users observation is after twelve shots, (the Pietta) the hammer became harder to cock and the cylinder was slower to turn. The Colt revolvers can go on for many shots with its open top action and an easily lubricated arbor pin in which the cylinder rotates on. The Remington s closed off action and smaller, groove-less cylinder pin makes it more susceptible to fouling. Some Remingtons had brass frames. Confederate troops were short on supplies and wished to use the available gun metal (steel) for cannons and other weapons. Brass was chosen because it was more available and still supplied the necessary strength in the firearm. Union Remingtons all in steel Remington Remington Timeline: 1858 Beals Revolver The 1858 Remington Revolver Remington Model Revolvers Main differences between the Colt and the Remington. A. Remington rear sight on the breech end of the barrel, and Colt hammer was cut so when cocked served as the rear sight. The Colt has a wedge to hold the barrel to the frame, the Remington has a top strap holding the the barrel and frame together. 1860: Spencer Lever Action Patent. March 6, 1860, Spencer received a patent on a lever-action repeater with a rotating block, which fed rimfire cartridges, , into the chamber via a tubular magazine bored through the buttstock. 7 round tube, 500 yard range, 931 to 1,033 ft/s. Approx. 200,000 manufactured. Soon after the Spencer Company was in production at Cheney s and Spencer s Arms Company. (who are they and location) Early models were smallbore sporting rifles of.36 and.44 caliber, as well as prototype.44 military arms With the start of the Civil War, Spencer quickly moved into gear, attempting to interest military authorities in his repeating rifle. At this time the principal U.S. infantry arm was a then state-ofthe-art.58-caliber Springfield muzzleloading Minie rifle musket, with many regulars and state troops armed with more archaic firearms. Cavalry units carried a conglomeration of muzzleloading and breechloading single-shots. At first, the view by the Department of War Ordnance Department was that soldiers would

17 waste ammunition by firing too rapidly with repeating rifles, and thus denied a government contract for all such weapons. (They did, however, encourage the use of carbine breechloaders that loaded one shot at a time. Such carbines were shorter than a rifle and well suited for cavalry.)more accurately, they feared that the armies logistics train would be unable to provide enough ammunition for the soldiers in the field, as they already had grave difficulty bringing up enough ammunition to sustain armies of tens of thousands of men over distances of hundreds of miles. A weapon able to fire several times as fast would require a vastly expanded logistics train and place great strain on the already overburdened railroads and tens of thousands of more mules, wagons, and wagon train guard detachments. The fact that several Springfield riflemuskets could be purchased for the cost of a single Spencer carbine also influenced thinking. However, just after the Battle of Gettysburg, Spencer was able to gain an audience with President Abraham Lincoln, who invited him to a shooting match and demonstration of the weapon on the lawn of the White House. Lincoln was impressed with the weapon, and ordered Gen. James Wolfe Ripley to adopt it for production, after which Ripley disobeyed him and stuck with the single-shot rifles. In mid 1861 Navy ordered some and soon great interest developed. The chosen caliber, and the one that would remain constant throughout the war, was.56-56, a round that fired a 350-grain to.555-diameter (depending on the manufacturer) bullet backed by some 45 grains of black powder to give a muzzle velocity of some 1,200 fps and a muzzle energy of 1,125 ft-lbs. For comparison s sake, the standard.58-caliber Springfield, firing a 500-grain bullet backed by 60 grains of powder, produced a muzzle velocity of 950 fps and a muzzle energy of 1,000 ft-lbs. Breech loading carbines such as the.52 Sharps performed similarly. The Sharps 462-grain bullet moved out at about 1,000 fps, for an ME of 1,100 ft-lbs. Though ballistics were similar, the Spencer had one great advantage it could be loaded and fired in a fraction of the time that was necessary for either of the other two guns. By war s end some 230,000 had been produced, initially by Spencer and later by the Burnside Rifle Company in Providence, RI. It was the second most widely used carbine in the war, bested only by the Sharps. These guns were such hot items that virtually all delivered before the cessation of hostilities saw use, so today it is unusual to find a wartime Spencer in pristine condition. One of the advantages of the Spencer was that its ammunition was waterproof and hardy, and could stand the constant jostling of long storage on the march, such as Wilson's Raid. The story goes that every round of paper and linen Sharps ammunition carried in the supply wagons was found useless after long storage in supply wagons. Spencer ammunition had no such problem In the late 1860s, the Spencer company was sold to the Fogerty Rifle Company and ultimately to Winchester. Many Spencer carbines were later sold as surplus to France where they were used during the Franco-Prussian War in Even though the Spencer company went out of business in 1869, ammunition was manufactured in the United States into the 1920s. Later, many rifles and carbines were converted to centerfire, which could fire cartridges made from the centerfire brass. Production ammunition can still be obtained on the specialty market.