Colt 1851 Navy Revolver

Beloved by countless pioneers, outlaws, lawmen, the U.S. Armed Forces, and Texas Rangers Combining power and portability, Colt's "Revolving Belt Pistol" became one of the best-selling guns of the 19th century and helped usher in the age of the gunfighter. The 1851 Navy was designed by Samuel Colt and introduced in 1850 as a .36 caliber six-shot revolver. The term "Navy" refers to the caliber of the revolver, not necessarily the branch of service. The .44 caliber revolvers are called "Army" and .36 caliber revolvers are called "Navy." The 1851 Navy was much lighter (weight in at 2.6 lb [1.2 kg]) than the contemporary Colt Dragoon Revolvers developed from the .44 Walker Colt revolvers of 1847, which, given their size and weight, were generally carried in saddle holsters. The .36-caliber (0.375–0.380-inch [9.5–9.7 mm]) round lead ball weighs 80 grains and, at a velocity of 1,000 feet (300 m) per second, is comparable to the modern .380 pistol cartridge in power. It also had a barrel length of 7.5 in (.19 m) with a total length of 13 in (.33 m).

Sighting consists of a tapered brass cone front sight pressed into the muzzle end of the top barrel flat with a notch in the top of the hammer, as with most Colt percussion revolvers. In spite of the relative crudity of the sighting arrangement, these revolvers and their modern replicas generally are quite accurate. During the Civil War, more than 50 Union regiments were issued the 1851 Navy r, with about 35,000 purchased by the Union military during the conflict. Many officers on both sides of the conflict carried a Colt 1851 Navy, including Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After the Civil War, the 1851 Navy still saw service with many gunslinger, such as William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, as well in the international market. Form its production form 1851 to 1873, about 272,00 0 of the 1851 navy were made, with them being in service by 32 countries around the world, with the Ottoman Empire using the revolver as late as the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78.