Colt Revolving Rifle

[IowaYank]

Hi Guys, I have been doing some research for the 4th Michigan impression the Horse Hair mess will be doing at the Outpost III event this October and found out the 4th was carrying Colt Revolving Rifles at the time we are portraying. I have looked at the Dixie Gun works version and there seems to be a few glaring problems with them. First off the orginal was in .56 caliber, not .44. Also it was a 5 shot, not a 6 shot. It would be neat for us to carry them, but at $1,200 for a rifle with very few other impression uses it would be hard to swing. How many people out there have these rifles? Any comments on them, besides having to keep your support hand behind the cylinder???

Thanks

[NY Pvt]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Just for the heck of it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Civil-War-Soldier-Ambrotype-with-Case_W0QQitemZ320071960366QQihZ011QQcategoryZ13704QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Perhaps some can post the photo here on this thread so it can be viewed for years to come. For some reason my computer is converting all my photos into bitmat, other wise I would try.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Hallo!

Too bad it cannot be determined that the cap and dress coat are not green... ;-) :-) :-)

Seriously, I was real excited from a Berdan's Sharpshooter POV when the Colt M1855 Revolving Rifle came out at $900-something (before the last US Dollar versus Euro war).
BUT the .44 "civilian" version ruined it.

One discussion said that the intended target audience was the CAS/SASS/WAS "cowboy shooters," hence the .44 (much like the Spencer carbine was released in popular CAS/SASS/WAS calibres).
But, it was also rumored that if the sales were sufficient, it and the Colt Rifle would be offer in the larger "military" calibre.

Herr Dan, the Colt M1855 Revolving Rifle came in a number of calibres from .44 to .64 (.44, .50, and .56 being most common), and in a number a barel lengths from a short 24 to a longer 37 1/2 inch length.

Curt

[Frank Wolf]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Also it was a 5 shot, not a 6 shot.

Are you sure about this? All the Colt revolvers and revolving carbines I have seen were six-shooters but were only loaded with five for safety.

Any comments on them, besides having to keep your support hand behind the cylinder???

I think they are fun to shoot and surprisingly accurate. After awhile the support hand finds it's place quite easily and after that the stance feels good and gives good support resulting to good accuracy. I think it's easier to handle and shoot accurately when shooting mounted than other rifles I have tried, modern semiautomatics excluded.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Hallo!

On rifles .56 and larger, the fluted cylinder was chambered for five shots.
Six chambers is standard on all the smaller calibres.

Curt

[Mike Nickerson]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Frank, all of the .56 Colt revolving rifles were 5 shot. Check page 46 & 47 of "EOG - Arms and Equipment of the Union".

Mike Nickerson

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Hallo!

I was perhaps "sadistically" waiting for someone or three to use the wrong percussion cap size and shoot their arm and hand off, and sue...
Then I would buy two or three that were being quickly liquidated from stock for $100...
;) :) :)

Curt

[Frank Wolf]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Hallo!

On rifles .56 and larger, the fluted cylinder was chambered for five shots.
Six chambers is standard on all the smaller calibres.

Curt

Sorry my mistake, I didn't pay attention to the caliber and was talking about the 'small' 44's and 45's

[Ken]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

I know the original Colt Revolving rifles could chain fire (is that the correct term?) causing all the chambers to ignite at the same time. This could do serious damage to the extended hand supporting the barrel. Can anyone comment on how safe the modern day version is to live fire. Knowing the history of the original, I would be hesitant to take the repro out for a live shoot.:sarcastic

[csuniforms]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Hello, It is true- you can have a multiple discharge, just like a pistol. The way to avoid an accident like this is to make sure you coat all the chambers with gun goop or some type of black powder product made for this purpose before firing and you will be fine. I remember reading somewhere that the soldiers who were issued the Colt Rifles would use the loading lever in the down position as a grip to keep their arms out of the way of fire in case of discharge. The Sharps used to blow too, with a powder build up in the lower section of the block. Would blow the forestock off. Just keep it clean and watch for build-up.

csuniforms
Tom Arliskas

[Michael McComas]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Tom,

This was hashed out in great detail on the N-SSA board, and someone posted the results of extensive experimentation where they consistently could reproduce a chainfire situation using poorly-fitting caps or no caps, but in no case did a chain fire occur by leaping across the front of a loaded chamber.

I forget who did the experiment, but Taylors supplied the revolvers, several of which were sacrificed in the name of science. So the moral of the story is, make sure if you have #10 cones, you use #10 caps, and likewise fro #11 cones.

The gun goop over the ball is useful as lubricant, but on my guns, the lube is mostly gone after the second shot is fired, due to recoil and heat.

Cheers,

Michael

[FTrooper]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Just Like to inteject. The US Army did buy a mess of the .44 versions in the late 1850's and the evidence is that they saw service with Company D 1st US Cavalry (aka 1st dragoons) during Sibley's New Mexico disaster.

Chris Fischer
F-Troop

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Hallo!

If you think about it...
The chambers on a C & B revolver receive an oversized round ball or more properly a cartridge with an oversized conical bullet that gets shaved/squeezed into it. The projectile serves as a "plug" for that end of the chamber.

The "Sharps" with the reputation for blowing up was the Confederate "Robinson" "Sharps," a copy that did not copy the milling of the Sharps' forestock (or a little metal blocking plate device) and allowed loose powder to collect in the improper open space that was there on the Confederate version.
Supposedly, it was determined that the problem could be eliminated if the trooper did not ever reopen the breech when loaded, which allowed loose powder to fall down on the top of the breech block and fall into the mortise gap when the muzzle was down at an angle...

Curt

[sam.p]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

Colt revolving rifles aka "Colt Model 1855 Root" were, and are, prone to multiple discharges. I can't find the reference "I'll post it when I find it" but one Union officer having experienced this problem ordered his men to lower the loading lever "which would put it at 90 degrees from the barrel and hold it when firing.
Even putting grease on the end of each chamber, I would not hold my hand on the barrel when firing.

Cordially,
Sam Patterson

[Fahlem]

Re: Colt Revolving Rifle

To add to what has been already said, the NM1859 Sharps or even the NM1863 did not & do not suffer from forestock "blow-ups" because of lose powder. The original Sharps cartridge was never intended to be cut off like the Confederate version of the round and the modern reenactor round. It was intended to be inserted into the chamber until the "skin" on the rear of the cartridge was flush with the face of the breechblock. Thus, with the breech in the up or firing position, the fire from the cone would ignite the nitrated end of the cartridge & the main charge would then fire. Therefore, becuse of the cartridge design, there was no loose powder to fall around in the inner workings like many reenactors have today. However, I have seen originals where the forestock was split from such a blow-out. This is more a result of improper use & operator error than a design flaw. Even today, my mess makes our Shaprs rounds per the originals & we have all but eliminatd misfires even with some of the poorer made Italiain versions. As for the Colt, the men who were issued it learned to use a adapted two-handed hold where the left hand was pulled back under the firing hand (clear of the five chambers) after several "chainfire" accidents. It is rather awkward to shoot this way, & it is preferably done from a rest. I too was excited for the Colt when word first leaked out, but the lack of a five shot .56 cal is very unfortunate.

Michael Fahle
Co. F, 2nd USSS