{"id":272748,"date":"2022-08-03T07:00:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=272748"},"modified":"2025-04-10T14:22:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T19:22:34","slug":"revolver-history-where-wheelguns-came-from","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/revolver-history-where-wheelguns-came-from\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolver History: Where Wheelguns Came From"},"content":{"rendered":"

Revolvers weren\u2019t the first handgun to exist\u2014there were matchlocks, flintlocks, hand cannons, and more that came first\u2014but they\u2019re often seen as the pioneering firearms of the pistol world. Just as commonly, revolvers are considered to be the purview of Samuel Colt, and although he certainly played a major role in their development, there\u2019s more to the revolver world than Colts. How much do you know about revolver history? Keep reading to find out.<\/p>\n

\"An
An early sketch of a Colt revolver. (Photo credit: Hulton Archives)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is a revolver?<\/h2>\n

This might seem like a basic question, but it\u2019s one worth touching on. A revolver is a repeating gun with a rotating cylinder. For each pull of the trigger, a single shot fires, and the cylinder rotates to the next chamber, aligning with the barrel. The chamber of a revolver is like the chamber on a semi-automatic, except its part of the cylinder, and each revolver has multiple chambers. The capacity of those guns depends on the specific model but is typically around five or six rounds, meaning there are five or six chambers in the gun\u2019s cylinder.<\/p>\n

\"An
An original Colt revolver, shown with all the accessories it was sold with. (Photo credit: WDR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What was the first revolver?<\/h2>\n

The first revolver to be patented and recognized as a functional firearm was the Colt Paterson. It was patented by Samuel Colt in 1836, had six chambers, and allowed greater capacity without reloading than any gun before its invention. That\u2019s the gun typically referred to as the very first revolver. However, there were other steps along the way.<\/p>\n

In 1718, James Puckle patented a firearm with a revolving cylinder, but it was a machine gun, not a handheld revolver. It did have that tell-tale rotating cylinder, meaning it was one of many pieces of the puzzle that had to fall into place to come up with the Colt revolver more than a century later.<\/p>\n

\"James
James Puckle invented a large gun with a rotating cylinder that ended up being the predecessor to the Gatling Gun. (Photo credit: Blade City)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then there was the black powder flintlock with a revolving cylinder that was invented in 1818 by Elisha Collier. That wasn\u2019t a terribly effective firearm, but again, it was another step.<\/p>\n

\"Elisha
Elisha Collier’s black powder flintlock attempt at creating a revolver took place in 1818. (Photo credit: American History)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the time Samuel Colt began working on his revolver design, which is basically the design modern guns work from, a lot of people had inched the possibility along. Firearms history has rarely happened in dramatic leaps and bounds but instead takes place as a series of events that leads to a fantastic \u201caha!\u201d moment.<\/p>\n

\"original
As you can see, the original Colt Paterson did not have a trigger guard. (Photo credit: American History)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to History.com, Colt\u2019s idea for his first famous gun occurred while on a ship, the Corvo<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Aboard the Corvo<\/em>, Colt became fascinated with the ship\u2019s wheel, particularly the way it could alternately spin or be locked in a fixed position through the use of a clutch. He translated this controlled rotation to firearms and a means whereby a single-shot pistol could be adapted to fire multiple rounds in quick succession. During his time at sea, Colt carved a six-barrel cylinder, locking pin and hammer out of wood. Although this prototype for a pistol featured multiple rotating barrels, in later versions Colt would opt instead for a rotating cylinder containing multiple bullet chambers to reduce the gun\u2019s weight and bulk.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What ammo did the first revolvers use?<\/h2>\n

The question of what type of ammunition was used by early revolvers is a good one because ammo has certainly evolved over the years. At the time when Samuel Colt patented his first revolver, the guns were cap-and-ball.<\/p>\n

\"An
An example of the material and steps required to load a cap and ball revolver. (Photo credit: inetres.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There weren\u2019t enclosed cartridges in use yet\u2014that wouldn\u2019t happen for almost two more decades\u2014but even so, the cap-and-ball was considered modern (and it was definitely an improvement over earlier attempts at effective ammo).<\/p>\n

Loading a cap-ball-revolver was a process in and of itself. So although it was a huge feat that Colt invented a functional firearm with multiple chambers and a self-rotating cylinder, getting those chambers loaded did take some time. It involved pouring the correct amount of gunpowder into the chambers, followed by the wad, then the ball\u2014the bullet\u2014and, finally, a percussion cap. This was certainly faster than the old single-shot cap-and-ball guns and it did make an enormous difference in battle, but the loading process was still slow.<\/p>\n

\"A
A visual example of loading the chambers of a cap and ball revolver. (Photo credit: Western Fictioneer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who invented the double-action revolver?<\/h2>\n

The man behind the double-action wasn\u2019t Samuel Colt but an Englishman named Robert Adams.<\/p>\n

\"An
An example of one of Robert Adams’ engraved double-action percussion revolvers. (Photo credit: iCollector.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although Adams\u2019 invention did a lot to speed the firing process, it was a little ahead of its time due largely to the poor quality of small parts. After all, the double-action was created in 1851, and it would be some time before manufacturing improved enough to keep up with the advances in firearms technology.<\/p>\n

Why is a revolver called a wheel gun?<\/h2>\n
\"Colt
The Colt Python is a great example of a modern revolver. (Photo credit: Midway)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Revolvers have picked up a few nicknames over time, including \u201cwheel gun\u201d and \u201csix-gun\/six-shooter.\u201d While it\u2019s clear where those names came from\u2014the revolving \u201cwheel\u201d that is the cylinder, and the then-standard six-shot capacity\u2014there\u2019s no one clear story about who started it. Theories and rumors abound, of course. So, is a revolver a wheel gun? The term is a colloquialism and while it isn\u2019t technically wrong, it\u2019s also not precisely correct. Whether or not you enjoy calling revolvers wheel guns is a matter of personal preference.<\/p>\n

\"Korth
A Korth revolver available through Nighthawk Custom. There really is a revolver out there for everyone. (Photo credit: Nighthawk Custom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Should you get a revolver?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s absolutely a fantastic idea to have at least one revolver in your gun collection. Having one makes you a well-rounded shooter capable of running multiple platforms, and the skills you pick up running a revolver translate to other guns. As time has gone by, an increasing number of gun owners have ignored the revolver, which is too bad considering what a solid option it is for all shooters. Today’s guns are offered in everything from 22 LR to 38 Special<\/a> to 454 Casull, so there are plenty of options. Whether you want a revolver for self-defense, hunting, or fun, there’s one out there that will suit your needs.<\/p>\n

Do you have a revolver? What model and caliber? Tell us about it in the comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever wondered how the revolver got its start? There’s more to them than Samuel Colt and Dirty Harry. Check out our history of revolvers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":272751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2622],"tags":[2084],"class_list":["post-272748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-firearms-history","tag-wheelgun-wednesday"],"small_media_thumbnail":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/revolver-colt-dragoon-300x225.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272748"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":441353,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272748\/revisions\/441353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}