Untitled Essay, Research Paper

THE COLT SIX-SHOOTER The colt six shooter will always be a legend to Texas. Whether you know it as an accurate, cowboy, Texas Ranger, gun-slinging, out West, corral gun, or as a little protection, the colt will never be forgotten in Texas. Sam Colt is known as the inventor of the first revolving firearm. Sam’s mother died when he was six and his father owned a silk mill in Ware, Massachusetts. When Sam Colt was seven, he was fascinated by guns. He took apart his father’s gun in a field and was able to successfully rebuild it. Science, adventures of an active life, and mechanics were all the favorite passions of young Samuel Colt. During 1830 – 1831, Sam Colt was abroad at sea. It was during these years that Samuel first conceived the idea of a revolving firearm. Some think it may have come from watching the revolving wheel of the ship, turning and locking. While on board ship, Sam must have seen other revolving firearms in London or India. Sam carved a wooden model of his ideal gun while he was at sea. None of what Sam may have previously seen on revolving guns could have led to his invention. His ideas were not copied from any source, even though the revolving idea was not unique. When Sam arrived home from sea, he showed the wooden model to his father and a family friend. This friend was Henry Ellsworth, Commissioner of the United States Patent Office. Both Sam’s father and Mr. Ellsworth were greatly impressed by the model. They encouraged Sam to file for a patent for his revolving firearm. On February of the 25, in the year 1835, the first United States patent was granted for a colt revolver. The patent that Samuel received covered eight basic features. First, the application of caps at the end of the gun cylinder. Second, the application of a partition between the caps, as well as other basic ideas. The other areas of the patent cover the application of certain parts of the gun, the principle of locking and turning the cylinder , and all of the basic revolver parts. In 1848, the new pocket model revolver was introduced. Colt devised an alternative means of loading the gun – removing the barrel and cylinder, and either switching an empty cylinder for a loaded one or using the axis pin as a ramrod. This gun was nicknamed the “Baby Dragoon” because it resembled the bigger Dragoon. The pocket-sized pistols had a larger span of appeal to the public. Even Sam Houston of Texas ordered a Baby Dragoon from his friend Sam Colt. Houston told Colt, “(If) you have a small pistol, or will soon have one made of choice quality, I wish you to bring it with you as I wish to purchase one. I did not know (of them) until a few days since- I then saw one for the first time and was greatly pleased with it.” The type seen be Houston was an actual Baby Dragoon with a square-back trigger guard and a Texas Ranger scene on the cylinder. This particular scene was of a Texas Ranger and an Indian in a fight scene. The colt revolver served a great purpose for the Texas Rangers. This pocket-sized gun could be casually carried around and easily reloaded. The beauty of the gun was its six consecutive shots and its precise accuracy. The Texas Rangers and other Texas gunslingers know Colt as the “cream of the crop” in gun making, supreme revolving techniques and great precision make Colt the number one gun for Texans. Bibliography: 1. The Handbook of Texas, p 382 The Texas Historical Association 2. Colt : An American Legend, all pages Wilson Publishings ; Robert Lawrence Wilson 3. How It Works, p 3240 H.S. Stuttman Inc.