On This Day in 1847, a Texas Ranger Walked Into Samuel Colt’s Shop and Said, Make Me a Six-Shooter
by Kat Eschner/Smithsonianmag.com
The old saying goes like this: God created men equal. Colonel Colt made them equal.
Samuel Colt accepted an order for 1,000 revolvers from Captain Samuel Walker of the Texas Rangers on this day in 1847. At the time, although he had some success selling his guns abroad, his five-shot revolver was a ways from being the storied weapon that the Colt would become.
“Firing five shots in less time than one man could reload a flintlock weapon should have guaranteed large orders from the government,” writes James Donovan for Texas Monthly. “But the Paterson, as Colt’s first revolver became known, was fragile and fired a small-caliber ball, and it had to be half-disassembled to reload, so military tests were unimpressive, as were sales.”
Walker’s stipulations, according to Mark Crawford for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers: he wanted an improved version of the revolver that Colt had patented in 1836. It needed to hold six bullets, be simple to reload and “be powerful enough to kill a man with a single shot.”
“Before Colt began mass-producing his popular revolvers in 1847, handguns had not played a significant role in the history of either the American West or the nation as a whole,’ writes History.com.
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
The Colt Walker carried 60g of powder, making it the most powerful handgun in the world. This reign was not superseded until the S&W 357 magnum in the 1960’s. The only drawback was the lack of a latch on the ramming lever causing it to fall down and foul the cylinder. This problem was solved with the unveiling of the Colt’s Dragoon.
Comments are closed.