COLT’S MODEL 1878

Revolver of many names, it was Colt’s first double action

By GARY PAUL JOHNSTON

Although Samuel Colt had disdain for the double-action revolver, by 1873, Colt’s Vice President General William B. Franklin was well on his way to producing one with the help of Frederick von Oppen, formerly of Colt’s Liege Agency in Belgium and Colt’s London Agency by 1873. Von Oppen had much knowledge of the “self cocking” revolvers popular in England and sent three variations to Franklin by 1874—an Adams, a Webley Irish Constabulary model and a Tranter revolver, all double action. For years, there was an enormous back and forth between Oppen, Franklin and other Colt personnel over the features a Colt double-action revolver should have, what caliber(s) it should debut in, whether or not the gun should eject the empty casings all together, and even if Colt should even build…

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Guns of the Old West (Digital) - 1 Issue, Winter 2024

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