How does a Colt 'Navy' work?

[Scarecrow]

Okay, gun nuts. One of my favourite sidearms of all time is the Colt 'Navy'. I was wondering though, how does it work?

I know it's black powder or 'cap and ball' and I'm pretty sure that it doesn't take bullets. Not in the modern sense like it's successor, the Peacemaker.
Looking at closeups of the weapon, there appears to be some sort of lever under the barrel that forces a bar into the lower cylinder. Also there are just small nozzles where the hammer would normally strike the back of the bullets. Access to the cylinder appears to be a shape cut out of the back of the cylinder housing.

Anyone care to explain?

Crow

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Scarecrow:
Okay, gun nuts. One of my favourite sidearms of all time is the Colt 'Navy'. I was wondering though, how does it work?

Crow,

Saldy, my favorite gun baord is switching servers and is currently unavailable. However, you've pretty much figured it out on your own.

Leaving aside theminor details:

- The 'lever' you spotted is a built-in rammer that is used to load the revolver's cylinders. Blackpowder, a ball, and some wadding are compressed into the cylinder's chambers.

- The 'nozzles' you picked out are 'nipples' for percussion caps. The hammer strikes them, they flash and then ignite the main charge in the revolver's cylinder.

Loading thus consists of loading the cylinder's chambers and placing the percussion caps. You can see why ammunition in 'cases' was such an improvement.

I'm sure some kind souls here - Bhoins? - can point you to scads of lovingly detailed information.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Scarecrow]

Thanks, Bill.

I just googled this site which explains it in considerable detail:

http://hunting.about.com/od/blackpowder/l/aa_loadcbrev_a.htm

Yeah, cased rounds really were a huge leap forward =)

Crow

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Scarecrow:
I just googled this site which explains it in considerable detail...

Crow,

Nice link with great piccies!

The grease was an eye opener. I knew about the chain fire problem, but I didn't know they used loose grease. When I saw a Navy Colt fired (over ten years ago) the fellow used little wax discs to plug each chamber over the ball.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[parmasson]

I had a replica of .44 Remington revolver for a time. Man those things kick up a cloud of smoke and a plume of flame.
Make sure your caps are on tight and old ones fall off after firing or they might jam up the action.

 

[Vargr Breath]

Hi
This is the one you would want to carry
http://www.navyarms.com/html/le_mat_rev.html

I had a couple of old cap & ball revolvers, and after about two cylinders the black power would gum them up so bad you had to take them apart and clean them.If you look on the side of the pistol you will see a bar,you drive this out and the barrel pulls off and you can take the cylinder out to clean it. For the most part the Remington was a stronger design then the Colts,but I read somewhere that the old Colt "Walker" was the most powerful handgun intil the S&W .357 Mag. round came out.
Dwayne

 

[Uncle Bob]

Le Mat is the dead opposite of the Colt Navy. he Colt is light in the hand and points like it was alive. The Le Mat is a brick. A lead brick.

The .36 1851/1861 Navy Colts fire a 60 gr ball, which isn't always powerful enough. I think the powerful Walker and Dragoon are a bit awkward also. My own choice would be the 1860 Army. 44 caliber (really .452) with 28 gr of black powder pushing a 120 gr ball. Heavier than a Navy, but a nice compromise.

YMMV

 

[Vargr Breath]

Hi
Yep, they were heavy but both the Le Mat and the Walker were Cavalry weapons. You let your horse carry it around for you . I think the Le Mat would have been a good navy boarding weapon. You would not have to carry it long,you would be shooting at shorter ranges,and a few extra rounds never hurt.

The airlock of the Type S opens and the old man points a brace of Le Mats at the crew,
"Ya-all this is a hijacking!" ?

Dwayne

 

[spank]

If you really want to step up to cartridges there where and still are companies that sold conversions kits consisting of a new cylinder some used a single fixed firing pin that stayed in place between the hammer and cylinder others had six firing pins one behind each cylinder.
The one with the single firing pin can be reloaded by opening the gate {at the side} and poking the cartridges out to the rear. Others can be reloaded by removing the pin pushing the whole cylinder out and putting a whole new one in. Clint Eastwood did this in Pale Rider {I think} I think you did not have to have the cartridge convesion to do this. you could do this with cap and balls, just make sure the caps are greased so they will stay stuck in the cylinder.
I have a link, if it does not take Google Kirst Cartridge Konverter.

If you really want to step up to cartridges there where and still are companies that sold conversions kits consisting of a new cylinder some used a single fixed firing pin that stayed in place between the hammer and cylinder others had six firing pins one behind each cylinder.
The one with the single firing pin can be reloaded by opening the gate {at the side} and poking the cartridges out to the rear. Others can be reloaded by removing the pin pushing the whole cylinder out and putting a whole new one in. Clint Eastwood did this in Pale Rider {I think} I think you did not have to have the cartridge convesion to do this. you could do this with cap and balls, just make sure the caps are greased so they will stay stuck in the cylinder.
I have a link, if it does not take Google Kirst Cartridge Konverter.

http://www.riverjunction.com/kirst/

 

[JAFARR]

Yes, replica black powder guns are fun to play with, but too much work for any serious, sustained use. Personally, I hope I live long enough to see a useable personal laser weapon. Not that I would expect to be able to afford one. As someone once said for personal self defence, get a .22 auto that fits comfortably in your hand and aim for the eyes. They don't have a lot of fire power, but they also have almost no recoil to spoil your aim. If nothing else, maybe the mussle flash will blind them.

 

[Scarecrow]

Ah, the Konverter is great news. I'd love a character to have one of these and the idea that it could fire conventional cased rounds instead of having to pack in the cap, ball and shot each time is great.

Crow

 

[spank]

I always thought it would be interesting to see a upgrade to black powder pistols to fire micro-rockets.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Originally posted by spank:
I always thought it would be interesting to see a upgrade to black powder pistols to fire micro-rockets.

<boggle>

 

[spank]

develope a micro rokcet of the same size as the revolver's cartridge

The same concept as developing forged arrow heads, or explosive arrows to sell to primatives

 

[Andrew Boulton]

I suspect they would be less accurate and do less damage than the bullet.

 

[Scarecrow]

Not if they were nuclear tipped with AI laser guided targetting...


What?

 

[mike wightman]

A Metal Storm based revolver conversion perhaps

 

[Andrew Boulton]

If they're nukes, accuracy isn't a problem!

I'm going to have to look up the minimum calibre for collapsing rounds now...

 

[Andrew Boulton]

20mm. Big pistol.

 

[spank]

The intent would not nessicarily be enhanced damage.
You could for example fire one and have it remotely guided.
Or fire rounds in a vacum
or whatever