The meaning of the proverb is that visiting is good. Being a guest is good, but being at home is better

If God created people, and Lincoln freed them from slavery, then Colonel Samuel Colt made them for real equal - provided, of course, that each of the applicants for equality had a toy of 45 or at least 36 caliber at hand in time.

Desire is the beginning of passion, and passion is the beginning of all beginnings!

Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in the town of Hartford, the son of textile mill owner Christopher Colt. When the boy turned four years old, one of his relatives gave him a bronze toy pistol for his birthday.

This got ahead of him future fate.

The very next day the boy stole a pack of gunpowder from his father and began experimenting. It's not hard to guess how it ended. There was just a small explosion in the house. Thank God, there were no injuries, severe fright or fire. However, this did not discourage little Sammy from working with cars, mechanisms and... pistols!

Exactly ten years later, secretly from everyone, he himself personally designed and manufactured at his father’s factory, in a repair shop, a four-barreled pistol that fired simultaneously from all four barrels. History is silent about what happened next, but apparently the tests were... not very successful. Having given up this “stupid idea”, in the sense of firing from four barrels at the same time, he still “didn’t get over it” with the idea of ​​​​creating a perfect, ideal pistol. And so, at the age of 17, Samuel blew up a raft with gunpowder on the lake, connecting electrical wires to it and exploding the gunpowder with a spark from a self-made battery. However, as a result of a mistake, a mine explosion sent a huge stream of water down on the assembled audience. He was saved from the crowd by a tall young man, whose meeting determined life path Colt. It turned out to be mechanic Elisha Ruth, the future designer and organizer of Koltova production.

After this incident, the father, apparently fearing for his factory, quickly sent the boy away from his hometown. Study. To university.

Sam was having trouble with his studies, and after a while, an explosion occurred in the university laboratory. It was not difficult to guess who was the reason!

Afraid to go home after such a disgrace, Samuel got a job as a sailor on the merchant ship Corvo. It was while sailing on this ship that he came up with his first design of a drum revolver, which later became the prototype of all revolver designs throughout the world. Observing the operation of the ship's mechanisms, he noticed two of them: a steering wheel with a lock after each turn and a mechanism for raising the anchor chain, which rotated only in one direction. Taking as a basis the principles of operation of these mechanisms, Colt created the first, then still wooden, model of a rotating drum with fixation, the basis for the design of any drum revolver. Spat on overseas countries and delighted with his great discovery, he spent several months creating a prototype of the world's first revolver. This happened significant event in 1835. And although neither friends nor gunsmiths believed that “this thing could shoot,” Samuel Colt patented his invention in America, England and France. In the patent application, Colt indicated the main differences of his system: central ignition of the charge and a cylindrical bullet (before that, pistols and revolvers had spherical bullets).

This patent application determined the whole later life Samuel.

Having received an American patent for his first revolver on February 25, 1836 (in France he received a patent a year earlier), 22-year-old Samuel Colt then borrowed money from his wealthy businessman uncle and, having registered the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co., opened a weapons workshop in the city of Patterson. This is where the first working model of a revolver, the Colt Paterson, appeared.

The main advantage of the Colt Paterson revolver, unlike other pistols of that time, was that it allowed rapid shooting and confronting several opponents alone.

And yet, despite positive reviews, Colt's company was slowly but surely heading towards ruin. Purchase lots of revolvers did not exceed 100 pieces. As a result, the workshop, which had already grown into a small factory, was closed in Paterson, and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. To somehow stay afloat, Colt went on a tour of the United States with his popular science show using nitrous oxide, while simultaneously selling waterproof ammunition and those same underwater mines with an electric fuse, the prototype of which he tested at the age of 14. He, without any hope, filed a patent for mines, which, a few years later, brought him millions of dollars.

This continued until one of the officers of the Texas Ranger Corps, Captain Samuel Walker, highly appreciating the excellent fighting qualities of the new revolver, knocked out a government order for 1000 revolvers for the Texas Expeditionary Force.

The reason for this was the successful outcome of the fight between his group of 16 people, armed with Colt revolvers, with 80 Indians. At the same time, not a single person from the detachment was even wounded!!! It was then that the Texas Rangers forever refuted the Indian philosophy: “Trunks are for suckers, knives are the choice of real warriors!”

Such combat episodes and reviews from the rangers simply could not help but be noticed by military officials, and fueled the demand for Colt revolvers. Sales, and with it profits, began to grow rapidly. In 1846, when the war with Mexico began, the government urgently ordered Colt another thousand new, modified revolvers. At the same time, Captain Walker met with Colt and asked him to take him as an assistant. Colt and Walker create new model revolver "Colt-Walker", which marked the beginning of the industrial production of this type of weapon.

However, in order to fulfill this, at that time huge, government order, a new plant was needed, and Colt begged Eli Whitney (the son of the inventor of the cotton gin) to use his unused textile factory in Connecticut for production. It was there that the world's first production of weapons on an industrial scale was launched. After the new revolvers entered service with the army, the name Colt became known throughout America. Therefore, even after the end of hostilities with Mexico, government orders continued to flow like a river.

In 1852, Samuel Colt received a large government order for revolvers for naval officers.

That same year, he bought a vacant lot near his hometown of Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. It cost a lot of money, even for Colt. But even greater expenses were required by the newest weapons factory, equipped with the latest science and technology, which cost more than three years. However, Colt made the right decision here too! Only for time Civil War Colt supplied hundreds of thousands of units to government forces small arms, mostly revolvers. All expenses paid off very quickly! In total, over a century and a half, the company produced more than 30 million revolvers, pistols and shotguns with the branded “Colt” engraving at this plant.

Colt was an innovative inventor not only in the field of weapons production. It was he who, for the first time in business, began to engage in marketing and advertising, organizing targeted mailings of samples of his products.

In 1851, S. Colt entered the international market - not only weapons, but also labor, opening his first plant in England. At the same time, he systematized the development, design and production of various models of his revolvers and shotguns, using, wherever possible, the unification of parts.

When the opportunity arose, Colt divided production: in addition to the mass production of revolvers and shotguns, a line of expensive exclusive weapons was opened. These were works of weapon art, decorated with exquisite engraving and wood carvings. Exclusive samples of Colt weapons were presented at the most prestigious exhibitions and auctions, and were presented as gifts to politicians and royalty: “Colts” were kept in the collections of Nicholas I and Alexander II, the Danish king Frederick VII and the Swedish Charles XV.

After the outbreak of the American Civil War, the health of the “arms king” deteriorated sharply. Samuel Colt died January 10, 1862 in Hartford, aged 47.

The funeral of the US Army colonel was held at public expense - units of the 12th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, led by the governor, General Thomas Seymour, stood on the guard of honor. America said goodbye to Colt in a purely American way - with volleys from thousands of rifles and revolvers of his production - in a word, so that, in the words of the local newspaper, “the cannonade was like on a battlefield.”

The “great equalizer” left behind a fortune estimated at $15 million - simply unimaginable money at that time. Around that time, the state of Alaska was sold by Russia to the United States for about HALF OF THIS AMOUNT!

Management of the company passed to his widow Elizabeth, who managed not only to keep the company's brand high, but also to lead it to further prosperity.

reference Information

Few people know that the world-famous Colonel Colt, equated with God and Lincoln, never served in the army for a single day! And yet, he was a real colonel! He simply received his title when he was already a millionaire, for his support in the elections from the governor of Connecticut. That's how it happens!

And yet….

1. The first underwater mine;2. the first Colt Paterson drum revolver; 3. the first cartridge revolver "Single Action Army", with original nickname“Peacemaker”, because where he shot, peace came very quickly; 4. the famous gangster machine gun “Tommy gun”;5. the legendary Colt 1191, which was in service with the American army for more than 70 years (you heard right - seventy years, from 1911 to 1985!); 6. modern American assault rifle “M-16”; all these are “children” of the company founded by Samuel Colt.

And yet, Colt’s passion, what he considered the main achievement of his life, was precisely the revolver. And it is precisely as the inventor of the revolver that Samuel Colt is known throughout the world.

Material from the encyclopedia

“Samuel Colt (1814-1862) - the inventor of the revolver, an American, fled from his father’s home to India in his youth and during the journey made a wooden model of what later became known as the revolver. Returning, he studied chemistry, lectured on it in the United States and Canada, visited Europe in 1835 and took patents for his invention in London and Paris and founded a company for the manufacture of revolvers, but in 1842 he went bankrupt; For 5 years in a row, revolvers were not manufactured and became very rare.

When the government ordered the inventor 1000 pieces, he had to make a new model, since the copy previously manufactured by the company could not be found anywhere. This order was the beginning of Colt's prosperity. He replaced a small workshop in Withneyvilles with a large one in Getford, and in 1852 he founded a huge trading post, doubled in size in 1861, on the shoals of the Connecticut River. From here, a huge mass of revolving mechanisms was sent annually to Russia and England.”

Look, nothing is said here about underwater mines, or about the “Tommy gun”, or “M-16”. All this came later, after his death. And Colonel Colt’s lifetime monument was, in his personal opinion, an ordinary revolver!

Here they are, Colt revolvers, which became classics during the lifetime of their creator.

1. Five-shot "Colt Paterson" model 1836. Caliber 0.36 inches (9 mm). The world's first pistol, firstly, equipped with a safety lock, and secondly, allowing rapid fire, shooting back from several opponents. The rate of fire was achieved due to replaceable drums; the revolver came with two of them and it was possible to buy as many more as you wanted.

2. “Dragoon” or “Big Colts”, produced in three modifications. Caliber 0.44 inches (11.2 mm), size - almost 40 cm! A sort of small repeating shotgun without a stock! Not everyone could shoot accurately from it - the weight of this “toy” was four pounds (over one and a half kilograms!).

3. “Colt – Navy” Model 1851, 9 mm caliber, intended for the navy, but was also popular on land. The special features of this weapon were an octagonal drum (probably to prevent it from rolling when pitching) and the complete absence of a front sight! Why shoot accurately at sea?

4. Army "Colt" model 1860, the main weapon of the war between North and South. The caliber is 0.44 inches (11.2 mm), but the weight is less than that of the Dragunsky - only about a kilogram;

5. Modernized “Colt – Navy”. Model 1861. Produced in 0.45 and 0.36 inch calibers. He began his military career during the Civil War and remained popular until World War II.

The rest of Colt's weapon "hits" were created by his followers after his death. And the “Peacemaker” revolver, and the “Tommy gun” assault rifle, famous from gangster “showdowns” during Prohibition, and the American “M-16” assault rifle, which is in service in more than 20 countries around the world.

By the way, it was in Colt’s shotguns that they first began to use a pump-action system for reloading a shotgun, in contrast to the “Winchester” system, in which the shotgun is reloaded with a special bracket near the trigger. Then Winchester tried to introduce it into their guns, but after experimenting, he refused. These two systems have long been the strongest competitors in the American weapons market. Colt won here too!

Today, the company founded in 1847 by Samuel Colt remains one of the world's leading manufacturers firearms. Its model line extends from miniature ladies' pistols to heavy army machine guns, shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft weapons and other "killer tools."

“God created people different. Colonel Colt evened their chances,” almost everyone who is at least slightly interested in US history, westerns or weapons knows variations of this American proverb.

So a brief description of The activities of Samuel Colt to a very small extent reflect the full scale and results of his work and do not at all concern the character traits of the industrialist himself. Meanwhile, he was a very controversial personality, and the Colt brand still produces products whose lethality is far ahead of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and McDonalds, taken locally... Not bad for a colonel who has never served a day in the army!

The first steps of industrialist Sam Colt

The first attempts of the young entrepreneur occurred at the beginning (first decades) of the 19th century. Samuel Colt can hardly be considered a full-fledged embodiment of " American dream“- he did not come from the lower social classes, and before he achieved real success, he repeatedly borrowed considerable funds for the development and production of models from his industrialist father and relatives, and later married a representative of a wealthy family.

What cannot be taken away from Colt is that failures did not prevent him from moving on. The developed revolvers and rifles exploded, shooters had their fingers pinched by drums, Colt himself was often left without a penny and made a living by traveling around the country with a kit to demonstrate the properties of “laughing gas.” But the patents for the developed revolver mechanisms in Great Britain, France and the USA belonged to him and this was the main thing.

The entire history of the Colt brand is a story of litigation, not entirely transparent transactions, government contracts with the participation of well-motivated lobbyists and other, not entirely pleasant stories..

Success

During the American-Mexican War (1846 - 1848), Samuel Colt finally received a large order (for 1000 revolvers) for Texas volunteers and in 1848 was finally able to open another company - Colt's Patent Manufacturing Company in his “native” Hartford (Connecticut). The 50s saw the heyday of production.

In Hartford, construction was underway on production facilities, housing and cultural recreation facilities for workers, and the transport infrastructure of the Coltsville village for skilled migrants from Germany. Colt's wife spent a lot of money on charity...

At the same time, working conditions in production left much to be desired, women’s salaries were barely enough to survive, and to put pressure on his enemies, Colt did not hesitate to use administrative resources—friendship with political leaders and controlled newspaper publishers. By the way, the rank of “Colonel”, or rather Lieutenant Colonel, was awarded to him “out of friendship” by the then Governor of Connecticut, Thomas Seymour.

Colt considered himself to have the right to interfere in all spheres of workers’ lives—more than one left the plant for sympathizing with President Lincoln. However, when the civil war broke out, this did not stop Colt from supplementing his income by supplying weapons to the northern army. He acted like a real businessman - during the war he supplied weapons to both sides.

In a word, Colonel Colt was neither bad nor good, a typical industrialist - a product of his time, in many ways even more liberal than his “colleagues”.

Weapons and other projects

One of the main advantages of the new weapon was not only its multiple charges, but also the interchangeability of parts - the quality of parts was then too low everywhere. Each one had to be adjusted by hand. Once at an exhibition in England, Colt disassembled ten samples, mixed spare parts and assembled ten working revolvers.

But his interests were not limited to small arms only. Samuel Colt put a lot of effort into developing underwater mines and demonstrated them to representatives of the American leadership back in the 40s of the 19th century. Future US President and then politician John Quincy Adams rejected the project, calling it a dishonest means of warfare and an “un-Christian thing.” Nuclear and vacuum bombs, napalm and poison gases appeared in American and world arsenals much later...

In the forties, Colt worked closely with Morse, supplying waterproof cables for his equipment.

The most curious story involves former Colt employee, Rollin White. As you know, the first Colt revolvers did not use a “unitary” cartridge (with a bullet, case and primer all in one), instead the drum was reloaded each time through the front chamber holes. White proposed breech-loading through drums, Colt was critical of the idea, the relationship did not work out, and a former employee with a patent for the invention went to seek his fortune around the world. Surely Colt and his heirs were tearing their hair out afterwards... This design is used in revolvers to this day.

White then sold the patent to Smith & Wesson. When the advantages of the new weapon became obvious to everyone, Colt's company had to wait years until the patent expired - the industrialist himself had long been dead. It got to the point of ridiculousness - Smith & Wesson bought Colt revolvers and drilled out the drums, after which they resold the weapons.

Death

Samuel Colt died in January 1864, almost a month before the disaster occurred - in February there was a big fire at the plant, in addition to equipment, documentation, drawings, etc. were damaged.

IN post-war period Since 1865, the Colt company has been mainly involved in sewing and typewriters, bicycles, watches, etc.

Colt today

Now the company is going through difficult times best years- however, it has withstood periods of recessions and crises and is one of the leaders in the arms market.

Its historical credit includes such legends as Colt Walker, Colt Peacemaker, and the legendary M1911 pistol, to the creation of which John Browning himself was directly related.

Colt also produced the M4 automatic rifle, glorified in Hollywood films, the M16 and its “civilian” relative AR15 (although these models themselves were developed outside the company).

In 2002, Colt's Defense was spun off from Colt's Manufacturing Company. The first one now produces “civilian” weapons, the second one fulfills defense orders, makes weapons for the police, etc.

Now the company is owned by one of the scions of a family of Jewish bankers who have long and actively developed financial markets- from the Middle East to New York. In 1992, Colt's Manufacturing Company was acquired by Zilkha & Company of New York City for a measly $12 million. And now the owner is constantly struggling - with losses, lawsuits, and anti-gun hysteria that has swept the United States after tragic shooting incidents. And even with gun fans - Colt is accused of a kind of “collaboration”, collusion with the anti-gun lobby and betrayal of the interests of customers.

Colt in Russia

Colt weapons are well known in Russia - revolvers and rifles were used by both sides in the Crimean War of 1853 - 56, later weapons were bought by military and civilians. It is known that the production of “clones” of popular revolvers was established in Russia almost from the moment they appeared on official sale in America. Some are like honest “copies”, others are like outright fakes with appropriate inscriptions and logos.

In the revolutionary and post-revolutionary years, Colt products were also widely represented in the USSR - in the form of trophies of numerous wars, Lend-Lease samples and “grandfather’s stash”, carefully and illegally passed on from generation to generation.

Today, most Russians can purchase either non-working “replicas” and MMGs of Colt products, or pneumatic and airsoft analogues, or, at best, “civilian” long-barreled versions of weapons. Some people recommend visiting Abkhazia and Ossetia - they say if you find mutual language With the locals, you can “hold in your hands” samples of the Colt M16, which were received as trophies after the war with Georgia. There are also a number of copies that are still stored in Russian military warehouses and got there in different ways.

If there is no opportunity to have a real Colt, but you really want it, buy a folding or non-folding knife. Such products under the Colt brand are sold here quite legally to everyone.

July 19, 1814 was born Samuel Colt(Samuel Colt). The legendary American engineer Samuel Colt is known as the inventor of the most famous individual small arms, named after him, and the proverb that says: “God made men great and small, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances.” This is where the mistake of most ordinary people lies, believing that Mr. Colt was a military designer and even worked for the government (like our national pride, Mikhail Kalashnikov).

Russia is threatened with weapons

In reality, the American army and police forces did not immediately receive the automatic pistol invented by Colt. For a long time Samuel was mistaken for an eccentric who invents things that no one needs, which seemed like toys to others. He would have been considered a city madman, but the guy was the son of the owner of a factory where fabrics were produced. However, the rich son did not grow up as a barchuk, but from the age of 9 he worked hard at his father’s enterprise, where he created his first four-barreled pistol, which fired four bullets simultaneously. A very heavy weapon with such strong recoil that when fired, it could cripple the shooter himself.

Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in the town of Hartford (Connecticut). For his birthday, 4-year-old Samuel was given a bronze toy gun. The inquisitive kid stole from hunting horn, belonging to the father, a handful of gunpowder and - the pistol with a terrible roar, enveloping the child in clouds of black smoke, exploded in his little hands. This was the first introduction to firearms, but far from the last experiment of the novice pyrotechnician. At the age of 15, Samuel entered Amhera University. Within the walls of his alma mater, the boy conducted an experiment with a sea mine, which turned into a loud explosion and an equally loud scandal. The student was expelled. The future creator of the legendary revolver hired himself as a sailor on the merchant ship Corvo. Watching the operation of a capstan - a mechanism in the form of a large drum for selecting anchor or mooring ropes with sockets for a stopper - he was struck by the idea of ​​​​replacing the gun lock with a rotating drum. They say that Colt assembled the first wooden model of his revolver on board the ship.

It must be admitted that the very idea of ​​​​using a drum for charging was not new, but it was Colt who was the first to think of combining the operation of the trigger mechanism with the rotation of this drum, which led to the appearance of a capsule revolver. The ingenious invention not only made its way, but its inventor had the same penetration power as his weapon. On February 25, 1836, 22-year-old Samuel Colt received a patent for his first revolver.

A year earlier, with the help of his businessman uncle, he opened the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. and weapons factory in Paterson, New Jersey. The first model of the 38 caliber revolver was named Colt Paterson. His 9 mm bullet from a distance of 20 yards (18.29 m) pierced 3 pine boards each one inch thick (762 mm). All five charges could be fired in 5 seconds, and the handle, carved from walnut wood, made the revolver easy to handle.

Even the famous Texas Rangers, who appreciated the advantages of the multi-shot revolver, could not save the father of the American pistol. A group of rangers led by Jack Hayes unexpectedly encountered Indians near the Pedernails River. Having brought a large group of horsemen within shooting range, the Texas boys fired several continuous volleys at them, which demoralized the Comanche attackers. After several similar episodes, when small groups of Rangers completely defeated large hordes of Redskins, Colt's revolver began to be proudly called "Texas".

However, the Colt product, which cost only $20, was sold in small quantities, and the US military department, having purchased 100 pieces for testing, refused to continue the deal, declaring this revolver “yesterday.” Five years later, the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. plant was closed. There are only two thousand bucks left in the pocket of the self-taught engineer. Samuel Colt, commissioned by the American government, developed a sea mine with an electric fuse, and together with his namesake Samuel Morse launched the production of underwater telephone cables. It’s not for nothing that it is said that to whom war belongs, to whom mother is dear! The war with Mexico showed the merits of the new weapon to the soldiers and officers of the US Army. In Texas, conquered by the Americans, Jack Hayes formed a regiment of rangers and ordered a thousand revolvers for them - two per brother! Another Texan, a certain Sam Walker, suggested that Colt make some changes to the design. Advice from an experienced soldier helped create a new revolver model Colt Walker.

Since 1847, by order of the government, industrial production of this type of firearm began. In 1848, near his native Hartford, Samuel Colt purchased a wasteland on which he built an arms factory, which is still in operation today. Colt's company "Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company" can be said to have armed all of America without a stretch. Already in the first year, the plant produced up to 150 "barrels" per day. The plant in Paterson switched to the production of expensive piece revolvers. The buyers of Colt's products were cowboys of the Wild Westerners and nouveau riche from the East Coast, terrorists, bandits and revolutionaries. thank you letter The inventor was sent by the Italian independence fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The governor of Connecticut awarded Colt the title of colonel because a famous and wealthy businessman (his fortune was estimated at $15 million) supported him in the elections. Samuel Colt died on January 10, 1862 at the age of 47, having survived Crimean War, the American Civil War between North and South and numerous skirmishes and clashes, one of the main characters in which was his brainchild, spewing deadly lead.

Perhaps in all the stories about the famous weapons designer Samuel Colt (1814 - 1862), an American saying is mentioned that "Ab Lincoln freed all people, and Sam Colt made them equal".

“The Great Leveler” S. Colt was a real American: active, skillful and resilient. Like the hero of Mark Twain's novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Who, when he was in the nineteenth century, worked as a foreman at the S. Colt arms factory. The biography of S. Colt is still cited with pleasure as one of the examples of the realization of the “American Dream”.

Both young Sam’s head and hands worked as expected. Already at the age of 14, he made his first invention: an electric fuse for detonating an underwater mine. On July 4, 1829, the inventor demonstrated his invention. The mine exploded successfully. But, being placed too close to the shore, it doused the spectators with water from head to toe. Young Sam had to flee from an angry crowd. They wouldn't have lynched him, but they could have beaten him hard. However, every cloud has a silver lining. Thanks to this incident, Samuel Colt met a mechanical engineer Elisha King Root (1808-1865). E. Ruth hid the boy in his house, and later became an engineer, technologist and manager at the S. Colt arms factory.

Everyone knows: S. Colt invented the "Colt". But this does not mean at all that S. Colt is the inventor of the pistol. Handguns have been known since the 15th century. Infantrymen used pistols, and cavalrymen also used them. Cavalry pistols were longer and hit targets at a distance of up to 40 meters. But the pistol was still a disposable weapon - it took too long to load it. Attempts to speed up the rate of fire and make a pistol with two or multiple barrels were unsuccessful. Most often, a pair of single-shot pistols were used in battle. This way, at least it was possible to fire two shots one after the other.

Another option for increasing the rate of fire of pistols was revolvers. The revolver was pre-loaded with a rotating drum, filling it with gunpowder and hammering a bullet. (Let's not forget that the unitary cartridge is a rather late invention). When the drum was turned, the charged chamber appeared opposite the barrel and became, as it were, its continuation. Now all that was left was the small matter: somehow ignite the gunpowder in the chamber. The gunpowder, burning, will push the bullet out. Hurray, shot!

As we see, the revolver is not S. Colt’s invention. The main part of the Colt, the loaded drum, was invented long before a gun factory opened in Hartford, Connecticut, producing revolvers, the handles of which were decorated with the image of a running foal. After all, “colt” means “foal” in English.

Two circumstances contributed to the emergence of a truly combat multi-shot revolver. Firstly, a primer was invented, which made it possible to ignite gunpowder in the drum with “one blow”. Bulky flintlocks are a thing of the past. Secondly, machine production began to develop. It became possible to produce complex and precise revolver mechanisms in mass quantities. Now it was possible to make a rotating drum that would reliably cover the barrel while firing. After all, before, quite often, powder gases broke out in the place where the drum was pressed against the barrel. This not only reduced the effectiveness of the shot, but was dangerous for the shooter.

S. Colt, as often happens, found himself in in the right place V right time. He became interested in designing revolvers and believed that he could make a real multi-shot combat weapon. He believed so much that he began to mobilize funds for future production. No shares, no loans! S. Colt, under the name of "Dr. Colt", a chemist and naturalist, traveled around the country and demonstrated in small American towns the effect of laughing gas on humans. The performances were popular, the volunteers fell into joyful euphoria, and money flowed into the cash register.

In 1835, the first working model of a revolver was created. It was designed by a gunsmith from Baltimore John Pearson (John Pearson). Colt patented this revolver in England and America. Immediately after receiving the American patent, on March 5, 1836, he founded his own production.

The company was located in Paterson, New Jersey. Accordingly, the first model of the Colt revolver was called "Paterson". This revolver was produced from 1836 to 1842. In 1842, due to a conflict between partners, the company ceased to exist.

But S. Colt could no longer be stopped. He became sick with revolvers and wanted to resume production. To do this, he even remembered the “sins of his youth.” Having developed an underwater mine with an electric fuse, he sold the patent to the US government. At the same time, together with a famous American artist, and an even more famous inventor Samuel Morse (Samuel Finley Breese Morse) (1791 - 1872) S. Colt worked on improving telegraph communications.

Revolvers, meanwhile, proved to be in great demand during the Mexican-American War of 1846 - 1847. At the beginning of 1847, Colt received the first government order for the production of 1000 revolvers. He designed this weapon together with the captain Samuel H. Walker (1817 - 1847). The captain died early in the war with Mexico. The revolver was named after him, Walker.

Institute teachers of machine parts like to tell the legend that one of the conditions of the government order was the mutual compatibility of parts of all revolvers. If it were not for machine production and the system of tolerances and landings developed by that time - they conclude their story - S. Colt would never have been able to fulfill this condition.

In the early 1850s, Colt opened a gunsmithing shop in Hartford. In 1852, he became the first American entrepreneur to open a branch of his business in London. In 1855, a large arms factory was built near Hartford, which is still located here today.

In 1861, the Civil War began in the United States. Colt weapons were used by both warring sides. The “Great Leveler” sold its products to both northerners and southerners. As they say in America: “This is business, nothing personal.” S. Colt himself did not live to see the end of the war. He died suddenly in 1862. He left behind a fortune of $15 million. At current exchange rates, this is about 300 million. From the moment Samuel Colt entered the arms business until the end of his life, his enterprises produced more than 400 thousand small arms. At one time, S. Colt was among the ten richest people in America.

Revolvers in the United States were supplied not only to the army. Anyone could freely buy a not-so-expensive Colt. The revolver turned out to be a reliable defender in the event of an attack by bandits. Remember the episode with the attack on the stagecoach from A. Surikova’s comedy film “The Man from the Boulevard des Capuchins”! Initially, the desire for freedom and justice embedded in the consciousness of Americans received significant support. The presence of weapons among all conflicting parties, oddly enough, made it possible to “resolve” situations that otherwise could have led to lawlessness. No wonder the long-barreled 45 caliber (11.43 mm) cavalry revolver was called the “Peacemaker”. And also the “conqueror of the Wild West.” A 45 caliber pistol is not an episodic hero of Westerns at all!

Useful links:

1. Anniversary of the legendary Colt.

Colonel Samuel Colt never served a day in the army. And yours military rank he received a gift from the governor of Connecticut for his support in the elections. Although if we're talking about about the honorific prefix to the first and last name, historians should call Colt Dr. Samuel Colt. After all, before becoming a world-famous gunsmith, he experimented with nitrous oxide and even toured the United States with a show program, demonstrating the amazing properties of this substance. After one such performance, dentist Horace Wells began using liquid nitrogen in anesthesiology. And after him, other American doctors adopted this method of pain relief. Thus, 19th-century medicine took a step forward, and Sam Colt received money to open his own business and created the first mass-produced multi-shot revolver.

The future legend of America, Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in the town of Hartford in the family of textile factory owner Christopher Colt. When Sammy was four years old, one of his relatives gave him a bronze toy pistol. This determined his future fate. Having received such a gift, the boy decided that a real man worthy of a more serious weapon, and immediately began to transform the toy into a combat pistol, stealing a pack of gunpowder from his father. A few minutes later an explosion occurred in the house. Sam escaped with a slight fright, which, however, did not discourage him from pursuing weapons. Over time, he began to increasingly visit his father’s textile factory and study the structure and operating principle of the mechanisms and machines used in the factory. A little later, at the age of 14, at the same factory, Colt made a four-barreled pistol that fired four charges simultaneously. But the recoil of the shot was too strong. Sam could not cope with this problem and switched his attention to studying the properties of galvanic batteries, and for the Independence Day holiday he presented the townspeople with a surprise. In the center of the city lake, Sam installed a wooden raft filled with gunpowder and stretched an underwater electrical wire from the raft to the shore.
When fireworks started in the city, Colt sent a current through the wire. The monstrous explosion destroyed all the fish in the lake and caused slight panic in the city. Ten years later, Colt used a similar principle to create the first underwater mine, but at that time he had no time for patents. Sam's father was a shrewd man and, fearing for his factory, sent his son to study at the university out of harm's way. But for some reason Sam’s studies didn’t work out, perhaps because of a strong fire that broke out in the university building. It's not hard to guess who caused it.

After expelling from the university, Colt, unable to appear in front of his father, hired himself as a sailor on a merchant ship. While working on the Corvo brig, young Samuel noticed that after turning the steering wheel, one of its handles fell into the gripping clutch, and the steering wheel was fixed. Using a similar mechanism in an attempt to create his own pistol, Colt developed the original revolver design. According to another legend, the idea to replace the gun lock with a rotating drum came to Sam’s mind when he was watching the operation of a capstan - a mechanism for selecting anchor or mooring ropes. There, on board the ship, Colt built a wooden prototype of a drum for charges - the main part of all revolvers.

Inspired by the opening prospects, he ended his naval career, and in 1835 Samuel Colt created a model of a revolver. And although none of his friends and acquaintances believed that it could be fired, the inventor was persistent. A year later, Sam visited Europe and received English and French patents for a drum for revolver charges, and on February 25, 1836, 22-year-old Samuel Colt received a patent for his first revolver. With the help of his businessman uncle, he opened the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. and a weapons factory in Paterson, where the first working model, the ColtPaterson, appeared.

Colt's invention was revolutionary. Compared to the usual castle pistols and shotguns of that time, his revolver looked very advantageous: it allowed its owner to fire quickly and confront several opponents alone. But even despite the positive reviews, purchase quantities still did not exceed 100 pieces. Eventually the Paterson plant was closed and Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. was on the verge of bankruptcy. To somehow stay afloat, Colt went on a tour of the United States with his popular science show with nitrous oxide, while simultaneously selling waterproof ammunition and those very underwater mines with an electric fuse. Without any hope, he received a patent for mines, which a few years later brought him millions of dollars.
Just in passing, he met his “brother in misfortune” - inventor Samuel Morse, with whom they established the production of underwater telephone cables.
And after much ordeal, luck finally turned to the inventor.
As one might expect, this happened thanks to the military. Colt revolvers were well-received by the dragoons and Texas Rangers, who tested them in constant skirmishes with the Indians. Specialists from the West Point Military Academy were at first very skeptical about the new product, and yet, as an experiment, army commanders allowed the expeditionary force that fought with the Indians in Florida and Texas to be armed with these weapons. One of the corps officers, Captain Samuel Walker, highly appreciated the excellent fighting qualities of the new revolver. A significant reason for this was the successful outcome of the battle between his group of 16 people and 80 Indians.

Such combat episodes and reviews from the rangers simply could not help but be noticed by military officials, and the demand for Colt revolvers began to grow rapidly. In 1846, when the war with Mexico began, the government urgently ordered Colt a thousand new, modified revolvers. At the same time, Captain Walker met with Colt and asked him to take him as an assistant. Colt and Walker create a new model of the ColtWalker revolver, which marked the beginning of the industrial production of this type of weapon.
However, in order to fulfill the government order, a new plant was needed, and Colt persuaded Eli Whitney (the son of the famous inventor of the cotton gin) to hand over the factory he owned in Connecticut for production. After the new revolvers entered service with the army, the name Colt became known throughout America. Therefore, even after the end of hostilities, government orders did not dry up.

In 1852, Samuel Colt received a large government order for revolvers for naval officers. That same year, he bought “Southern Meadows,” a wasteland near Hartford, and three years later he built his own weapons factory there, equipped with the latest science and technology. During the Civil War alone, Colt supplied hundreds of thousands of small arms to government troops. In total, over a century and a half of existence, the company has produced more than 30 million revolvers, pistols and shotguns with the Colt branded engraving. From the very beginning of production, revolvers dominated the company's line, thanks to which the word "Colt" became one of the synonyms for "revolver".
Colt was not only an innovator in the field of weapons. It was he who, for the first time in business, began to engage in marketing and advertising, organizing targeted mailings of samples of his products. When the opportunity arose, Colt divided production: in addition to the mass production of revolvers and shotguns, a line of exclusive weapons was opened. These were masterpieces, decorated with exquisite engraving and wood carvings. Colt's precious weapons were presented at the most prestigious exhibitions and auctions, and were presented as gifts to royalty: Colts were kept in the collections of Nicholas I and Alexander II, the Danish king Frederick VII and the Swedish Charles XV.

After the outbreak of the American Civil War, the health of the “arms king” began to deteriorate. Samuel Colt died on January 10, 1862 in Hartford at the age of 47, leaving behind an estate valued at $15 million (approximately $300 million in today's money).
Today, Colt remains one of the leading firearms manufacturers. Its model line extends from miniature ladies' pistols to heavy army machine guns, shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft weapons and other serious "killer" equipment. Among the hits of the brand are the army “long-liver”, the Colt 1911 45 caliber pistol and the famous M16 assault rifle.