The Colt Navy revolver model 1851 was one of the most popular revolvers of the mid and second half of the 19th century in the United States. The model was named so because it was originally supposed to arm the officers of the US Navy. Years of production: 1850-1873. Manufacturer: Colt's Manufacturing Company.
The long rifled barrel provided good shooting accuracy. The revolver is six-shooter. Fired bullets of 36 or 44 caliber. Weight (depending on production time) is 1200-1300 grams. Length - 330.2 mm. Bullet muzzle velocity (for.36 caliber) is about 255 m / s.
Fully disassembled for cleaning
Scheme
Below, step by step, the process of charging a naval colt is shown (the same applies to other revolvers of the mid-19th century). This is what gunfighters like Wild Bill Hickok or J. W. Hardin had to do after they fired all the bullets from their revolvers. In the days of the Wild West, a good shooter not only had to shoot accurately, but also count the number of shots well. Remembering this was extremely important, since reloading an empty revolver was a very laborious process.
Required "ingredients": a flask with black powder, 44-gauge lead round bullets of 96 grains (6, 221 grams) and CCI No. 11 percussion capsules. Well, and the revolver itself, ready to charge.
Black powder
.44 round revolving bullets
Capsules
Before loading the revolver, it is necessary to put the trigger on the safety cocking (half cocking) so that the drum can rotate. In this position, even if the revolver is loaded and the primers are installed, accidental triggering will not cause detonation due to insufficient force on the primer.
Gunpowder is poured into the drum chamber (the drum chambers of the naval colt are always open - nothing extra should be done with them) is filled with gunpowder, about 80% of its volume. That's about 26 grains (1.685 grams) of gunpowder.
Next, a.36 or.44 caliber lead bullet is inserted into the chamber. The bullet must enter the chamber very tightly, so that it is impossible to push it completely with your fingers.
With the help of a special folding ramrod lever, which is located under the barrel, the bullet is driven into the chamber until the ramrod lever stops.
This ensures that the bullet is fully seated and that the powder in the chamber is tightly compressed for primer ignition. A correctly placed bullet will never fall out of the drum. And in the same way it is necessary to charge the six chambers of the naval colt's drum.
On top of the opening of the chamber with the bullets installed, if you do not plan to shoot immediately, a small amount of lubricant is applied. This protects the drum from dirt and water that could cause the revolver to malfunction. Everything that was at hand was used for lubrication: soap, wax, even lard can be used for this purpose.
Then the revolver is rotated, and percussion capsules for each loaded chamber are installed on the brandtubes above the seed holes in the rear of the drum. This part of the charging operation must be done with great care so as not to damage the capsules.
The trigger is smoothly lowered by the thumb to the combat platoon. The revolver is now loaded and ready to fire.
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