History of Revolver

Revolver is a firearm that holds its ammunition in a cylinder containing

multiple chambers that automatically rotate as the user fires the shots.
The modern version of the revolver was invented by the famous
American industrialist Samuel Colt in 1836, but two decades before
him another similar design was introduced by the Elisha Collier.
Before the revolvers came into use, many inventors around the world
tackled the problem of improving the design of shingle shot muskets
and guns. Many soldiers requested from the to devise a way to make
reloading faster, because current manual reloading took too much
time and it left soldier defenseless and open to attack from the enemy.
For that purpose, several early designs tried to expand the ammo
capacity of the firearm, mainly by increasing the number of the firing
barrels (they offered two or more shots before reloading) and by
introducing rotating barrel that the user could manually operate after
the shot was fired. Some of the earlier examples of the revolving
firearms were the 1597 revolving arquebus by Zane Irrizary and a
mid-17th century six chambered revolving flintlock that was made by
John Dafte of London (a very unreliable weapon, which manufacture
was quickly discontinued). In 1718 English inventor James Puckle
patented a revolving chamber gun and managed to create tripod--
mounted gun with a hand operated cylinder that contained eleven
shots. Process of reloading was conducted by changing entire ammo
cylinders, and it had a fire rate of 63 rounds per seven minutes.
First commercially viable revolving gun came to existence in early
19th century with the invention of revolving flintlock by Elisha Collier.
Between 1819 and 1824 over 10.000 models of his gun were made,
but they were held back by several important design flaws. His guns
we unreliable (prone to malfunctions, especially firing chamber and
revolving cylinder), and traces of interior gunpowder sometimes
caused misfire. After witnessing firsthand the design of revolving
flintlock, American inventor Samuel Colt decided to make his own
version of revolver.
First revolver that marked the beginning of the new era of weapon
production was Samuel Colt’s model “Colt Paterson”. Made in 1836, it
featured revolving cylinder with the place for five peaces of .25
ammunition. Sadly initial production of this revolver was not good and
plagued with many problems. Because Colt did not have the money to
obtain machinery for the creation of standardized interchangeable
parts, many of his guns were made with varying quality. Some
worked, some malfunctioned, and they all carried the flaw of slow
reloading (half of the gun had to be disassembled before inserting
new bullets). In the following years Colt modified his gun with the
reloading lever and a capping window which allowed much faster
reloading.
After spending few years away from gun manufacturing in the
aftermath of the US economy crash of 1837, Colt returned to his
revolvers and started a way of innovation that would make him one of
the wealthiest US inventors of all time. With the help of the Captain
Samuel Walker and engineer Eli Whitney Blake he produced powerful
revolver “Walker Colt”, which became very famous with the US army.
Samuel Colt’s ability as a salesman greatly increased the public
demand for his gun, especially when he managed to spread his
product to several European countries.
During the long history of revolvers, several models became very
popular across the entire world. Most notable examples were Colt
Single Action Army (introduced in 1873, and quickly became official
weapon of US Army and favorite weapon of Wild West gunslingers),
.38 Special, .357 magnum, .44 Magnum (popularized in the Dirty
Harry series of movies) and Smith & Wesson Model 500 (made in
2003, and represents one of the most powerful revolver handguns
ever made).
The Modernization of the Muzzleloaded Rifle
In 1610, artist, gunsmith and inventor Marin le Bourgeois develops the first
flintlock for King Louis XIII of France. The trigger releases a spring-loaded
mechanism that causes a flint to strike a steel surface; the ensuing spark ignites
gunpowder and propels a spherical bullet. Bourgeois's design becomes highly
popular—and is the main weapon of European armies until about 1840. One of
the king's flintlocks, designed by Marin's brother Pierre, is housed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
In the early 1700s, the long rifle becomes popular among settlers in North
America. This rifled muzzle loader, which can weigh anywhere from 7 to 10
pounds, is used extensively in the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
Called the Pennsylvania Rifle, or the Kentucky Rifle, this flintlock rifle is one of
the most iconic guns in American history.
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In 1794, the Springfield Armory begins manufacturing muskets for the new
United States military. George Washington establishes the armory in 1777 in
Springfield, Mass.; for nearly 200 years, until its closure in 1968, the Springfield
Armory is the birthplace for most major advances in American rifle technology.
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Reverend Alexander Forsyth patents the first percussion ignition in 1807, which
he developed after a rainy duck hunt in his native Scotland. He grew frustrated
with the flintlock's notoriously slow firing time—one that allowed the birds to spot
the flame from the pan and change course before the weapon actually
discharged—and misfires from wet gunpowder. His new lock is far faster and
keeps the firing powder inside the gun and out of the elements: After gunpowder
and a projectile are loaded, a magazine filled with explosive powder called
fulminate is rotated backward, filling a small pan with a tiny amount of the
powder. Pulling the trigger springs a hammer that strikes a brass or copper cap
filled with a pressure-sensitive fulminate of mercury, which is pressed over a
nipple that leads to the breech. The spark ignites the powder, which is a ttached
to a vent leading into the barrel. The flame from the explosion enters the barrel,
igniting the gunpowder and firing the ball. Napoleon Bonaparte reportedly offers
Forsyth 20,000 pounds for the invention for use by the French army.
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In 1823, Jacob and Samuel Hawken design their eponymous rifle, which
becomes the favored muzzleloader for hunting Plains game. With a barrel 33 to
36 inches long, the Hawken rifle is shorter than the frontier long rifle, and the 10 -
pound gun is owned by some of the most famous hunters of the time: Theodore
Roosevelt, Kit Carson and Daniel Boone. The rifle is made even more famous in
the 1972 Robert Redford classic Jeremiah Johnson, which helps repopularize
muzzleloaders in recreational shooting and hunting.
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In 1824, Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse creates a needle gun that will become a
staple of the Prussian army. Building on designs pioneered by Jean-Samuel
Pauly, Dreyse's breech-loading rifle relies on cartridges that include a black-
powder charge, a percussion cap and a bullet wrapped in paper, which fires the
bullet. While not a muzzeloader, Dreyse's design of the entire firing mechanism
in a straight line is thought to have led to the development of the inline
muzzleloader and the bolt-action rifle. It also leads to the development of
cartridge ammunition. (Photo courtesy of Pukka Bundhooks)
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Sir Joseph Whitworth, commissioned by the British Army, develops the

Whitworth rifle. With a hexagonal barrel and bullet, the side-lock rifle shoots
accurately at great distances with great speed. The development shows promise
for the muzzleloader industry, but the rifles are also far more expensive than
their counterparts, and the barrels are easily dirtied. Instead, advances in
breech-loading technology will dominate rifle design through the mid-20th
century. (Photo courtesy of Antique Military Rifles)
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Muzzleloading sees a renaissance in the 1970s, thanks to frontier re-
enactments. In 1985, Tony Knight develops the Knight MK-85 and popularizes
the modern-day sport of muzzleloading. Soon after, Thompson/Center (T/C)
unveils the first muzzleloader to incorporate a common 209 shotgun primer into
an inline muzzleloader, which burns more powder, faster improving bullet speed
and efficiency. This leads T/C to take its Encore rifle and tweak the existing
design (pictured) to become the first 209-primer, break-action muzzleloader.
When the trigger is pulled, the hammer strikes the 209 primer, which ignites the
gunpowder, firing the bullet. Having the entire lock system in a straight line
increases the consistency and efficiency. The break action allows for easy
removal of the breech plug for cleaning purposes.
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Thompson/Center continues to drive innovation, and, in 2002, it unveils the

Omega, which has a longer barrel but shorter overall length and superior bullet
velocity. The drop-action rifle's trigger group slides out of the receiver to offer
access to the breech plug. Drop-action and break-action guns—such as CVA's
Optima, Apex and Accura; T/C's Omega, Triumph and Impact; and Tradition's
Vortek, Pursuit and Buckstalker, Knight's Revolution and Revolution 2—have
become the most widely used muzzleloading rifles today.
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In 2007, CVA unveils its Electra, an electronic-ignition muzzleloader, in which the

trigger is actually a micro switch that transfers a charge when depressed. The
Electra uses an electric spark created by a 9-volt battery to fire off the bullet,
making the time between pulling the trigger and the bullet's exit from the barrel
nearly instantaneous. It also makes the lock time (the delay caused by a hammer
striking a primer), which helps improve consistency.