Colt Model 1839

History of the Colt Model 1839

The revolver mechanism was widely used in firearms throughout the 18th century, with gun manufacturers such as Samuel Colt (1814-1862) named. Colt patented the gun in 1836 and founded his gun company shortly after to mass-produce new pistols based on the concept.

A carbine model was introduced in 1839 as the "Model 1839", which retained the basic principles of the revolver - except for the use of a longer barrel (for long-range shooting), special ammunition, and the use of a shoulder rest for added support.

The weapon is a .525, uses a single-acting (SA) ignition system, and is fed/fired from a six-round rotary cylinder located within the frame. All other aspects of the weapon are modern - including the aforementioned wooden stock, extended barrel and trigger assembly. The sights are iron, and the hammer, as usual, protrudes from the rear of the frame for the shooter to manually operate between shots.

The interior of the barrel was smoothed, reducing range accuracy - although the weapon's carbine classification meant the long gun was more portable than typical rifles of the time.

Despite its seemingly obvious value, less than 1,000 of the Model 1839 carbine were completed before completion, for a total production of about 950. Manufactured under the brand label of the Colt Patent Arms Manufacturing Company and took place between 1839 and 1841.

The limited availability of this design was mainly due to the higher acquisition cost per unit compared to other designs of the time. The main customers are the U.S. military and the Texas Army and Navy services, but even then they have been acquired by these parties in limited numbers.

In addition, there were problems with the overall, long-term design of the cylinders used in the artillery, which could result in "chained" firing of loaded cylinders due to defects developed over time.

A prominent branch of the Model 1839 series became the 16-gauge shotgun shape. It retains the same single-action (SA) firing rotary cylinder mechanism, but lacks the carbine's reload lever (located on the right side of the fuselage for better access to the cylinder head).

The barrel length of this model can vary between 24" and 32" mounts depending on customer preference, the swivel barrel is of course longer (3.5") to accommodate shotgun ammo. About 250 examples of this weapon were made from 1839 to 1841.

Despite commercial failures, the Model 1839 served for some time during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Wild West period (1783-1920).

Specification

Base

Year of Service

1839

Origins

United States

Categories

Rotary Carbine/Shotgun

Manufacturer

Proprietary Arms Manufacturing Company (Colt) - United States

Carrier

United States

Roll

Pistol/Pistol

Compact design for close work or general self-defense.

Close support

Use at very close range; ditch cleaning; door breaker; safety.

Dimensions and Weight

Overall Length

1,100 mm

43. 31 inches

Barrel length

810mm

31. 89 inches

Cured weight

10.58 lbs

4.80 kg

Attractions

Before and after ironing.

Action

Single Action (SA); Rotating Cylinder

Cartridges and Paper Feeds

Caliber*

. 525 (carbine); 16 caliber (shotgun)

Circle/Feed

6-wheel rotary cylinder

PERFORMANCE

Rate-of-Fire

12

rds/min

VARIANTS

Model 1839 Carbine - Base Series Designation. Model 1839 Shotgun - Shotgun form with Damascus barrel assembly; 16-gauge chambering; sans loading lever of Carbine form.