Colt Six-Shooter

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COLT SIX-SHOOTER

COLT SIX-SHOOTER. The first practical "revolving pistol" was invented by Samuel Colt and first manufactured in 1836. Its innovations included a cylinder that came in line with the rifled barrel by pulling the hammer back to full cock. The pistol proved its worth during the Seminole Wars and the Texas border conflicts. The first government orders for heavy revolvers of .44 caliber came in January 1847. Many of the 554,283 powder-and-ball revolvers manufactured at Colt's Hartford, Connecticut, factory between 1856 and 1865 were used by both sides during the Civil War. Colt six-shooters, popular with rangers and cattlemen as well as troops, played a prominent part in the conquest and settlement of the West.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Edward, William B. The Story of Colt's Revolver. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1953.

Samuel M.Stone/a. r.

See alsoMunitions ; Texas Rangers ; West, American .

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