The Modern American Pistol and Revolver Part 2

The .32 and .38 calibre revolvers with 5-1/2-in. barrels and folding hammer are nicely balanced arms, and when properly sighted are capable of doing fine work; but, unfortunately, they are double action, and while this feature may be a desirable point in revolvers for defence, for target-practice, or fine shooting, it is a detriment rather than an advantage; but this firm also makes a single action with a regular hammer in .38 calibre, in which the trigger-pull can be brought to a state of smoothness and firmness which, if the arm is handled by a good shot, will show excellent work.

The Army revolver is made in single and double action, with and without the folding hammer. Most of the army models are chambered to take the Winchester rifle cartridge, .44 calibre, holding 40 grains of powder and 200 grains of lead, although a special cartridge, specially prepared for the Mexican trade, is supplied.

Each American revolver described in this paper has special points of excellence which commend themselves to the investigator, and are appreciated by revolver-shooters; and there are a number of excellent features in the Merwin, Hulbert, & Co.'s revolver not found in other arms, which make it, in many cases, the favorite revolver of fine marksmen.

The Merwin, Hulbert, & Co.'s revolver has been thoroughly tested by the Government Ordnance Board, which reports as follows on its tests of a six-shot, .42-calibre, 7-inch barrel revolver, weight, 2 pounds 11-1/2 ounces, using a charge of 23 grains of powder and a 252-grain bullet:--

REGULAR TESTS.--One round was fired from each chamber by the exhibitor.

The revolver worked satisfactorily.

DISMOUNTING AND a.s.sEMBLING.--The time required to completely dismount the revolver was 8 minutes 15 seconds, and that for a.s.sembling, 14 minutes.

INITIAL VELOCITIES.--Ten shots were fired, and the initial velocities determined by the Boulenge chronograph: Extreme variation, 77; mean, 20.'3.

PENETRATION AND RECOIL.--Mean of five shots: Penetration, 45; recoil, 74.

TESTS FOR ACCURACY.--Ten rounds were fired for accuracy, at 25 yards, and also at 100 yards. A fixed rest was used. The results were as follows for ten shots: Mean horizontal deviation, 2."9; mean vertical deviation, 4."2; mean absolute deviation, 5."1.

RAPIDITY OF LOADING AND EJECTING.--Time required to fire 18 shots, commencing and ending with chambers empty: 1 minute 45 seconds.

ENDURANCE.--Two hundred and fifty rounds were fired, the revolver working without difficulty throughout. It was allowed five minutes to cool after each 50 rounds.

FOULING.--The revolver remained uncleaned forty-eight hours, after which it was fired 50 rounds. It was allowed five minutes to cool after the 12th, 24th, and 36th rounds. Though badly fouled at the rear of the cylinder, by the escape of gas at the primer (the ammunition being outside priming) the arm worked satisfactorily.

DUSTING TEST.--The revolver was next cleaned and thoroughly dusted with fine sand. It was then wiped off with the hands alone. Twelve rounds were fired. The revolver was then dusted as before, to ascertain the combined effects of dusting and fouling. Six rounds were fired. The revolver worked freely throughout.

RUSTING TEST.--The revolver was cleaned--all oil being carefully removed--and dipped for ten minutes in a solution of sal-ammoniac, after which it was exposed in the open air for forty-eight hours. At the expiration of this time it was considerably rusted, but still operated quite freely. It was fired 12 rounds, loaded without cleaning, and again immersed for ten minutes in the sal-ammoniac solution. It was then exposed in the open air for another period of forty-eight hours.

In order to prevent the rusting of the rifling, both ends of the barrel were closed with cork, and in the first dipping the cylinder chambers were protected in a similar manner.

At the end of the prescribed time the revolver was found very badly rusted. The rust was so thick on the sides of the hammer that it could not be c.o.c.ked without the rust first being sc.r.a.ped off with a screw-driver.

The trigger was rusted in a similar manner, and had to be sc.r.a.ped and forced back and forth in order to operate it. The locking-bolt slide was rusted so that it could not be started by hand. It was driven back by tapping on the thumb-screw with a hammer. The barrel was then partly turned to the left by hand, but the base-pin was so much rusted that the barrel had to be secured in a vise in order to complete the turning and draw it to the front along the pin.

About twenty minutes were consumed in getting the pistol in condition to fire the remaining rounds required by the prescribed test.

Considering how badly the pistol was rusted, it worked very satisfactorily.

The claims made for this revolver by the exhibitors are:--

1. Beauty of outline.

2. No salient points which will prevent its ready insertion in the holster.

3. Non-liability to tear the hands, since nearly all surfaces are neatly rounded. Cleaning is also facilitated by the smooth surfaces.

4. The fluting on the cylinder do not run out at the front, thus increasing the strength and neatness of the whole.

5. Safety, owing to the fact that the locking-device cannot be opened, permitting of dismounting the barrel without the piece being at half-c.o.c.k.

If the piece be not at half-c.o.c.k, the cylinder and barrel cannot be a.s.sembled to the frame.

6. Front sight solid with the barrel.

7. The extractor-ring prevents the interior of the lock and the ratchet from fouling by escape of gas about the primer when using outside primed ammunition.

8. The hood on the front of the cylinder, about the base-pin hole, prevents fouling of base-pin.

9. The recoil-plate protects the head of the cartridge from exposure or abrasion; it also prevents sand, etc., getting in between the cylinder and recoil-plate, checking-rotation.

10. The cylinder and barrel can be dismounted without the use of a screw-driver.

Other claims, since made, are appended, marked "B." It is not thought that they require special comment.

This Board a.s.sents generally to claims 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. No particular advantage is thought to be found in the 4th; and the 5th, so far from being advantageous, is regarded as unnecessary and hurtful, hampering one, as it does, in the use of the pistol.

On the whole, the Board regards this as a very good pistol, it having endured the tests in a fairly satisfactory manner. It should be bored up to cal. .45, in order that it may use service ammunition, when it may be more intelligently compared with other arms now in service.

Stocks of walnut and hard rubber were furnished with this pistol. The rubber appears to be fully equal, if not superior, to the walnut in hardness and tenacity. To ascertain the effect of heat, it was placed in a covered tin cup, which was in turn placed in a vessel of water slowly heated to 150. The rubber did not soften in the slightest degree. It was then placed between two blocks of ice until thoroughly chilled, when it was repeatedly struck with a hammer. It was not at all brittle. The rubber admits of a very neat finish.

CHAPTER V.

THE COLT'S REVOLVER.

The armory of the Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company is located at Hartford, Conn., and here are manufactured the famous Colt's revolvers, so favorably known throughout the world. Samuel Colt, the inventor of the Colt's revolver, commenced devising the mechanism of this arm as early as 1830, and the result of his ingenuity and skill is the large plant at Hartford, where the Colt's revolver has been manufactured in enormous quant.i.ties for half a century, during which time improvements have been made: and the popularity which the Colt's revolver has secured is attested by the enormous sales in all parts of the world. The variety of revolvers made by this company are as follows:--

New Model Army, single action: length of pistol, 12-1/2 inches: length of barrel, 7-1/2 inches: bore or calibre, .45 inch; weight, 2 lbs. 5 oz.

Rifling, six grooves, one revolution in 16 inches; depth of groove, .005 inch. Six-shot.

CARTRIDGE.--Weight of powder, 30 grains; weight of lead, 250 grains.

Central fire, external priming.

New Model Army, double action: length of pistol, 12-1/2 inches; length of barrel, 7-1/2 inches; weight of pistol with 7-1/2-inch barrel, 2 lbs. 7 oz.; calibre, .45 inch; six-shot. Made with barrels of any length, and for the U.S. regulation cartridge, or the .44-calibre magazine rifle-cartridge. Revolvers taking the latter cartridge are known as the Frontier model.

New Model, .41, double-action weight; central fire; calibre, .41; six-shot. Length of barrels, 4-1/2, 5, and 6 inches.

New Model, .38, double action; central fire; calibre, .38; six-shot.

Length of barrels, 2-1/2, 3-1/2, 6, and 7 inches.

New Police, .38, single action; central fire; calibre, .38; six-shot.

Length of barrels, 4-1/2, 5, and 6 inches.

New target-revolver, in .38 and .32 calibre, made in the Army model frame.

Pocket-revolvers, in calibres .22, .30, .32, .38, and .41, with 2-inch barrels.