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THE STORY ABOUT THE FIREARM Repeating sidearms were made practical by the invention of a percussion lock and primer in 1807 by Reverend John Alexander Forsyth. It didn't take long after the advent of the ultimate percussion ignition - the cap and ball system - and the introduction of practical repeating pistols for such sidearms to be used in the military. In 1836, during a campaign against the Seminole Indians in Florida, General Thomas S. Jessup purchased 50 of Colt's new eight-shot revolving rifles. At the same time a smaller, undetermined number of Model 1836 Paterson pistols (so named for the location of Colt’s first factory in Patterson, New Jersey) were sold to officers of Jessup's command. In 1839 the Navy Department ordered 180 of Colt'’s carbines and an equal number of pistols (evidently the 1839 version). Shortly afterward, Commodore Edward Ward Moore, commanding the Navy of the Republic of Texas, obtained some of the pistols from the U.S. Navy and later testified that they had proven their effectiveness and reliability both before and after the annexation of Texas: "I know some of these arms have been in constant use for nine years, and are still good," he commented. Jack Hayes, a famous soldier who helped to organize the first 75-man company of Texas Rangers, also obtained some Paterson Colts, or "Texas Navy" pistols as they were also known. He was credited with their most spectacular use in one of the frequent forays against hostile Comanches in 1839 and was reported to have led 15 men, armed with those pistols, against some 80 Indians. He and his Rangers routed the Indians, killing 42 of them. Years later, Colt presented Hayes with a finely engraved .36 Model 1851 Navy revolver to honor his deeds. Despite such exploits, conservative military leaders and ordnance officials remained cool to the new revolving pistols, and the Paterson factory was forced to shut down. In 1845, Texas joined the Union and General Zachary Taylor soon arrived at the Rio Grande with his army to defend the new American citizens. The following May, the United States declared war on Mexico, and shortly after the Battle of Palo Alto, Taylor evidently became convinced that a great advantage could be gained by arming his cavalry with large-caliber repeating pistols. A hero of the battle and Texas Ranger, Captain Sam Walker, was sent to Washington to discuss the idea with the War Department and to contact Sam Colt about designing a new model. Walker had acquired gunfighting experience with the Paterson Colts, and he was very persuasive. He submitted a written statement in which he declared: "I would rather face 1,000 of the Enemy with 250 men, armed with Colt Pistols, than with 1,000 men armed with the Weapons in ordinary use. The "Weapons in ordinary use" to which he referred were .54-caliber smoothbore single-shot pistols of the sort used by the Navy in the War of 1812. Such guns were still our martial sidearms in 1846. Walker helped to design the new gun, and Colt arranged with Eli Whitney, Jr. (the son of the inventor of the cotton gin) to manufacture it at his Whitneyville, Connecticut, factory. Two gunsmiths, Orison Blunt and Thomas Warner, also participated in the project. The result was the Model 1847 Whitneyville-Walker, also known in a slightly trimmed form as the first Colt Dragoon. ("Dragoon" was a word of French origin, denoting mounted soldiers who were traditionally armed with short carbines.) The 1839 hinged loading lever was redesigned for strength, speed of use, and durability and a slot was cut at the top of the recoil shield to increase the clearance between it and the nipples of the cylinder. This reduced the danger of jams caused by exploding caps. More importantly, the folding trigger was replaced by an exposed, rigid trigger within a square-backed guard. The folding trigger had been popped out of the gun’s frame for firing by cocking the hammer. The exposed trigger was stronger and it simplified the mechanism because pulling back the hammer of this single-action revolver now performed only two functions - turning the cylinder and cocking the gun. The grips were also reshaped and improved in construction. But the most important change involved caliber and capacity. The caliber was increased from .36 to .44 and the seven-groove, slow-twist rifling was designed to handle "elongated balls" - semiconical bullets which had begun to prove their superiority over the traditional round shape. Moreover, the cylinder was enlarged to hold six shots rather than five. Ordinance Department tests showed that the new .44 could penetrate seven one-inch boards, whereas the single-shot .54 then in military use penetrated only five. The chambers could each safely hold 50 grains of black powder, though the recommended charge was 35 to 40 grains behind a half-ounce bullet. It was indeed an awesome weapon: 15½ inches long and weighing 4½ pounds. It could not be concealed or quickly drawn, but it was designed for a saddle holster and it provided more power than any previous military sidearm, more and faster repeat shots, and greater accuracy. Captain Walker was killed in combat on October 9, 1847, after the new sidearms for his unit had been received in Vera Cruz but before they had been issued to the men. Historians, therefore, have concluded that at the time of his death he was armed only with a rifle and a saber. However, he owned a pair of the new revolvers - presentation Colts bearing serial numbers 1009 and 1010 - which were sent to Walker's family from Mexico after he was killed. It seems likely that he had them in their holsters or perhaps had one of them in hand when he died in battle. The Walker was only made for one year and only 1,100 were made. Less than 200 originals are known to exist today. It remained the most powerful pistol for 90 years until the magnum pistol was introduced. We at Walker '47
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