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Santa Clarita, Ca, United States
I work as a Technology Manager in the Entertainment Industry. My first film was Disney's Dinosaur and have been credited on several films since. I love working on old electronics, especially old radios. I am also passionate about technology and education. I have 4 kids and you can read about us on our family blog.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Common Civil War Pistols


Every year, SCVi Charter School has a Living History event where they re-enact a civil war battle  (See Facebook Event).  Here are some common civil war pistols that would have been carried into a battle of this type.  Civil War Officers carried many different kinds of revolvers. They types purchased by the Union U.S. Military are marked in the table with **.  Though, others were privately purchased.

Replicas of some of these will be at the event for further inspection. (Marked in table with ***)

Pistol
Description
Year Introduced
Shots
Caliber
Total Number Made
Typical Barrel Length
Colt "1851" Navy **  *** 36 caliber was standard for "Navy" model guns 1850 6 36 257,348 7.5 inches
Colt "Baby Dragoon" Pocket sized version of the earlier "Dragoon" pistol. 1848 5 31 15,000 3 -6 inches
Colt "1849" Pocket Although not issued by the military was often purchased by soldiers and carried into the conflict. 1850 5 31 336,000 3 -6 inches
Colt 1860 Army ** *** Standard side arm of the U.S. Army from 1860-1873 1860 6 44 200,500 (127,156 to the US Govt.) 8 inches
Colt 1861 Navy *** 36 caliber version of 1860 army with smaller grips. 1861 6 36 38,843 7.5 inches
Colt 1862 Police  Half fluted cylinder, round barrel, creeping style loading lever. 1861 5 36 28,000 4.5, 5,5, or 6.5 inches
Colt 1862 Pocket Navy Octagonal barrel, roll engraved cylinder (Stagecoach hold up scene), hinged loading lever. 1861 5 36 19,000 4.5, 5,5, or 6.5 inches
Remington "1858" New Model Army ** *** Supplemental issue to the  Colt 1860 until the 1864 Colt Fire where it became much more prevalent.  1861 6 44 122,000 8 Inches
Whitney Revolver ** The US Army acquired 10,587 of the revolvers between 1861 and 1864 and the US Navy purchased an additional 6,226 between 1863 and 1865.  1857 6 36 33,000 7 5/8 Inches
Star Model 1863 Revolver  ** Starr revolvers were the third-most popular handguns purchased for use by Federal military forces. About 25,000 were purchased under contract by the U.S. government.  The Starrs were the only American-made revolver produced during the Civil War that were available in both single- and double-action models. 1863 6 36 32,000 8 Inches

** Issued by Union Military to Officers.
*** Replicas will be at the event.

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