Maker

Colt (Manufacturer)

Samuel Colt was as much a salesman as he was an inventor. The terms Army and Navy were a marketing strategy, Army meaning .44 caliber and Navy meaning .36 caliber. They have nothing to do with which service used them. After the Civil War, it was said of Sam Colt, "Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Sam Colt made them equal." Colt's success story began with the issuance of a U.S. patent in 1836 for the Colt firearm equipped with a revolving cylinder containing five or six bullets. Colt's revolver provided its user with greatly increased firepower.

Dimensions / Weight

Dimensions: 5.25" H x 14.25" W x 1.5" D

Physical Description

United States Colt M1860 Army revolver, .44 caliber.

General History

The Colt Model 1860 Army revolver was manufactured from 1860 through 1873. The total production consisted of more than 200,000. The six-shot, .44 caliber revolver was the primary handgun used by Union troops during the Civil War because of its reliability.