Weapon legends. Samuel Colt

1. The first underwater mine;2. the first Colt Paterson drum revolver; 3. the first cartridge revolver “Single Action Army”, with the original nickname “Peacemaker”, since 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.

“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, caliber 9 mm is intended for 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 journey during 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."

March 28th, 2013 , 08:36 pm

“God made man equal.” But, Colonel Colt made some more equal than others.”

Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in Hartford (Connecticut / USA). Died January 10, 1862, in the same place. Gunsmith inventor and industrialist. He is best known as a reformer of the revolver business.

In 1835, he invented a capsule revolver (with an improved capsule bolt), which quickly supplanted other systems and gave impetus to the creation of revolvers chambered for a unitary metal cartridge.

In his youth he fled from his father's house to India and during the journey he made a wooden model of what later became known as a revolver. Upon returning, he took a course in chemistry and lectured on it in the United States and Canada. In 1835 he visited Europe and received patents for his invention in London and Paris. Returning to the United States, he filed a patent application for a “revolving gun,” which he received on February 25, 1836 (later numbered 9430X). This patent, as well as Patent No. 1304 dated August 29, 1836, protected the basic principles of a weapon with a rotating breech, combined with a firing mechanism that became famous under the name "Colt Paterson".

Colt founded a company to produce revolvers, but went bankrupt in 1842. As a result, revolvers were not produced for 5 years in a row and became very rare.

When the government ordered the inventor a thousand revolvers at once, he had to make a new model, since it was impossible to find anywhere the copies previously produced by the company. This order was the beginning of Colt's prosperity. He replaced a small workshop in Withneyvilles with a large one in Hartford, and in 1852 he founded a huge factory, which was doubled in size in 1861 on the shoals of the Connecticut River. From here, huge volumes of revolvers began to be sent annually to Russia and England.

There is a well-known expression that reflects the significance of Samuel Colt’s invention for the establishment of democracy in the United States: “God created people strong and weak. Samuel Colt made them equal.". One variation of this phrase: “Abraham Lincoln gave people freedom, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances.”

The revolver in the photo can easily be purchased for 2900 USD and a bucket of cartridges for 200 USD.

P.S. A wonderful thing for playing Russian Roulette. It knocks out not only the brains, but the entire skull.
I have a weakness for weapons. Perhaps because in a past life he was always with him.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal and other leading American media, the American arms company Colt Defense is on the verge of bankruptcy. The issue of restructuring the company's debt is currently being resolved. If the problem is not resolved soon, which is unlikely, the company's assets will be put up for auction. The bankruptcy procedure could be the end of the protracted agony of the 160-year-old company.

Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company was created by Samuel Colt in 1855. By that time, Colt's name was already well known both in America and abroad. In 1836, Colt patented the “revolving gun” - a weapon with a rotating breech partly, in combination with a firing mechanism and primer ignition.The idea of ​​a multi-shot revolver was not new at the time of Colt (according to one of the popular versions, Colt himself learned about the revolver scheme during his trip to England, where revolvers of another inventor Elisha Collier were already being produced However, Colt was the first to combine a revolver design with a capsule invented shortly before (for example, Collier's revolvers had a complex design with a trigger with flint and flint on the drum casing.) Colt was able to find lenders to start production of his revolver in 1836 in Paterson, New Jersey, the production of revolvers began, which were named after settlement- Colt Paterson.

However, Colt’s first pancake came out lumpy - the revolver suffered from an unfinished design, and the level of technical equipment of the first factory did not allow achieving of proper quality processing of parts. As a result, the revolver was not reliable and did not gain much popularity. In 1843, the first Colt factory closed and its equipment was auctioned off. For some time, Colt abandoned the idea of ​​​​the weapons business and switched to new fashion of that time - production and sale of telegraph cable.

However, chance intervened here. The Texas Rangers, who during this period were engaged in clearing living space for the American nation, managed to purchase a certain number of Colt revolvers for testing. In one of the many skirmishes, a detachment of 15 rangers, armed, among other things, with Colt revolvers, shot down 70 Comanches.

Impressed by the capabilities of the new weapon, the commander of this Ranger detachment, Samuel Walker, set off across the country to New York (at that time it was a non-trivial journey, this was before the era of transcontinental railways) to convince the inventor of the Colts to continue producing revolvers. Walker gave the inventor money, plus he borrowed a little from banks on Walker’s recommendation. This made it possible to restore the production of revolvers in the workshop. The design of Colt revolvers was modified - a sixth cartridge appeared in the cylinder, shortened chambers for a cartridge with a smaller charge (less charge - less wear on parts and recoil), a longer barrel. Colt revolvers played a significant role in the outbreak of the Mexican-American War. As a result of this war, the living space for the American nation expanded into the territory of several modern states - California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, parts of Colorado and Wyoming. Conquests cost the lives of many famous sons of the American people, among whom was Captain Samuel Walker, who gave Colt a start in big business.

Things quickly went uphill for Colt himself. Production volumes were constantly growing, and the American Army and Navy were added to the Rangers. Colt revolvers reached Europe, where they managed to take part in Crimean War, and on both sides. The capacity of the old workshop was no longer sufficient for all orders. In 1855 Colt opens new plant Colt Armory in Hartford and founded Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company. It is from this date that it is customary to trace the history of Colt's weapons empire.

What are the reasons for the success of Colt and his revolvers? In addition to the innovative design, Colt's organizational skills and the chance of Captain Walker, it is necessary to note the excellent marketing company. Colt, being a talented inventor, was certainly a real genius in advertising, marketing, product placement and, at times, outright selling. Colt's signature trick was to present his revolver as a gift to some person needed or important for promoting the product. At first these were newspaper editors - the printed press was then, in fact, the only media and the real fourth estate. As a reward, the newspapers did not skimp on praise in the spirit of “Colt revolvers are a reliable weapon against bears, Indians, Mexicans and others.” It is believed that the phrase “God Made Man, Colt Made Them Equal” was coined either by Colt himself or one of his gifted newspaper editors. As the business developed, effective PR was supported by powerful GR. Colt presented his brainchild to presidents, kings, and generals. In 1854, in St. Petersburg, Colt was received by Emperor Nicholas I and presented him with several of his revolvers.

Among those who received their “Colt” with the dedicatory inscription “From the Inventor” were not only crowned heads, but also those who constantly fought with them, such as professional revolutionaries Giuseppe Garibaldi or Lajos Kossuth. Who knows, maybe similar marketing moves - like the sudden appearance of Strelkovtsy or Motorolovtsy, say, ORSIS or A-545 - are not enough for our gunsmiths to promote their products on the market? Is it unethical, you say, to do PR by supplying weapons to participants in the civil war? Well, Colt himself never shunned this - the most commercially successful war during his lifetime was also a civil war, and in his own country - the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

However, let's return to the history of the Colt company. After the death of the great inventor and marketer, the leadership of his weapons empire was taken over by his widow Elizabeth Colt and brother Jarvis. The reputational and technological foundation created by Samuel was enough to late XIX century. Calibers and cartridges changed, parts were added, but Colt revolvers continued to be recognizable as good old “Colts.” However, the 20th century came and the development small arms has approached a new revolution - the transition to semi-automatic and automatic circuits. Inventor John Moses Browning, who worked for Colt at that time, developed a magazine-fed self-loading pistol, which determined the development of personal small arms for more than a hundred years. The launch of the Colt M1900 and its development, the M1911, became one of the most famous pistols and an important part of American culture, equal to its predecessor.

The next famous product of Colt factories were John Thompson submachine guns. Thompson’s own company Auto-Ordnance initially did not have enough capacity and therefore the first mass-produced “Tommy guns” were released under the name Colt-Thompson Model 1921. As you know, all sorts of highway bandits were first armed with them.

During the Second World War, Colt factories produced pistols, submachine guns and M1917 Browning machine guns - the main heavy machine gun of the American army in that war and in the Korean one.

.
Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company's next major commercial success came during the Vietnam War. Armalite designers Eugene Stoner and James Sullivan developed this design

In 1959, Armalite sold the rights to manufacture this rifle to Colt, which began commercial production. In 1961, a trial batch of these rifles was purchased by the US Army. In 1964, the rifle under the designation M16 was officially adopted for service. Well, we won’t talk in detail about the M16.

Let us note something else: after Colt’s death, the company’s well-being was no longer based on its own developments, but on purchased licenses. Browning, Thompson, Stoner... No, of course, fine-tuning the purchased samples, the same M16, required a lot of work from engineers and production workers, but still a certain growing crisis of Colt’s Company’s creativity in the 20th century was obvious. The American army clearly hinted at this to Colt’s, choosing the Beretta 92F pistol developed by the Italian company Beretta as the main personal weapon at the 1985 competition. For the first time in many years, the American army has received small arms developed and produced by a non-American company. The police followed the army, increasingly exchanging their American pistols and revolvers for the same Beretta and Austrian Glock 17. Since the end Cold War To the creative crisis, another one was added - the crisis of overproduction. Huge reserves of small arms accumulated by all sides over the years of confrontation were released onto the arms market. Why buy a new M16 for $1,600 when you can buy the same one from army warehouses for 600, and a Kalashnikov assault rifle for 300. Sales on the US civilian arms market began to fall following the fall in army orders.

Colt first faced bankruptcy in 1992. It was acquired by the financial group Zilkha & Co, which was then able to carry out a restructuring. The Corps also helped Marine Corps, issuing an order for the production of M4 carbines - a shortened version of the M16. With the start of the American campaign in the Middle East, new orders for the M4 followed - in the conditions of dense Iraqi urban development and Afghan villages, they seemed more profitable than the long and excessively powerful M16. All this won the company two extra decades of life. However, the experience of using carbines in Iraq and Afghanistan caused a lot of complaints about them from the military. In 2007, the US Department of Defense conducted a series of tests, as a result of which the number of failures of Colt’s M4 turned out to be higher than the total number of failures of other weapons that participated in the tests - the German HK XM8, HK 416 and the Belgian FN SCAR-L.

Another factor that crippled Colt was Obama's election campaign and his victory in the presidential election. Among his team's proposals were the United States joining International treaty on the arms trade and tightening the rules for private ownership of small arms. Everyone mobilized to defend the Second Amendment - the National Rifle Organization,

"Sisters of the Second Amendment"

and “Jews for Preserving the Right to Own Guns.”

As a result, Republicans and shooting enthusiasts managed to repel the attack on the Second Amendment, but frightened gun sellers staged massive gun sales in anticipation of the expected tightening, collapsing prices and once again undermining the position of manufacturers. Well, the final nail in Colt’s coffin was the lost 2013 competition to supply the US Army with 120,000 Belgian F.N. Herstal.

However, talking about death trademark Colt is definitely premature. According to Article 11 of the American Bankruptcy Code, the company will be put up for auction, where it could very likely be bought out by new owners. Let us recall that in 1992 a similar step was taken, as a result of which the company was bought by the current owner, the Zilkha financial group, in 1994. So Colt’s products will continue to equal people for some time.

The Lord God created people strong and weak, tall and short, fat and thin, but Mr. Colt invented his pistol and leveled their chances - From a pistol advertisement.

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 forestalled his 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.

The father, after this incident, apparently fearing for his factory, quickly sent the boy away from 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 rest of Samuel’s life.

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 a new model of the Colt-Walker revolver, 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! During the Civil War alone, Colt supplied government forces with hundreds of thousands of 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 various models their revolvers and shotguns, using, wherever possible, unification of parts.

When the opportunity arose, Colt divided production: except mass production 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 the original nickname “Peacemaker”, since 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 firearms manufacturers. Its model line extends from miniature ladies' pistols to heavy army machine guns, shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft weapons and other "killer tools."

The Great Leveler

“God created men, and Colonel Colt made them equal.”

According to legend, such an epitaph adorns the tombstone of Samuel Colt. But this is nothing more than a legend. In fact, the grave of the “great equalizer” is crowned with a simple stone with the name of the deceased and the years of life. A convinced Puritan, a native of New England in those years would never have put himself on the same level as the Lord God. The saying about the “great equalizer” came into use after his death - during the American Civil War - and sounded somewhat different: “Abraham Lincoln gave people freedom, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances.” Agree, there is a difference. And much later it acquired a “canonical” sound: “The Lord created people, President Lincoln gave them freedom, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances.”

Samuel Colt, who had long ago become in the eyes of the majority “the man and the revolver,” was in fact engaged not only in the production of firearms - and there is nothing to say about the invention of the revolver! These laurels are attributed to him completely undeservedly. Nevertheless, Mr. Colt lived a colorful and rich life, managed to be both a sailor and a miner, try his hand at electrical engineering... and even at one time was a “doctor.” But he showed an interest in shooting toys since childhood.

Pyrotechnician from Hartford

Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. His father owned a textile factory - the boy grew up in a wealthy family. One day, having received a cast bronze pistol as a gift, the tomboy stole gunpowder from his father’s office and began experimenting, trying to turn the toy into a “real” weapon. A few minutes later an explosion occurred in the nursery. By a lucky coincidence, the little gunsmith escaped with a slight fright - he remained not only alive, but also unharmed. True, history is silent about his father’s reaction... Colt Sr., raised in the best Puritan traditions, believed that, despite wealth, the heir should be accustomed to order, discipline and work from childhood. So " educational activities” clearly followed.

However, little Sam's interest in weapons did not disappear. At the age of 12, he was already skillfully handling any gun from his father’s arsenal and continued to secretly experiment with gunpowder. And not only. Often appearing at his father's factory, the young man was interested in the design and operation of machines, and later, when his parent sent him to work there, he secretly made a four-barreled pistol. The product of the future gunsmith fired simultaneously from all barrels. There are no test reports on the first Colt, but Samuel himself later called this invention a “stupid idea.” And no wonder. The recoil from the shot was so strong that one can only wonder how the young craftsman’s hands survived.

Before Colt Sr. could appreciate his son’s new trick, he again showed what he was capable of. This time to all of Hartford. Sam became interested in studying the properties of voltaic batteries. It would seem like a completely peaceful and non-explosive activity...

On the Fourth of July 1829 - Independence Day - festively dressed townspeople walking by the lake were frightened by a huge explosion. The day before, a young self-taught pyrotechnician drove a raft loaded with gunpowder to the middle of the reservoir - and at the culmination of the holiday, he set off fireworks by running a current from the shore through a wire. The water raised by the explosion washed over everyone present - including the proud Sammy Colt - from head to toe. The “inventor” was saved from the “gratitude” of his fellow countrymen by a mechanic, Elisha Rude, who happened to be nearby (by the way, the future organizer of Kolt’s production).

Fearing that the heir might one day blow up the factory, the estate, or the entire city, Colt Sr. sent his son to study at Amhera University. However, Samuel did not stay there either. Soon, pyrotechnic experiments led to a huge fire in the building, and the young man was expelled. The failed student did not dare to return home before the clear eyes of his parent. And in general, he had no desire to meet his father in the near future. Therefore, young Colt was recruited as a cabin boy on the brig Corvo, which was setting sail to the shores of India.

For those at sea

True, Sammy Colt did not turn out to be a real “sea wolf”. He made only one voyage aboard the Corvo. When the brig returned to the shores of America, the young man decided that he had had enough sea romance and hurried to go ashore. Moreover, he had with him wooden model revolving drum, made during the voyage.

If you believe the memoirs of Samuel Colt, the idea was inspired by his observation of the operation of ship mechanisms - the steering wheel, which automatically locks after each turn, and the capstan - a device for raising the anchor rope, capable of rotating only in one direction.

The “Prodigal Son” returned to his father and shared with him his new idea. However, Colt Sr. did not share the young man’s optimism. “This thing won’t shoot!” - he said.

But Samuel did not lose heart. Having borrowed money from his father, in 1835 he crossed the ocean again - this time as a passenger - and patented his invention in England and France. And upon his return, he added an American one to the two patents. And although the revolver was no longer news by that time, it was the improvements made to its design by Colt that allowed the young gunsmith to formalize the invention. Production could begin.

Doctor Cult

Or rather, it would be possible. Firstly, the idea needed to be embodied in metal, and Samuel Colt’s skills were not enough for this - he was a useless gunsmith. Secondly, everything required money. The father was in no hurry to sponsor his son, believing that the son himself should find the funds necessary to implement his plan. Moreover, the first two revolvers were no good. One did not fire at all, and the second fell to pieces after the first shot. But Colt obtained “start-up capital” - and in a very unique way.

From a chemist he knew in Ware, he learned how to make nitrous oxide - laughing gas. And went on a tour of America. To naive American provincials, Samuel was introduced as "Dr. Coult (or Cult), chemist and naturalist of New York, London and Calcutta." Then followed a performance that was vividly reminiscent of the “theater” from “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” For a small fee, spectators were given the opportunity to observe how laughing gas affected their fellow countrymen-volunteers. Colt might not have known that following drug intoxication, inhaling nitrous oxide causes asphyxia - suffocation. But, apparently, the “doctor from London and Calcutta” was lucky - none of the “experimental subjects” died, and the income of the “natural scientist” reached $10 a day, which was very good for the 30s of the 19th century. Soon Samuel Colt had enough money in his hands to hire the famous Boston gunsmith John Pearson. At the same time, he managed to persuade his cousin Dudley Selden and several other New York financiers to invest about 200 thousand dollars in the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company he founded in Patterson, New Jersey. This happened in 1836, when the future “great equalizer” was not even 22 years old.

First try

In addition to Pearson, Colt was able to hire several other major specialists - including Pliny Lawton, who helped him organize the work and equip the factory.

The first revolver model put into production was initially called “Patterson” - after the place of production, but it was soon renamed “Texas”, since the weapon was especially popular among the residents of this state. The neighborhood with Indians and Mexicans was restless - and the Texans were the first to appreciate the beauty of the Colt revolver, which allowed them to fire five shots in a row. Or ten - if there were two Pattersons.

However, the first success remains the only one so far. Americans living outside the borders of Texas did not appreciate the products of the Patterson manufactory. Which, in general, is not surprising - the first revolvers had a lot of major shortcomings.

At that time, no one had ever heard of a unitary cartridge with a metal sleeve. Therefore, loading the Texas was not the most simple task. First, gunpowder was poured into the chamber - the hole in the revolver drum - and compacted, then a wad was hammered in, then a bullet was placed and another wad was filled, which was filled with oil to be sure. All this was a very complex and painstaking task. The equipped drum was inserted into the revolver, and only immediately before shooting the primers were put on special pegs. To avoid getting shot in the leg by an accidental shot, experienced shooters usually left one chamber empty - this is where the revolver’s firing pin was located. But sometimes just a strong blow to the drum was enough for the overly sensitive capsules to work.

If the owner of the Texas stuffed too much gunpowder into the chamber, the drum could burst. There were also frequent cases of a “chain” shot - when the firing of one cartridge began to fire the rest. In this case, the revolver was simply torn into pieces and it’s good if the owner remained intact!

Naturally, it was impossible to reload the drum in battle - and Colt solved this problem by attaching a spare drum to each revolver sold - it could be loaded in advance, and at the decisive moment simply inserted in place of the old one. And for a fee you could buy as many of these drums as you wanted.

However, sales did not grow. The release of revolver rifles did not help matters either. And that would not have been so bad, but Samuel Colt experienced what is called “dizziness with success.” After his first success, the young businessman began to live large and often took money from the factory cash register for his own needs, stubbornly refusing to notice the alarming symptoms. When it finally dawned on Colt that his production was about to go down the drain, it was already too late. Only a large government order could save the matter. Samuel Colt went to Washington, where, to put it modern language, arranged grandiose presentations of his weapons, held briefings, invited influential people to visit, trying to enlist their support... But everything turned out to be in vain. The considerable costs of the advertising campaign were not covered by the order for the measly two hundred revolving rifles that Colt managed to snatch for his company in 1837 and 1840.

PR price

Samuel Colt's cousin and investor Dudley Selden was against Sam's venture advertising campaign. Looking over the bills, Dudley grumbled, "I doubt the old Madeira will improve the performance of the new weapon."

In 1842, the Patterson plant closed and the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company was on the verge of bankruptcy. To somehow stay afloat, Colt took on everything. He managed to interest the War Ministry in projects of waterproof cartridges. From this he was able to earn 50 thousand dollars. Then the young man remembered his pyrotechnic experience with the raft and proposed to the sailors a project for an underwater mine with an electric fuse. “This is protection from all the fleets of Europe,” he praised his invention. “And it doesn’t require risking the lives of our compatriots.” The sailors allocated 6 thousand dollars for testing, and Samuel was able to effectively blow up several old schooners, but then the funding stopped - Colt again found himself aground. Somehow making ends meet allowed him to meet another Samuel, Morse, whose laboratory, like Colt’s workshop, was located on the territory of New York University. Using his work on sea mines, the gunsmith suggested that Morse establish telegraph communication between Manhattan, New Jersey and Long Island using a waterproof cable of his own design. The two Sams shook hands, and in 1846 they founded the New York and Offering Magnetic Telegraph Association. However, the friendship between Colt and Morse did not stand the test working together. Soon disagreements began between the partners - and they were increasingly aggravated by Colt's inattention and ambition. As a result, the company went bankrupt. The specter of poverty loomed before 32-year-old Samuel.

Of course, one could say that these ten years became a harsh school for a novice businessman, and in the future Colt did not repeat such mistakes. But this is not entirely fair. The entire subsequent life and business path of the inventor was also a series of brilliant insights and gross miscalculations.

And at that moment, when it seemed that Samuel had only one way left - to turn into “Dr. Cult” again and travel around the American outback with a cylinder of nitrous oxide, his future and his business were saved by... Walker. Yes, Captain Samuel H. Walker is a real Texas Ranger.

Mr. Colt and "Cool Walker"

The Texas Rangers were constantly engaged in armed skirmishes with Mexicans, Indians, cattle rustlers, lawbreakers - or those they perceived as such. One day, Captain Walker and 15 of his rangers entered into battle with 80 Comanches - and won thanks to the Colt Patterson revolvers. Soon after this battle, the dashing captain found Colt and not only ordered him a large batch of revolvers, but also offered to work together on improving their design. Colt was lucky to have a namesake! The two Sams rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

The advertising of Colt products, arranged by the “cool Walker,” turned out to be much more effective than all previous presentations and briefings. However, for large-scale production, a couple of hundred “barrels” ordered by the Texas Ranger meant nothing. And there was nowhere to produce them - the plant in Patterson had been closed for more than six years.

But then the “heavy artillery” came into play: the US war with Mexico of 1846-1848 provided Colt with a stable sales market and long-awaited government orders. The joint efforts of the two Sams also bore fruit - in 1846, a model was developed called the “Colt Walker”. Two years later, the Colt Dragoon appeared - a huge revolver weighing almost 2 kg, which was even difficult to carry on the hip. American cavalrymen carried it in saddle holsters. Soon the War Department issued an order to Colt for a thousand of these revolvers.

Samuel was returning to the gun business. All that remained was to solve the production problem. Since he no longer had his own factory, the businessman turned to Eli Whitney Jr. for help. The first batch of Walkers and then Dragoons were manufactured at his factory in Connecticut. Revolvers performed well in the army, although most of the shortcomings inherent in the first Pattersons were inherited by them. Government orders were constantly increasing - and soon more than 10 thousand revolvers of both models were produced in Connecticut.

Prices and values

The first Colt Walker revolvers cost $50. The “delivery package” included a revolver, a spare drum, a powder flask and a bullet gun. The price was quite high - to buy such a weapon, a cowboy would have to work for several months, forgetting about whiskey and saloons! But now the “Colt Walker” of those years is leaving the auction for at least 20-30 thousand dollars.

Finally, real wealth and fame came to Colt! All of America knew his name. It must be admitted that Samuel took into account the lessons of his youth and, without repeating past mistakes, wisely managed his income. He did not forget about expanding production, hiring additional employees, or developing new models.

Colt's hometown of Hartford became the center of a nascent weapons empire. In addition, the plant in Patterson reopened - it produced “exclusive” weapons intended for the rich and collectors. And in 1851, an enterprise opened in London. Samuel Colt became the first American manufacturer to establish his factory on the shores of Foggy Albion.

A spoon of tar

One clash with the Indians “promoted” Colt’s products, and another almost plunged the company into crisis. True, this happened after the death of the “great equalizer.” In June 1876, General George Custer and 264 of his cavalrymen were killed in a battle with the Sioux Indians. Two months later, the Sunday Herald published the result of an “independent investigation” by journalists. The article indicated that the tragedy might not have happened if the cavalrymen were armed with Smith & Wesson revolvers - they did not need to be cocked after each shot.

Magnificent foal

Among the other employees of Colt's new company, called the Colt Firearms Company, one should especially note Elisha King Root - the same one who took young Samuel away from the lake after the unsuccessful fireworks display on Independence Day. Since 1849, this talented weapons engineer served as technical director of the Hartford plant. It was thanks to Ruth's efforts that the first truly mass production was established. He also developed the basic models.

Soon the “line” of models offered by Colt could satisfy the tastes of any consumer. For the army and navy, the Hartford plant continued to produce long-barreled revolvers - no longer as bulky and heavy as the Colt Dragoon, but still quite impressive. The Colt Marine, the Old Model Navy Pistol, was especially popular among the military before the start of the Civil War; its production began in 1851. Appeared and civilian models. "Baby Dragoon" with a barrel shortened to five inches and an even shorter revolver designed specifically for military personnel transport company"Wales Fargo" were in constant and steady demand. Well, for the rich east coast the plant in Patterson produced all the same models in a “luxury” configuration, gold-plated and engraved. Having such a weapon was as prestigious as a Rolex watch in our time.

Not for respect, but for profit

Weapons at the Colt factory were assembled in a continuous process and were purely utilitarian. However, collectible samples were also produced separately. To do this, Samuel hired one of the best engravers of the time. The exclusive was not only sold, but also presented to heads of state - not so much to express their respect, but to stimulate the placement of large orders. Among those “gifted” by Colt were Russian emperors - Nicholas I and Alexander III. But then the well-functioning system failed. Having received gifts, the Russian emperors were in no particular hurry to establish business relations with the “great equalizer.”

Soon revolvers began to be bought in the hundreds of thousands - not only in America, but also in Europe. Samuel Colt, especially not tormented by remorse, sold his weapons to everyone - even to warring parties. “Your neighbors have already bought my revolvers. Look, you will remain in the rear,” the “great equalizer” used to say. Each military conflict increased and increased the capital of the Hartford gunsmith.

A gift with a hint

When another war began between Russia and Turkey, Sam Colt presented the Russian emperor with to the Turkish Sultan gift - two magnificent revolvers... from one dueling set.

Revolvers were the main products of Colt factories. And the word “Colt” in a sense became synonymous with the word “revolver”. But the range of products produced in Hartford was not limited to them. Rifles and even parts were made here steam engines! Moreover, the fact that long-barreled weapons were produced at Samuel Colt's factories irritated another gunsmith, Oliver Winchester, creator of the famous “gun that conquered the West.” Oliver repeatedly said that if the Colt factories did not stop producing shotguns, he would start producing revolvers. True, this happened already in the 60s, after the death of Samuel himself.

Soon the old buildings became too small for the growing production. In 1855, Colt purchased a large vacant lot near the city and began building "Coltsville" there. That same year, his company changed its name again to Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company. The main building of the new plant was decorated with a dome with a weather vane in the shape of a foal. At the same time, the silhouette of the foal became a trademark of the businessman.

Coltsville was considered a Hartford landmark. Samuel entered the top ten richest people in the United States and received the honorary title of “Colonel” from the Governor of Connecticut - although he never served a single day in the army.

However, in the early 60s, Colt again made a serious mistake. When one of his employees, Rollin White, proposed making revolving drums with through-chambers chambered for a unitary cartridge, Samuel declared that this invention had no prospects. Disgruntled, White left the firm and shared his idea with Horatio Smith and Daniel Wesson. Soon Smith & Wesson became Colt's main competitor. Moreover, the right to use a drum chambered for a unitary cartridge was secured by a patent, and Kolt’s gunsmiths had to dodge for 15 years to get around it.

There's nothing a machine can't do

Samuel Colt often repeated these words. In 1851-1855, he made a discovery that was much more important than the design of the revolving drum. He opened mass production. The entire process of manufacturing weapons at its factories was divided into several hundred sequential operations. In the new factory buildings, all actions were mechanized, and a conveyor began to be used for the first time. The result was a drop in the cost of weapons - the same Colt Dragoon soon fell in price from 50 to 19 dollars - and highest degree standardization of parts.

If previously, when repairing a pistol, parts each time had to be modified with a file “in place,” then any part of a Colt revolver fit any revolver of this model.

Lego"

At the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, Colt made a splash. In front of visitors, he disassembled a dozen revolvers, mixed their parts and began to put them back together, taking parts out of the box “at random.” All ten “trunks” were soon assembled. And the subsequent tests caused an even greater shock - the revolvers shot perfectly and their mechanisms worked like clockwork. For that time, this was an incredible level of interchangeability of parts!

Colt created industry in the modern sense of the word - mass impersonal production, devoid of any corporate or guild secrets. And these new trends gradually made their way not only in America. Soon the British government, despite the fierce resistance of its own gunsmiths, borrowed American system for its new arms factory in Enfield. The proud Britons, the owners of the “workshop of the world,” did their best to adopt the methods of organizing and mechanizing work from the Hartford gunsmith! “Fragile girls with graceful hands do the work here that is done by hefty, smoky blacksmiths in other gunsmith shops,” wrote an enthusiastic English journalist who visited Colt’s London factory in 1852.

Discipline in Coltsville - as in other factories owned by Samuel's company - reigned almost like a military one. Workers had to take their places at seven in the morning - simultaneously with the launch of steam engines. Those who were late or drunk were not allowed into the enterprise. Colt created a rigid hierarchical management system, becoming the head of the pyramid. Suffice it to say that out of 10,000 shares of his company, he owned 9,996. The remaining four were distributed to Colt's main partners - one each.

At the same time, Samuel sought to avoid the poverty and degradation of workers that had become typical in some European countries. In addition to the high salary for those times, he provided them with housing. In Coltsville, clubs were built, a park was laid out, baseball teams, choral clubs were organized, and there was even an amateur theater - Samuel himself participated in the performances (apparently remembering “Dr. Cult”).

Another know-how of the “great equalizer” was advertising - Colt for the first time began to widely use outdoor advertising, organize targeted mailings, and even conduct the rudiments of PR campaigns. It seems that the failures of the 30s clearly showed the entrepreneur what the “engine of trade” really is.

"Like on a battlefield"

By 1860, Samuel's enterprises produced 400 thousand small arms. The entrepreneur's fortune was estimated at 15 million dollars! It was fantastic money at that time - suffice it to say that Alaska was bought from Russia for half that amount! If we convert Colt's fortune into modern dollars, the figure becomes even more impressive - $300 million.

It seemed that there would be no end to the successes of the “great equalizer,” but in 1860 the health of the 46-year-old entrepreneur began to rapidly deteriorate. On January 10, 1862 - shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, which promised countless profits for Colt's company - he died suddenly, as they said then, “from natural causes.”

After his death, the inventor received such honors that had previously only fallen to national heroes. As journalists wrote, the memorial for Colt was reminiscent of the finale of a dramatic play. The “Weapon King” was buried at public expense. The deceased was escorted by the entire city, led by the mayor and governor of the state, and the twelfth infantry regiment in full force stood on the guard of honor! The farewell fireworks thundered not only at the grave. All of Hartford, all of Connecticut were shooting - according to eyewitnesses, “the cannonade all around stood as if on a battlefield.”

And ten years after the death of its founder, in 1872, the Colt company began selling the model, which became a symbol of the revolver and a real idol of America. The famous "Colt Peacemaker" - the weapon that conquered the West - is the oldest of the revolvers produced today.

Oldest Colt

The oldest revolver produced today is the 1873 model - the famous “Peacemaker”. And Hollywood played a significant role in this. Production of the revolver was discontinued in 1940, the old equipment was thrown into the yard - it seemed history legendary weapons finished. But in the early 1950s, a craze for Westerns began - and every American wanted to be like a cowboy. The equipment was returned to the workshops, and the production of “Peacemakers” resumed.

Interesting Facts

"Sam, look at this!"

While in Russia, Samuel Colt and his patent specialist Edward Dickerson visited the Peter the Great Gallery in St. Petersburg. Imagine the surprise of the Americans when, among the museum exhibits, they saw lathes of the early 18th century for processing irregular shapes and for copying reliefs. Enthusiastic Americans explained to the museum employees that the same machines had been re-invented quite recently and cost a fortune!

Your comment will appear on the page after approval by a moderator.