Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Philip · 28th May 2010, 05:56 AM

Gentlemen,
Thanks much for posting all those pics of these rare and fascinating guns!

Not all the examples posted so far are true revolvers in the modern sense. What made Sam'l Colt's "invention" so notable, to the point that the essence of its design is still in current use, is that the multiple charges (powder and bullet) were housed in a revolving CYLINDER and were discharged one by one through a single BARREL when the mechanism lined each chamber up with the bore.

Firearms with multiple rotating barrels are a separate class, which culminated and ended with the PEPPERBOX pistols of the first half of the 19th cent. The advantage of the true REVOLVER, with its compact cylinder and single barrel, are obvious to anyone who has hefted each type of pistol of comparable length and caliber. The weight of a pair of p'boxes in belt holsters can pull a guy's pants down if his belt isn't cinched tight enough, and that's not even addressing the issues of aiming and balance.

Of all the guns on this thread so far, Collier's flintlock revolver and the rare Portuguese revolving fowling piece (oh my, where can I get one for my collection?) are the direct mechanical antecedents to Colt's prototype. All the rest are the forebears of the percussion pepperbox.

28th May 2010, 05:56 AM	#10
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	Revolving barrels vs. revolving cylinder Gentlemen, Thanks much for posting all those pics of these rare and fascinating guns! Not all the examples posted so far are true revolvers in the modern sense. What made Sam'l Colt's "invention" so notable, to the point that the essence of its design is still in current use, is that the multiple charges (powder and bullet) were housed in a revolving CYLINDER and were discharged one by one through a single BARREL when the mechanism lined each chamber up with the bore. Firearms with multiple rotating barrels are a separate class, which culminated and ended with the PEPPERBOX pistols of the first half of the 19th cent. The advantage of the true REVOLVER, with its compact cylinder and single barrel, are obvious to anyone who has hefted each type of pistol of comparable length and caliber. The weight of a pair of p'boxes in belt holsters can pull a guy's pants down if his belt isn't cinched tight enough, and that's not even addressing the issues of aiming and balance. Of all the guns on this thread so far, Collier's flintlock revolver and the rare Portuguese revolving fowling piece (oh my, where can I get one for my collection?) are the direct mechanical antecedents to Colt's prototype. All the rest are the forebears of the percussion pepperbox.