VOTE FOR US!

Home
Up
Rifles

Revolvers were compact handguns with a revolving cylinder usually holding 6 rounds.  The majority came in two sizes – the .44 caliber "Army" and the .36 caliber "Navy".  (The "Army" and "Navy" designations had nothing to do with which service used the weapons and was instead a marketing technique developed by Colt to sell his revolvers to the US government.)  The revolvers made by Colt and by Remington were well-made, reliable weapons and were highly prized by those who carried them.  Revolvers were loaded by pulling the hammer back to half-cock, allowing the cylinder to spin freely.  The weapon was held so that the barrel pointed straight up.  The end of the paper cartridge was torn off and the powder and ball were placed in the front of the cylinder.  The cylinder was turned so that the freshly loaded chamber was under the lever (a ramrod attached to the bottom of the barrel).  The lever was pulled down ramming the ball and powder tightly into the chamber.  When this had been repeated for all six chambers, a percussion cap was placed on all six nipples.  The weapon was loaded and ready to fire.  Each time the hammer was pulled back, a mechanism would rotate the barrel so that a loaded chamber was lined up with the barrel.

Colt .44 Caliber Army Revolver

Revolver

Starr Double Action Army Revolver, or self cocking revolver.  Heavily used by U.S. Cavalrymen during the Civil War.

____________________________________________

Cavalry holster for the Colt Army Revolver

This is what the Civil War era Union Cavalrymen and Artillerymen were issued with their Colt and Remington revolvers.  

_________________________________________________________________________________

The Remington cap and ball .45 caliber revolver became more popular as the Civil War progressed. The frame completely surrounded the cylinder meaning it could be changed without removing the barrel.

Three Models of the Starr double action Revolver (.44, .36, & .44 Caliber) Invented by Ebenezer Starr in 1858. Just pull the trigger -- no need to cock the hammer.