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February 25, 2021
Today in Texas history
Samuel Colt patents revolver used by Texas Navy and Texas Rangers - the "Gun that Won the West”
By Bandera Spirits of Texas
On Feb. 25, 1836, Samuel Colt, of Hartford, Connecticut, patented the Colt revolver (called the Colt Paterson because it was produced in Paterson, New Jersey). This invention, along with windmills and barbed wire, brought order to the Great Plains.
It was eventually produced in numerous models, the most famous being that of 1871. In 1839 the Republic of Texas ordered 180 of the .36 caliber holster models for the Texas Navy.
The Texas Rangers gave the Colt revolver its reputation as a weapon ideally suited for mounted combat. Frederick Law Olmsted remarked, "there were probably as many revolvers in Texas as there were males."
It was eventually produced in numerous models, the most famous being that of 1871. In 1839 the Republic of Texas ordered 180 of the .36 caliber holster models for the Texas Navy.
The Texas Rangers gave the Colt revolver its reputation as a weapon ideally suited for mounted combat. Frederick Law Olmsted remarked, "there were probably as many revolvers in Texas as there were males."