February 25, 1836, 180 years ago, American Colt received the first patent for an automatic revolver

“God made people strong and weak. Colonel Colt equalized their chances” - this is what they say in the USA about Samuel Colt, the man thanks to whom the triumphant march of the revolver began. Colt is sometimes even credited with inventing this weapon - but in fact, revolvers have been manufactured since the late 16th century. The first revolvers were not popular and in demand - their production was extremely expensive and difficult, and they did not provide continuous shooting.

In June 1818, the American officer and designer Artemas Wheeler patented a flintlock revolver - this weapon could be fired up to 7 times in a row. Nevertheless, the popularity of expensive revolvers has not increased much.

Grandpa's gun and electrical cord

In 1814, Samuel Colt, the future reformer of revolver weapons, was born in Connecticut. According to legend, little Colt's first toy was a flintlock pistol, inherited from his grandfather - former officer Continental Army. According to another legend, at the age of four, Samuel tried to convert a toy gun given to him for his birthday into a real one - and caused an explosion that almost destroyed the entire house.

At the age of 14, Colt became seriously interested in pyrotechnics. And on Independence Day, the young man installed a raft filled with gunpowder in the center of the city lake and stretched an electric cord from the raft to the shore.

The result was a loud explosion, killing the fish in the pond and causing panic among the festive townspeople.

Samuel's father, fearing that his son would burn down the house, sent the teenager to boarding school. At the boarding school, Colt did nothing but entertain his friends with pyrotechnics. And after some time, a fire broke out at the school - undoubtedly due to the fault of the future reformer of revolver weapons. One of the buildings of the boarding school burned down in the fire, and Colt was immediately sent home to his angry father.

The indignant parent did not want his negligent son to live under the same roof with him, and sent his son to serve as a sailor on a two-masted Corvo ship heading to India. On the ship, Colt loved to watch for a long time how the helmsman dashingly turned the wheel.

The result of these observations was the creation by Samuel of a wooden model of the future revolver. Colt's innovation was that he “introduced” a rotating drum system into the revolver, which alternately placed several pre-loaded cartridges under the firing pin.

Among the first

On February 25, 1836, in the United States, Colt acquired a patent for an automatic revolver, the rate of fire of which was five times higher than the rate of fire of its “predecessors.” With the financial support of his uncle, Samuel opens the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co., as well as a weapons factory in New Jersey.

It is important that Colt was one of the first industrialists to use machine production of weapons in their factories.

Although the inventor invested a lot of money in advertising his product, sales were not very successful. Then Colt went to Washington and showed the revolver to the seventh President of the United States and one of the founders of the Democratic Party, Andrew Jackson. The Democrat admired Colt's invention and even wrote a positive review of the weapon. Nevertheless, Samuel did not receive more orders. The industrialist actively tried to enlist the support of the American army, but at that time the US military called revolvers “the weapons of yesterday.”

As a result, Colt's company went bankrupt, and the inventor himself decided to start producing submarine cables. At the same time, Samuel's brother found himself in the dock.

Representatives of the yellow press immediately took advantage of the situation and began to write that the accused committed the murder with a Colt revolver.

Colt vs Comanche

In 1847, Texas Ranger Samuel Walker witnessed how his 15-man team, armed with Colt revolvers, dealt with a detachment of 70 Comanches. An enthusiastic Walker asked Colt for a meeting, during which the men agreed to cooperate. This is how revolvers with increased drum capacity Colt Walker appeared.

Colt Walker 1847

The weapon was quickly appreciated by the American army - a few months after the Colt Walker went on sale, Samuel received an order for 1,000 revolvers from the US military.

After this, Colt no longer had problems with sales.

In the early 1850s, Colt founded a gunsmith shop in Hartford (the capital of Connecticut). And two years later he opened a branch of his company in London, which the classic of world literature Charles Dickens would later speak about with delight.

Colt Dragoon

At the same time, Colt Dragoon revolvers, designed for shooting from a horse, as well as Colt Wells Fargo revolvers, went on sale. latest model It was lightweight and was created at a time of increased demand for personal weapons - and it was immediately appreciated by security guards, detectives, and officers. In addition, these were the times of the gold rush and the exploration of the Wild West, so Colt’s weapons were quickly appreciated by gold miners.

Colt Wells Fargo

It is known that James Butler Hickok, an American hero of the Wild West, a famous shooter, scout and poker player, was armed with two Colt Navy revolvers. Hickok was called Wild Bill, and also Dick Duck and Duck because the shooter had a protruding lower lip.

In 1861, the Civil War began in the United States, during which Colt sold weapons to both southerners and northerners. It is interesting that it was then that American politicians and journalists began to develop the idea that the presence of weapons on both conflicting sides does not lead to lawlessness, but to a peaceful resolution of problems.

A few decades later, Colt Single Action Army revolvers would be called “peacemakers,” and the famous expression “God made people strong and weak. Colonel Colt evened their chances" will be turned into the phrase "Abraham Lincoln gave the people freedom, and Colonel Colt evened their chances."

Colt Single Action Army

Colt did not live to see the end of the war - at the age of 47, the inventor died in his native Hartford. Journalists wrote that “Colt died from natural causes" The great reformer of revolver weapons left behind a fortune estimated at $15 million.

1. The first underwater mine;2. the first Colt Paterson drum revolver; 3. the first cartridge revolver "Single Action Army", with original nickname“Peacemaker”, because where he shot, peace came very quickly; 4. the famous gangster machine gun “Tommy gun”;5. the legendary Colt 1191, which was in service with the American army for more than 70 years (you heard right - seventy years, from 1911 to 1985!); 6. modern American assault rifle “M-16”; all these are “children” of the company founded by Samuel Colt.

And yet, Colt’s passion, what he considered the main achievement of his life, was precisely the revolver. And it is precisely as the inventor of the revolver that Samuel Colt is known throughout the world.

“Samuel Colt (1814-1862) - the inventor of the revolver, an American, fled from his father’s home to India in his youth and during the journey made a wooden model of what later became known as the revolver. Returning, he studied chemistry, lectured on it in the United States and Canada, visited Europe in 1835 and took patents for his invention in London and Paris and founded a company for the manufacture of revolvers, but in 1842 he went bankrupt; For 5 years in a row, revolvers were not manufactured and became very rare.

When the government ordered the inventor 1000 pieces, he had to make a new model, since the copy previously manufactured by the company could not be found anywhere. This order was the beginning of Colt's prosperity. He replaced a small workshop in Withneyvilles with a large one in Getford, and in 1852 he founded a huge trading post, doubled in size in 1861, on the shoals of the Connecticut River. From here, a huge mass of revolving mechanisms was sent annually to Russia and England.”

Look, nothing is said here about underwater mines, or about the “Tommy gun”, or “M-16”. All this came later, after his death. And Colonel Colt’s lifetime monument was, in his personal opinion, an ordinary revolver!

Here they are, Colt revolvers, which became classics during the lifetime of their creator.

1. Five-shot "Colt Paterson" model 1836. Caliber 0.36 inches (9 mm). The world's first pistol, firstly, equipped with a safety lock, and secondly, allowing rapid fire, shooting back from several opponents. The rate of fire was achieved due to replaceable drums; the revolver came with two of them and it was possible to buy as many more as you wanted.

2. “Dragoon” or “Big Colts”, produced in three modifications. Caliber 0.44 inches (11.2 mm), size - almost 40 cm! A sort of small repeating shotgun without a stock! Not everyone could shoot accurately from it - the weight of this “toy” was four pounds (over one and a half kilograms!).

3. “Colt – Navy” Model 1851, 9 mm caliber, intended for the navy, but was also popular on land. The features of this weapon were an octagonal drum (probably so that it would not roll when pitching) and complete absence flies! Why shoot accurately at sea?

4. Army "Colt" model 1860, the main weapon of the war between North and South. The caliber is 0.44 inches (11.2 mm), but the weight is less than that of the Dragunsky - only about a kilogram;

5. Modernized “Colt – Navy”. Model 1861. Produced in 0.45 and 0.36 inch calibers. He began his military career during the Civil War and remained popular until World War II.

The rest of Colt's weapon "hits" were created by his followers after his death. And the “Peacemaker” revolver, and the “Tommy gun” assault rifle, famous from gangster “showdowns” during Prohibition, and the American “M-16” assault rifle, which is in service in more than 20 countries around the world.

By the way, it was in Colt’s shotguns that they first began to use a pump-action system for reloading a shotgun, in contrast to the “Winchester” system, in which the shotgun is reloaded with a special bracket near the trigger. Then Winchester tried to introduce it into their guns, but after experimenting, he refused. These two systems have long been the strongest competitors in the American weapons market. Colt won here too!

Today, the company founded in 1847 by Samuel Colt remains one of the world's leading manufacturers firearms. Its model line extends from miniature ladies' pistols to heavy army machine guns, shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft weapons and other "killer tools."

REX news agency expert comments on Putin’s article in the New York Times

Alexander Evsin

President Putin, in his article published in the New York Times, made a number of serious mistakes, indicating a lack of understanding of the events taking place in Syria, and a lack of understanding of the mentality of the American citizens to whom he addressed in his article.

Let's look at the thesis of the article and look at it through the eyes of an American. Simple, far from politics. Let's start from the end. How did Putin end his article?

Putin ended the article with the words: “God created us equal.”. Any American will smile skeptically at these words. Let me remind you that the USA is the homeland of very correct, and in modern conditions incredibly relevant saying:

God created people weak and strong. And Colonel Colt made them equal.

Perhaps no American citizen He won’t say that in an open conversation. But that's exactly what they think. And they think not without reason. Incl. and that is why ordinary citizens are allowed firearms in the United States. Therefore, Americans can talk as much as they want about morality and equality, but they themselves understand perfectly well that all this is based on the ability and ability to give a worthy answer. Therefore, despite the pathos, Putin’s statement will not find support in the hearts of Americans. Educated Americans will perceive this as hypocrisy, because the phrase “God created people equal” can only be adequately understood in the sense that people have equal rights. But natural capabilities are different (I hope there is no need to justify this?) and there must be a force that equalizes them - does not allow the strong to oppress the weak. Naturally, Americans see their country, the USA, as this force! This equality does not happen on its own... I don’t really understand how it was possible, even based on ordinary political technological considerations, to end the article so unsuccessfully... As usual, Putin’s PR does not shine. Siberian cranes, pikes, tiger cubs, walruses, State Department agents - this is their element. In serious matters - failure.

Putin tried to shame the Americans their eternal sense of exclusivity. And it would be nice to prove with reason that they are not exceptional at all. No...just shamed Obama for calling his people exceptional. What did Putin say? “I think it’s very dangerous to plant the idea of ​​their exclusivity in people’s heads, no matter what the motivation is.”. The reference is clear. To the Ubermensch and Untermensch. Those. Putin compared the United States to the Third Reich. But it’s so feeble that most Americans won’t even understand the hint... They are, by and large, not interested in anything other than their Oklahoma and the next baseball match and quite sincerely believe themselves to be exceptional (surprise!)... And the one who is interested , firmly knows that it was the United States that defeated Nazism. And then some totalitarian Putin begins to reproach the Americans for their exclusivity. “Who is he, this Putin anyway? He himself has been sitting at the head of Russia for the 14th year in a row, because he is exceptional, and he is beginning to teach us Americans about life” - this will be the line of thought. And in some ways I even agree with him. Thus, not just a failure, but also a minus. On the contrary, it was necessary to appeal to American exceptionalism. Moreover, it is so. You can argue about the +/- sign, but this is truly an exceptional country and people. However, so do we.

Link to the opinion of the Pope- this is a good move. Americans love God. Or rather, God loves America. But the USA is a Protestant country, so the link to the chapter Catholic Church will work very poorly and will not prompt the American to think hard. The Protestant ethic ultimately leads to the fact that everyone is an architect of their own happiness. If you screw up, it's your own fault. In relation to Assad, it will sound like it was no good to torment the people personally for so long. This will also apply to Putin. As a result, it failed again.

All these disadvantages are based on the foundation: Russia lost to the US in the Cold War. From an American point of view, Russia today is trying to limit the United States in spreading its only correct concept - democracy. Why? Because Russia does not like democracy. Because in Russia there is authoritarianism. And Putin himself is clear proof of this. He has been rowing galleys for 14 years. He’s tired, but for some reason he doesn’t want to give up his place. They cannot understand, sickly, that Mother Russia will perish without Putin. In short, Putin’s very personality gives rise to cognitive dissonance with such arguments.

Putin doesn't even seem to understand WHAT Americans feel about their country... I assure you, they feel their country is not just some big country, but a country... They feel like a union of states. This is directly implied by their name UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This is our governor of the Samara region - a puppet of the Kremlin. In the USA, a state is a very, very independent unit - it is actually a state within a state with its own laws, its own police, its own traditions. Therefore, Americans perceive the expansion of the United States on the world stage as an expansion of their idea of ​​democracy, and not as an attack of the Empire on adjacent territories. The Americans are naturally wrong, but this is how they feel it. And you need to appeal to their feelings when you try to talk to them.

But this is not enough. Putin not only cannot reach the hearts of Americans. He also falls into the wake of their worldview, thereby further weakening (from a logical standpoint) his already weak arguments against active position The United States in the international arena to defend democracy. And this is exactly how Americans perceive US activities. Because in line with the US worldview, their actions are CORRECT. It is possible to prove the wrongness of the US actions only by directing the reader’s thoughts in a different direction. Putin didn't do this.

For example, Putin wrote: “No one questions the use of chemical agents in Syria”. Yes? In fact, many question the fact of combat use chemical weapons. And there are reasons for this:

3. The use of counterfeits has been repeatedly recorded during, for example, the massacre in Libya. And also with the aim of creating a pretext for military assistance from the West.

All this allows us to conclude that Assad not only did not use chemical weapons against his population, but chemical weapons were not used at all. The maximum that happened was the spraying of a minimal dose (not capable of leading to death) of a toxic substance to take samples for examination.

Putin says: “However, there is every reason to believe that it was not the Syrian army that did this, but the opposition forces. The goal is to provoke the intervention of their powerful patrons from abroad, who in this case would, in fact, take the side of the fundamentalists.”

What does “believe” mean, Vladimir Vladimirovich? Not to assume, but to affirm! You believe one thing, and US experts believe another. Moreover, you “believe”, and American experts “affirm”. Who will Americans trust more? And even if they do believe it, then even in a debate no one will be able to refer to your opinion, because it is vague. And all this against the backdrop of the erroneous admission of the use of chemical weapons... And who are these “powerful patrons from abroad”? Who are you referring to?

You will say, but Putin really doesn’t know? That's exactly what he doesn't know. What does he say then? Why didn’t Russia first send its experts into the affected area, whom you can trust 100%. These questions are no longer asked by Americans, these questions are already arising for me!

In general, an unsuccessful, toothless article. Putin has already said the same thing. And this never stopped anyone, and could not stop anyone. Moreover, the entire article is permeated with a misunderstanding of the Americans’ point of view on the role of their country in history, as well as a clear dissonance between their persona and their highly moral statements. A PERSON who considers himself exceptional cannot deny exclusivity to other PEOPLES. And this is exactly how it looks for an American: The exceptional and unique Putin, who rules in Russia as he wants, does not allow the entire PEOPLE, who have reached the highest stage of development on Earth, to carry the banner of democracy.

It's unfortunate, but it's true. The maximum that Putin will achieve is the same thing he achieved with his Munich speech, that is, nothing.

So what will happen to Syria? In general, Putin already said this in his previous interview: “You know what, how do I know?”

At the same time, naturally, there are many people in the United States who are categorically against military action in Syria. And without any moralizing from Putin. But it’s the same as in Russia: many people understand that it’s high time for Putin to receive a well-deserved honorable pension, but the majority... the majority of Russians need a tsar-father. Bye. But the majority of Americans need the stars and stripes banner over the planet and the triumph of democracy... And for these Americans, Putin did not say anything valuable...

Plus, it turns out that the article in the NYT was pushed by the American PR agency Ketchum, which has been improving the image of Russia in the West for many years! Can you imagine, it turns out that they are the ones who are improving our image...

What about Syria? What will happen to her? In fact, the United States may refuse to launch a military strike on Syria. Maybe. But only for my own, deeply internal reasons. For example, Obama reveres Voltaire and is ashamed of his barbarity... Russia has objectively done nothing significant in this conflict, except for lamentations designed more for domestic consumption than for actually achieving results. People must think that we have risen from our knees. The publication in the New York Times is a powerful confirmation of this.

July 19, 1814 was born Samuel Colt(Samuel Colt). The legendary American engineer Samuel Colt is known as the inventor of the most famous individual small arms, named after him, and the proverb that says: “God made men great and small, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances.” This is where the mistake of most ordinary people lies, believing that Mr. Colt was a military designer and even worked for the government (like our national pride, Mikhail Kalashnikov).

Russia is threatened with weapons

In reality, the American army and police forces did not immediately receive the automatic pistol invented by Colt. For a long time Samuel was mistaken for an eccentric who invents things that no one needs, which seemed like toys to others. He would have been considered a city madman, but the guy was the son of the owner of a factory where fabrics were produced. However, the rich son did not grow up as a barchuk, but from the age of 9 he worked hard at his father’s enterprise, where he created his first four-barreled pistol, which fired four bullets simultaneously. A very heavy weapon with such strong recoil that when fired, it could cripple the shooter himself.

Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1814 in the town of Hartford (Connecticut). For his birthday, 4-year-old Samuel was given a bronze toy gun. The inquisitive kid stole a handful of gunpowder from his father’s hunting horn and the pistol exploded in his hands with a terrible roar, enveloping the child in clouds of black smoke. This was his first introduction to firearms, but far from the last experiment of the novice pyrotechnician. At the age of 15, Samuel entered Amhera University. Within the walls of his alma mater, the boy conducted an experiment with a sea mine, which turned into a loud explosion and an equally loud scandal. The student was expelled. The future creator of the legendary revolver hired himself as a sailor on the merchant ship Corvo. Watching the operation of a capstan - a mechanism in the form of a large drum for selecting anchor or mooring ropes with sockets for a stopper - he was struck by the idea of ​​​​replacing the gun lock with a rotating drum. They say that Colt assembled the first wooden model of his revolver on board the ship.

It must be admitted that the very idea of ​​​​using a drum for charging was not new, but it was Colt who was the first to think of combining the operation of the trigger mechanism with the rotation of this drum, which led to the appearance of a capsule revolver. The ingenious invention not only made its way, but its inventor had the same penetration power as his weapon. On February 25, 1836, 22-year-old Samuel Colt received a patent for his first revolver.

A year earlier, with the help of his businessman uncle, he opened the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. and weapons factory in Paterson, New Jersey. The first model of the 38 caliber revolver was named Colt Paterson. His 9 mm bullet from a distance of 20 yards (18.29 m) pierced 3 pine boards each one inch thick (762 mm). All five charges could be fired in 5 seconds, and the handle, carved from walnut wood, made the revolver easy to handle.

Even the famous Texas Rangers, who appreciated the advantages of a repeating revolver, could not save his father American pistol. A group of rangers led by Jack Hayes unexpectedly encountered Indians near the Pedernails River. Having brought a large group of horsemen within shooting range, the Texas boys fired several continuous volleys at them, which demoralized the Comanche attackers. After several similar episodes, when small groups of Rangers completely defeated large hordes of Redskins, Colt's revolver began to be proudly called "Texas".

However, the Colt product, which cost only $20, was sold in small quantities, and the US military department, having purchased 100 pieces for testing, refused to continue the deal, declaring this revolver “yesterday.” Five years later, the Patent Arms Manufacturing Co. plant was closed. There are only two thousand bucks left in the pocket of the self-taught engineer. Samuel Colt, commissioned American government, developed sea ​​mine with an electric fuse, together with his namesake Samuel Morse, he launched the production of underwater telephone cables. It’s not for nothing that it is said that to whom war belongs, to whom mother is dear! The war with Mexico showed the merits of the new weapon to the soldiers and officers of the US Army. In Texas, conquered by the Americans, Jack Hayes formed a regiment of rangers and ordered a thousand revolvers for them - two per brother! Another Texan, a certain Sam Walker, suggested that Colt make some changes to the design. Advice from an experienced soldier helped create a new revolver model Colt Walker.

Since 1847, by order of the government, it began industrial production this type of firearm. In 1848, near his native Hartford, Samuel Colt purchased a wasteland on which he built an arms factory, which is still in operation today. Colt's company "Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company" can be said to have armed all of America without a stretch. Already in the first year, the plant produced up to 150 "barrels" per day. The plant in Paterson switched to the production of expensive piece revolvers. The buyers of Colt's products were cowboys of the Wild Westerners and nouveau riche from the East Coast, terrorists, bandits and revolutionaries.Italian independence fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi sent a personal letter of gratitude to the inventor.

The governor of Connecticut awarded Colt the title of colonel because a famous and wealthy businessman (his fortune was estimated at $15 million) supported him in the elections. Samuel Colt died on January 10, 1862, at the age of 47, having survived the Crimean War, the American Civil War between North and South, and numerous skirmishes and conflicts in which his lead-spewing creation was one of the protagonists.

“God created people different. Colonel Colt evened their chances,” almost everyone who is at least slightly interested in US history, westerns or weapons knows variations of this American proverb.

So a brief description of The activities of Samuel Colt to a very small extent reflect the full scale and results of his work and do not at all concern the character traits of the industrialist himself. Meanwhile, he was a very controversial personality, and the Colt brand still produces products whose lethality is far ahead of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and McDonalds, taken locally... Not bad for a colonel who has never served a day in the army!

The first steps of industrialist Sam Colt

The first attempts of the young entrepreneur occurred at the beginning (first decades) of the 19th century. Samuel Colt can hardly be considered a full-fledged embodiment of the “American Dream” - he did not come from the lower social classes and, before achieving real success, he repeatedly borrowed considerable funds for the development and production of models from his industrialist father and relatives, and later married a representative of a wealthy family.

What cannot be taken away from Colt is that failures did not prevent him from moving on. The developed revolvers and rifles exploded, shooters had their fingers pinched by drums, Colt himself was often left without a penny and made a living by traveling around the country with a kit to demonstrate the properties of “laughing gas.” But the patents for the developed revolver mechanisms in Great Britain, France and the USA belonged to him and this was the main thing.

The entire history of the Colt brand is a story of litigation, not entirely transparent transactions, government contracts with the participation of well-motivated lobbyists and other, not entirely pleasant stories..

Success

During the American-Mexican War (1846 - 1848), Samuel Colt finally received a large order (for 1000 revolvers) for Texas volunteers and in 1848 was finally able to open another company - Colt's Patent Manufacturing Company in his “native” Hartford (Connecticut). The 50s saw the heyday of production.

In Hartford, construction was underway on production facilities, housing and cultural recreation facilities for workers, and the transport infrastructure of the Coltsville village for skilled migrants from Germany. Colt's wife spent a lot of money on charity...

At the same time, working conditions in production left much to be desired, women’s salaries were barely enough to survive, and to put pressure on his enemies, Colt did not hesitate to use administrative resources—friendship with political leaders and controlled newspaper publishers. By the way, the rank of “Colonel”, or rather Lieutenant Colonel, was awarded to him “out of friendship” by the then Governor of Connecticut, Thomas Seymour.

Colt considered himself to have the right to interfere in all spheres of workers’ lives—more than one left the plant for sympathizing with President Lincoln. However, when it broke out Civil War, this did not stop Colt from replenishing his income by supplying weapons to the northern army. He acted like a real businessman - during the war he supplied weapons to both sides.

In a word, Colonel Colt was neither bad nor good, a typical industrialist - a product of his time, in many ways even more liberal than his “colleagues”.

Weapons and other projects

One of the main advantages of the new weapon was not only its multiple charges, but also the interchangeability of parts - the quality of parts was then too low everywhere. Each one had to be adjusted by hand. Once at an exhibition in England, Colt disassembled ten samples, mixed spare parts and assembled ten working revolvers.

But only small arms his interests were not limited. Samuel Colt put a lot of effort into developing underwater mines and demonstrated them to representatives of the American leadership back in the 40s of the 19th century. Future US President and then politician John Quincy Adams rejected the project, calling it a dishonest means of warfare and an “un-Christian thing.” Atomic and vacuum bombs, napalm and poisonous gases appeared in American and world arsenals much later...

In the forties, Colt worked closely with Morse, supplying waterproof cables for his equipment.

The most funny story related to former Colt employee Rollin White. As you know, the first Colt revolvers did not use a “unitary” cartridge (with a bullet, case and primer all in one), instead the drum was reloaded each time through the front chamber holes. White proposed breech-loading through drums, Colt was critical of the idea, the relationship did not work out and former employee With a patent for an invention, he set off to seek his fortune around the world. Surely Colt and his heirs were tearing their hair out afterwards... This design is used in revolvers to this day.

White then sold the patent to Smith & Wesson. When the advantages of the new weapon became obvious to everyone, Colt's company had to wait years until the patent expired - the industrialist himself had long been dead. It got to the point of ridiculousness - Smith & Wesson bought Colt revolvers and drilled out the drums, after which they resold the weapons.

Death

Samuel Colt died in January 1864, almost a month before the disaster occurred - in February there was a big fire at the plant, in addition to equipment, documentation, drawings, etc. were damaged.

In the post-war period, starting in 1865, the Colt company was mainly involved in sewing and typewriters, bicycles, watches, etc.

Colt today

Now the company is going through difficult times best years- however, it has withstood periods of recessions and crises and is one of the leaders in the arms market.

Its historical credit includes such legends as Colt Walker, Colt Peacemaker, and the legendary M1911 pistol, to the creation of which John Browning himself was directly related.

Colt also produced the M4 automatic rifles, glorified in Hollywood films, the M16 and its “civilian” relative AR15 (although these models themselves were developed outside the company).

In 2002, Colt's Defense was spun off from Colt's Manufacturing Company. The first one now produces “civilian” weapons, the second one fulfills defense orders, makes weapons for the police, etc.

Now the company is owned by one of the scions of a family of Jewish bankers who have long been actively exploring financial markets - from the Middle East to New York. In 1992, Colt's Manufacturing Company was acquired by Zilkha & Company of New York City for a measly $12 million. And now the owner is constantly struggling - with losses, lawsuits, and anti-gun hysteria that has swept the United States after tragic shooting incidents. And even with gun fans - Colt is accused of a kind of “collaboration”, collusion with the anti-gun lobby and betrayal of the interests of customers.

Colt in Russia

Colt weapons are well known in Russia - revolvers and rifles were used by both sides back in Crimean War 1853 - 56, later weapons were purchased by the military and civilians. It is known that the production of “clones” of popular revolvers was established in Russia almost from the moment they appeared on official sale in America. Some are like honest “copies”, others are like outright fakes with appropriate inscriptions and logos.

In the revolutionary and post-revolutionary years, Colt products were also widely represented in the USSR - in the form of trophies of numerous wars, Lend-Lease samples and “grandfather’s stash”, carefully and illegally passed on from generation to generation.

Today, most Russians can purchase either non-working “replicas” and MMGs of Colt products, or pneumatic and airsoft analogues, or, at best, “civilian” long-barreled versions of weapons. Some people recommend visiting Abkhazia and Ossetia - they say that if you find a common language with the locals, you can “hold in your hands” samples of the Colt M16, received as trophies after the war with Georgia. There are also a number of copies that are still stored in Russian military warehouses and got there in different ways.

If there is no opportunity to have a real Colt, but you really want it, buy a folding or non-folding knife. Such products under the Colt brand are sold here quite legally to everyone.