Colt M1892

Last updated
Colt M1892
Colt Model 1892 Revolver.jpg
Type Revolver
Place of originUnited States
Service history
Used by United States Army
United States Navy
Federal Army
North-West Mounted Police
British Army
Wars Spanish–American War
Philippine–American War
Second Boer War
Boxer Rebellion
Mexican Revolution
World War I
Production history
Designer Colt
Designed1892
Manufacturer Colt
Produced1892–1908 [1]
Specifications
Mass2.07 pounds (.94 kg)
Length11.5 inches (292 mm)
Barrel  length6 inches (152 mm)

Cartridge .38 Long Colt, .41 Long Colt
Action Double action revolver
Muzzle velocity 750 ft/s (230 m/s) [2]
Feed system6-round cylinder
Sights Iron sights

The Colt M1892 Navy and Army was the first general issue double-action revolver with a swing out cylinder used by the U.S. military. [3]

Contents

Overview

Colt New Army Model 1892 series revolver Colt New Army Model 1892.-1.jpg
Colt New Army Model 1892 series revolver

In 1892, the revolver was adopted by the United States Army chambered for .38 Long Colt cartridges, and was given the appellation "New Army and Navy". Initial experience with the gun caused officials to request some improvements. This would be an ongoing condition, resulting in Models 1892, 1894, 1896, 1901, and 1903 for the Army, as well as a Model 1895 for the Navy and a Model 1905 Marine Corps variant. [3]

Features

A cutaway diagram showing the lockwork Colt M1892 cross-section diagram.jpg
A cutaway diagram showing the lockwork

The revolver featured a counter-clockwise rotating cylinder, which could be opened for loading and ejection by simply pulling back on a catch mounted on the left side of the frame behind the recoil shield. It was easily manipulated by the thumb of the right hand, and upon release the cylinder could be poked out sideways with the shooter's forefinger. Empty cases were removed by simply pushing back on an ejector rod to activate a star extractor. The six-shooter could then be quickly reloaded and the cylinder clicked back into place. [3]

Sights

Sights were the basic rounded front blade and topstrap notch. The finish on all military revolvers was blue, though civilian guns could be nickeled or with other special finishes and embellishments. [3]

History and usage

The M1892's counter-clockwise cylinder rotation tended to force the cylinder out of alignment with the frame over time, and this was exacerbated by relatively weak lockwork used to "time", or match individual chambers to the barrel. [4] In 1908, Colt improved and strengthened the lockwork, and changed the cylinder rotation to a clockwise movement.

A Model 1892 revolver was recovered from the USS Maine after it exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898. It was presented to then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, who would later become President of the United States. Roosevelt brandished this pistol to rally his Rough Riders during the famed charge up San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898. This revolver was on display at Sagamore Hill and was stolen from there in 1963, recovered and then stolen again in 1990. It was recovered in 2006 and returned to Sagamore Hill on June 14, 2006. [5] [6]

This revolver was thought of as a decent handgun for its time, but complaints arose from the military concerning the revolver's cartridge chambering. Beginning in 1899, combat reports arose from the Philippines campaign regarding the poor performance of the M1892's .38-caliber ammunition. Specifically, users complained that the .38 bullet repeatedly failed to stop charging Filipino rebels at close ranges, even when hit multiple times. The complaints caused the U.S. Army to hurriedly issue stocks of .45 caliber revolvers, and played a central role in its decision to replace the M1892 with the .45 Colt M1909 New Service revolver in 1909. [7]

In the rush to furnish arms to the rapidly expanding Army and Navy after the United States entered World War I, surplus stocks of these old Colts were inspected, refurbished as needed, and then issued to rear-echelon Army troops and Navy officers as a substitute standard side arm.

Modifications and variants

During its service life, the M1892 series received modifications to the basic design, including cylinder lockwork, the addition (in 1894) of an interlock between the cylinder latch and the trigger and hammer, different barrel markings, the addition of a lanyard ring in the Model 1901, and a reduction of bore diameter in the Model 1903 in an effort to increase accuracy. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.38 Special</span> Revolver cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson

The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special, .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, or 9×29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Single Action Army</span> Service revolver

The Colt Single Action Army is a single-action revolver handgun. It was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and was adopted as the standard-issued pistol of the U.S. Army from 1873 to 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.45 ACP</span> Pistol cartridge designed by John Moses Browning

The .45 ACP, also known as .45 Auto, .45 Automatic, or 11.43×23mm is a rimless straight-walled handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic pistol. After successful military trials, it was adopted as the standard chambering for Colt's M1911 pistol. The round was developed due to a lack of stopping power experienced in the Moro Rebellion in places like Sulu. The issued ammunition, .38 Long Colt, had proved inadequate, motivating the search for a better cartridge. This experience and the Thompson–LaGarde Tests of 1904 led the Army and the Cavalry to decide that a minimum of .45 caliber was required in a new handgun cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.357 Magnum</span> Revolver cartridge

The .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum, .357 S&W Magnum, .357 Magnum, or 9×33mmR is a smokeless powder cartridge with a 0.357 in (9.07 mm) bullet diameter. It was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. Wesson of firearm manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Winchester. The .357 Magnum cartridge is notable for its highly effective terminal ballistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.45 Colt</span> Revolver cartridge designed by the U.S. Army

The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), is a rimmed, straight-walled, handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1873 and served as an official US military handgun cartridge for 19 years, before being replaced by the .38 Long Colt in 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.38 Long Colt</span> Revolver cartridge

The .38 Long Colt, also known as .38 LC, is a black powder cartridge introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1875. In 1892, it was adopted as a standard military pistol cartridge by the United States Army for the Colt M1892 revolver. The metric designation for the .38 Long Colt is 9.1×26mm. It is slightly more powerful than the .38 Short Colt, also known as .38 SC. The original .38 SC and .38 LC differ in case length, bullet diameter, weight, and design and are not interchangeable; however, modern production .38 SC ammunition is now loaded with a smaller, internally-lubricated bullet which can be fired from firearms chambered in .38 LC or .38 Special. The modern .38 LC can be fired from a .38 Special firearm, but not from a firearm designed for the .38 SC, since the case length is too long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.44 Magnum</span> Revolver cartridge designed by Elmer Keith and Smith & Wesson (S&W)

The .44 Remington Magnum, also known as .44 Magnum or 10.9x33mmR, is a rimmed, large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers and quickly adopted for carbines and rifles. Despite the ".44" designation, guns chambered for the .44 Magnum round, its parent case, the .44 Special, and the .44 Special's parent case, the .44 Russian all use 0.429 in (10.9 mm) diameter bullets. The .44 Magnum is based on the .44 Special case but lengthened and loaded to higher pressures for greater velocity and energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.38 S&W</span> Revolver cartridge

The .38 S&W, also commonly known as .38 S&W Short, 9×20mmR, .38 Colt NP , or .38/200, is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1877. Versions of the cartridge were the standard revolver cartridges of the British military from 1922 to 1963. Though similar in name, it is not interchangeable with the later .38 Special due to a different case shape and slightly larger bullet diameter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.30-40 Krag</span> First cartridge adopted by the US Army that was designed for smokeless powder.

The .30-40 Krag, also known as the .30 U.S. and .30 Army, was a rifle cartridge developed in the early 1890s to provide the U.S. armed forces with a smokeless powder cartridge suited for use with modern small-bore repeating rifles to be selected in the 1892 small arm trials. Since the cartridge it was replacing was the .45-70 Government, the new cartridge was considered small-bore at the time. The rifle ultimately selected for use by the Army was the Krag–Jørgensen, formally adopted as the M1892 Springfield. The cartridge was also used in the M1893, M1895, M1897, and M1900 Gatling guns.

The M1895 Lee Navy was a straight-pull magazine rifle adopted in limited numbers by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1895 as a first-line infantry rifle. The Navy's official designation for the Lee Straight-Pull rifle was the "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895, caliber 6-mm" but the weapon is also largely known by other names, such as the "Winchester-Lee rifle", "Lee Model 1895", "6mm Lee Navy", and "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.45-70</span> Rifle cartridge designed by the U.S. Army

The .45-70, also known as the .45-70 Government, .45-70 Springfield, and .45-2110" Sharps, is a .45 caliber rifle cartridge originally holding 70 grains of black powder that was developed at the U.S. Army's Springfield Armory for use in the Springfield Model 1873. It was a replacement for the stop-gap .50-70 Government cartridge, which had been adopted in 1866, one year after the end of the American Civil War, and is known by collectors as the "Trapdoor Springfield".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Army Model 1860</span> Revolver

The Colt Army Model 1860 is a cap & ball .44-caliber single-action revolver used during the American Civil War made by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It was used as a side arm by cavalry, infantry, artillery troops, and naval forces.

The Springfield Model 1873 was the first standard-issue breech-loading rifle adopted by the United States Army. The rifle, in both full-length and carbine versions, was widely used in subsequent battles against Native Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.38 ACP</span> Pistol cartridge designed by John Moses Browning

The .38 ACP, also known as the .38 Auto, .38 Automatic, or 9×23mmSR, is a semi-rimmed pistol cartridge that was introduced at the turn of the 20th century for the John Browning-designed Colt M1900. It was first used in Colt's Model 1897 prototype, which he did not produce. The metric designation for the round is 9×23mm SR (semi-rimmed), which is not to be confused with other 9×23mm cartridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Model 1892–99</span> Bolt-action repeating rifle

The Springfield Model 1892–99 Krag–Jørgensen rifle is a Norwegian-designed bolt-action rifle that was adopted in 1892 as the standard United States Army military longarm, chambered for U.S. caliber .30-40 Krag cartridges. All versions and variants were manufactured under license by the Springfield Armory between 1892 and 1903 and famously served as the longarm during the Spanish–American War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overpressure ammunition</span> Type of small arms ammunition

Overpressure ammunition, commonly designated as +P or +P+, is small arms ammunition that has been loaded to produce a higher internal pressure when fired than is standard for ammunition of its caliber, but less than the pressures generated by a proof round. This is done typically to produce ammunition with higher muzzle velocity, muzzle energy, and stopping power, such as ammunition used for security, defensive, or hunting purposes. Because of this, +P ammunition is typically found in handgun calibers which might be used for paramilitary forces, armed security, and defensive purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remington Model 1858</span> Revolver

The Remington-Beals Model Revolvers along with subsequent models and variations were percussion revolvers manufactured by Eliphalet Remington & Sons in .31 (Pocket) .36 (Navy) or .44 (Army) caliber, used during the American Civil War, and was the beginning of a successful line of medium and large frame pistols. They are commonly, though inaccurately, referred to as the Model 1858 due to the patent markings on its New Model barrels, "PATENTED SEPT. 14, 1858/E. REMINGTON & SONS, ILION, NEW YORK, U.S.A./NEW MODEL."; although wide scale production did not start until 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt 1851 Navy Revolver</span> 1851 revolver by Samuel Colt

The Colt Revolving Belt Pistol or Navy Pistol, sometimes erroneously referred to as "Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber" or "of Navy Caliber", is a .36 caliber, six-round cap and ball revolver that was designed by Samuel Colt between 1847 and 1850. Colt first referred to this Revolver as the Ranger Size model, and then Revolving Belt, but the designation "Navy" quickly took over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt New Service</span> Revolver

The Colt New Service is a large frame, large caliber, double-action revolver made by Colt from 1898 until 1941. Made in various calibers, the .45 Colt version with a 5½" barrel, was adopted by the U.S. Armed Forces as the Model 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starr revolver</span> Revolver

A Starr revolver is a double-action revolver which was used in the western theater of the American Civil War until the United States Army Ordnance Department persuaded the Starr Arms Co. to create a single-action variant after discontinuation of the Colt. The company eventually complied, and the Union acquired 25,000 of the single-action revolvers for $12 each. However, the price paid by the government for the DA army revolver was $25. The State of Ohio purchased 500 of the .36 Caliber Navy version for $20 each.

References

  1. Chapel, Charles Edward (2002) [1961]. Guns of the Old West: An Illustrated Guide . Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. p.  239. ISBN   9780486421612. OCLC   50959359 . Retrieved August 13, 2017 via Internet Archive.
  2. U.S. Army Ordnance Department (1917), page 12: "The muzzle velocity of this weapon with the Frankford Arsenal cartridge, with about 3½ grains of smokeless powder and 148-grain bullet, is 750 feet per second." Note that all other ballistic and trajectory data in this document is copied unchanged from U.S. Army Ordnance Department (1893), but that document (p. 241) has a lower muzzle velocity: "The muzzle velocity of this weapon with the Frankford Arsenal cartridge, with 16 grains of powder and 150-grain bullet, is 708.3 feet-seconds [sic]." The rise in muzzle velocity may have been from the replacement of the older black-powder cartridge with the newer smokeless-powder one, or from the Model 1903 revolver's small reduction in bore diameter to increase chamber pressure and accuracy.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sapp, Rick (2007). Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms. Cincinnati: F+W Media. pp. 96–97. ISBN   978-0-89689-534-8. OCLC   969027168 . Retrieved August 13, 2017 via Google Books.
  4. Velleux, David L. "U.S. Revolver Models 1889, 1892, 1894, 1895 and 1896". The Spanish American War Centennial Website. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  5. Saxon, Wolfgang (April 8, 1990). "Theodore Roosevelt's Gun Stolen". The New York Times . p. 28. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  6. "Roosevelt's Revolver Stolen 1895 Pistol Returned in New York". FBI . U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. government. June 2, 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  7. James, Gary (March 1, 2008). "Colt New Army & Navy Revolver". Handguns Magazine. Intermedia Outdoors, Inc. Archived from the original on July 4, 2010.

Bibliography