In 1955, the first americanmade double action autoloading pistol, the model 39, was introduced. The 1877 colt double action revolver unblinking eye. As the author makes clear, the secrets of double action shooting is a book for menfolk, not for boys. As with wilkersons other colt books, this one also covers each caliber which was offered as well as barrel. Why all defensive revolvers should be double action only. Clint goes over a brief history of revolvers from old to new. Double action selfcocking handguns go back to the 1830s at least, so by the turn of the 20th double action revolvers werent new or exceptional. The m1877 was the first successful usmade doubleaction cartridge revolver. In 1889 colt introduced the worlds first double action, swingout cylinder revolver. Colt manufactured its first double action model from 1877 through 1909, turning out over 166,000 of them. After colts patent expired in 1857, other manufacturers began producing double action revolvers, but colts manufacturing did not manufacture its own double action revolver until 1877, twenty years after the patent had expired.
The first modern revolver was introduced by colt in 1889, which was made with the first swingout cylinder in history. When the first double action revolver came out the. It can be fired singleaction by cocking the hammer first or by doubleaction by a full trigger pull. The 1877 is a handsome firearm and looks very much like the colt single action army.
The next great leap forward for the company was in 1880, when they released their first double action revolver, chambered for the. These four guns are a part of the evolution of the adams patent revolver, the first double action revolver commercially produced. First introduced in late 1987 as a beefedup version of the original 1979 double action, largeframed, sixshot redhawk, the super redhawk, with either a 7. Revolver sighting options including tips for aging eyes. The starr is among the bestmade revolvers of the day and among the most accurate as well. But the need out west for biggercaliber, manstopping weapons prompted colt to create the model 1878 frontier double action. I was suprised to see this publication give credit to remington for the first cartridge type single action double action revolver, being the novice i am i would have figured it to be colt.
They are still used by lawenforcement around the world and remain popular among many private gunowners. Meticulously researched, superbly illustrated, it covers all aspects and variants of these relatively littlestudied guns who historically got overshadowed by their legendary predecessor and successor, the colt saa and the colt 1911 pistol, plus they suffered from the bad reputation of their comparatively less effective cartridge compared to the. Once double action techniques came into popular use, the single action capability did not provide a major advantage in policeinvolved shootings, and the same thing can be said for the kind of closerange encounters that. The mle 1892 is a mechanically tight, accurate and very well finished revolver. This revolver was one of the most prevalent firearms in the american west during the end of the 19th century and colt still produces it, in six different calibers, two.
Colt m1877 from wikipedia, the free encyclopediajump to navigationjump to searchthis article is about the colt model 1877. It is often referred to as the frontier or the double action army revolver. The hammer is cocked with the thumb, which indexes the cylinder and when the trigger is pulled the hammer fires the round. It tends to be overlooked as it came between the vaunted no. It was manufactured from 19801986 with the traditional single action colt style but with modern single double action trigger. Its downside is the relative weakness, for a military handgun, of its 8.
History question first american made double action. The most widely known double action percussion revolver is likely the first model adams of 1851. They were available in both blue and nickel finish, though i have seen far fewer in nickel than in blue. Yes, however, most double action revolvers have an internal safety that prevents the gun from going off when the trigger is not pulled. Colts double action revolver model of 1878 by wilkerson, don. This revolver was designed as the double action version of colts famed single action army revolver and shared much of its history. Samuel colt experimented with double action revolver systems, but he considered them to be unreliable. The model 1878 saw action on americas frontier and throughout the world until production ceased in 1905. This design was so effective and strong, it became the standard for all double action designs that followed.
In fact, the revolver was solely a double action dao, with the hammer spur having been removed so that a shooter could not cock it manually. How the colt single action army revolver won the west. The doublenine, a doubleaction nine shot western style revolver, first appeared in 1958. The m1877 was designed by one of the inventors of the m1873 colt single action army, william mason, as colts first attempt at manufacturing a doubleaction revolver. For other colt double action firearms, see colt double action. The revolver was chosen by the army in 1872, with the first order, for 8000 revolvers, shipping in the summer of 1873. The next double action revolver colt fielded was revolutionary. The double action revolver at its cunning best is actually deadlier, far deadlier, than the automatic, and in the secrets of double action shooting bob nichols has produced the facts which prove this to be true. Some double action revolvers, called double action only or d. The interesting history of remington revolvers from the 1850s.
Some were singleshot, while others possessed six or sevenshot capacity, and at least one revolver utilized two cylinders which yielded a total of 14 shots. A study of colt new army and navy pattern double action. Gun digest book of the revolver covers all aspects of living with the doubleaction revolver. This was followed in 1887 by their first hammerless revolver. The m1877 was the first successful usmade double action cartridge revolver. Even rarer is the remingtonrider double action new model belt revolver, which was identical in all respects to the single action except for the trigger mechanism. The m1877 was designed by one of the inventors of the m1873 colt single action army, william mason, as colts first attempt at manufacturing a double action revolver. The crimean war saw the first competition between single action mostly colt navy 1851 model and the double action adams revolver in a real conflict. Today, there are quite literally just a handful of surviving model 1892 us army revolvers still in their original configuration as very few of these escaped the upgrades to models 1894 and 1901 specs. The colt model 1873 single action army still holds a special place in the hearts of shooters and collectors, which means first generation models in good shape come with high price tags. As this book was going to press, a memorandum was located in the national archives by mr.
The double action revolver is a design almost as old as the single action. Colt m1877colt m1877 lightningtyperevolverplace of originunited statesproduction historydesignerwilliam mas. Although colts first attempt at producing a doubleaction revolver was less than stellar due to a complex and inefficient lockworks that was easily broken and difficult to replace, the 1877 model was light and handy and gained a fair amount of popularity on the frontier. This is a very very rare unaltered example of the colt model 1892 double action revolver from the us armys 1st contract. The starr did not prosper based on simple economics. It had an aluminum frame, a rebounding hammer, and a 5. From page 106 of robert bests book, a study of colts new army and navy pattern double action revolvers 1889 to 1908, 2004, reads the following. Revolver simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Still in business today, the colts manufacturing company went on to produce the colt single action army handgun, also known as the colt. Merwin hulberts designs had influenced other gunmakers of the time, such as meriden firearms co. Here is the complete story of colts first large frame double action revolver, the model of 1878. The colt m1877 the first double action revolver legacy armory.
First and foremost, it was a double action revolver, and requiring only one hand to operate was seen as a large advantage. Handloaders realized that the case capacity and strong head of the. Who invented the first double action revolver answers. However, one of the most important innovations was developed by an englishman named robert adams, who patented the first double action revolver in. More importantly, the starr was among the first double action revolvers with a reliable action. It was among the first double actions to utilize a swingout cylinder. Most were small caliber single action arms which utilized either. It made concealed carry a much safer proposition, by eliminating the danger of the hammer snagging while drawing the weapon.
Jun 30, 2009 colt antique single action army revolver. Americans like colt and white pioneered many of the advancements history of revolvers. Robert adams uk patented a double action only revolver in 1851, i belive this is the first but am not an expert so someone cuold prove me wrong. The colt revolver cost about two dollars less than the starr. The webley was a double action pistol with a two inch barrel, the original version of which held 5 rounds of. Bright polished stainless with 6 vent rib bbl, red ramp and white outline sights, marked on left side colt anaconda for sale by jack2735 on gunsamerica 999926415.
The single action version was produced in three varieties from 1876 through 1911, with total production exceeding 223,000. Most modern revolvers to this day are double action. In 1968, the illinois state police adopted it and the model 39 became the first 9mm double action autoloading pistol ever used by any state law enforcement agency in the united states. In terms of striking power, it just barely reaches the level of the. Colt model 1892 us army da revolver unaltered 1 of 7 known.
The first doubleaction revolver that the colt factory produced after sam colts death was the 1877 lightning model that fired. It was found that the single action colt was more rugged and reliable than the adams revolver. It can be fired single action by cocking the hammer first or by double action by a full trigger pull. The second way is double action, or from a hammerdown position. The action operates in both single and double action modes but is just stupid heavy. A total of 51,210 model 1878 revolvers were manufactured from 1878 to 1907, including 4,600 for the us ordnance department. The only detailed gunsmithing and repair manual published on the original six series ruger d. The first colt double action revolver was introduced in 1877.
The interesting history of remington revolvers from the. This was unique in having a double action only mechanism, a cylinder that could quickly be removed by pulling forward on the front of the cylinder pin and slightly tapered cylinders designed to take either proprietary combustible cartridges with a conical. Its first double action revolver was the smallframed, sixshot lightningin. When the first double action revolver came out the high. In fact, it is said by many that the best way to teach a new handgun enthusiast about shooting basics is to start with a revolver first. As revolver fans know, this tweak made wheelguns that much faster on the reload, a particularly important feature for a defensive arm. The 10 greatest revolvers of all time the shooters log. Most double action revolvers can be fired in either of the two ways. Gun digest book of the revolver covers all aspects of living with the double action revolver. The model 1878 colt was a double action that saw limited. The high standard doublenine revolver unblinking eye. The book is geared to the double action revolver only. The colt m1878 is a double action revolver that was manufactured by colts manufacturing company from 1878 to 1907.
As with wilkersons other colt books, this one also covers each caliber which was offered as well as barrel lengths, total production figures and serial numbers. What was the world first successful double action pistol. The gun digest book of the revolver by grant cunningham. Covers the ruger sixseries double action revolvers. Meticulously researched, superbly illustrated, it covers all aspects and variants of these relatively littlestudied guns who historically got overshadowed by their legendary predecessor and successor, the colt saa and the colt 1911 pistol, plus they suffered from the bad reputation of their comparatively less effective cartridge. Dec, 2011 colt manufactured its first double action model from 1877 through 1909, turning out over 166,000 of them. It is estimated that no more than 3,000 belt models were produced and only a fraction of those were converted from. That is fine, as long the the buyer understands it up front. Most double action revolvers may be fired in two ways. Nov 03, 2016 but from 1918 onwards, the colts popularity waned with the closing of the frontier and the emergence of new double action revolvers and semiautomatic pistols.
The first successful double action pistol was the beaumont adams percussion revolver. Jan 03, 2018 the iconic colt single action army or colt peacemaker revolver still reigns supreme when it comes to frontier firepower. Jan 29, 2018 it is estimated that no more than 3,000 belt models were produced and only a fraction of those were converted from. The first way is exactly the same as a single action revolver. Securitysix, police servicesix, and speedsix models. The first double action models were topbreak designs and were offered in different frame sizes and calibers from. In addition to its petite size, the detective special embraces a design point new to revolvers of the time. Heres a brief look at the history of revolvers durys guns. Feb 28, 2017 first of all, i think history shows us that the single action feature of a double action revolver is just not necessary.
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