Samuel Colt and the Colt Revolver

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The Wild West is known for its cowboys and gunslingers. In the Wild West the pistol

was an important piece of equipment. Samuel Colt played an important part in the Wild West

because of the invention of the Colt Revolver.

Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was one of

eight children. As a young boy Samuel Colt’s principle interest was guns and machinery. His

father, Christopher Colt, was a textile manufacturer and was married to Sarah Coldwell Colt

(“Samuel Colt”). Samuel Colt’s parents lived there in Hartford until their death.

Sam Colt at the age of 16 attended the Amherst Academy in Massachusetts and was

eventually expelled from it for his behavior. After he was expelled from the Amherst Academy

Colt’s father sent him to sail on a ship. The ship was called the Corvo (“Samuel Colt”).

While Sam Colt was on the Corvo he came up with the idea of a revolving cylinder for a

pistol. He got it from watching the wheel and that the spokes came back in line with the wheel.

When Colt got back to land he went to a man named Mr. Anson Chase who was a gunsmith

(Haven 14). After they came up with the idea they made their first revolver. It was a four barrel

cluster revolver. The only problem was that the revolver blew up when they shot it. The reason

why it blew up was there were no partitions between the nipples to prevent one discharge from

making all the rest explode. That was Sam Colt’s first gun design he made (Peterson 209).

Samuel Colt’s first invention that worked was an underwater mine. He made a galvanic

battery that made it detonate underwater. Sam Colt got a bunch of business men and made a

demonstration for them. He stuck a raft out in a stream over the mine he stuc...

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Colt’s most famous pistol that he made was the .45-calibre peacemaker introduced

in1873. Colt made a lot of pistols in his lifetime. Colt will always be remembered for his

revolvers and how he changed the wild west and the way we fight to this day.

Works Cited

Haven, Charles T. and Frank A. Belben. A History of the Colt Revolver. New York: Bonanza

Books, 1978. Print.

Peterson, Harold L. The Treasury of the Gun. New York: Golden Press, 1962. Print.

“Samuel Colt”. The Biography Channel Website. (2013). Web. 8 Nov. 2013.

Schreiner, Philip. “Former Texas Ranger Samuel Walker Collaborated with Samuel Colt on a

Powerful New Revolver.” Wild West 13.2 (2000): 10. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 8 Nov.

2013.

Silva, Lee A. “Sam Colt’s Big Business Was a Boon to Other Gunmakers.” Wild West 25.5

(2013): 68. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

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