Colonel Colt made all men equal. Including creditors. Samuel Colt: biography and photo God created people different and the colt equalized

Wednesday, February 25 marks exactly 179 years of one of the most popular weapons in the history of mankind - the Colt revolver. Let's remember the story of one of the main symbols of America, about which there is a famous proverb: “God made people strong and weak. Colonel Colt evened the odds."

Samuel Colt with one of his revolvers.
Samuel Colt was born in 1814 in Kentucky to a farmer who moved to the city to do business. Samuel Colt's mother died of tuberculosis when he was six. Her father was an officer in the Continental Army fighting for the independence of the States from England, so it is not surprising that little Samuel's first toy was his grandfather's flintlock pistol.
Samuel received his primary education at a rural school, where he was introduced to the then popular scientific encyclopedia Compedium of Knowledge. Reading this book gave Samuel much more pleasure than getting to know the Bible. In particular, the future inventor was impressed by the articles on gunpowder and Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat.
At the age of 15, Sumuel starts working at his father's textile factory, where he gains access to tools, materials and the skills of workers. Taking an article from the same encyclopedia as an instruction, he designs his own galvanic cell. With it, he arranges a spectacular underwater explosion in the local pond on Independence Day, which impresses the townspeople.
Becoming then for some time a student of a boarding school, Samuel did nothing but entertain his classmates with pyrotechnics. One of these amusements caused a fire in the school, which meant the end of education for Samuel. After that, his father sends him to study sailing on the brig Corvo.
As the inventor later said, it was what he saw on the brig that inspired him to create his revolver. As a teenager, Colt overheard two soldiers talking about the success of the double-barreled rifle and the impossibility of building a pistol that could fire five or six times without reloading. Even then, Samuel decided that in the future he would certainly deal with this problem.
Colt was inspired by the helm of the ship on which he sailed. Whichever direction the captain chose, each of the helm spokes always formed a straight line with a special sleeve where it could be secured. This mechanism fixed the steering wheel in a certain place, regardless of its position.
Immediately on the ship, Colt assembles a model of his pepperbox revolver from scrap wood with an automatically rotating barrel, the idea of ​​​​which prompted him to fix the steering wheel mechanism.

Pepperbox revolvers looked like this
Pepperbox revolvers by this time were the latest fashion in small arms. They had several rotating barrels, this made it possible not to reload the weapon after each shot. But the rotation was usually carried out manually, which took a lot of time, in addition, the multi-barrel concept greatly affected the accuracy and reliability of the weapon.

The number of barrels for pepperbox revolvers reached 24, like this instance of the Belgian company Mariette.
Colt's innovation was that he came up with a reliable mechanism for automatically turning the barrels after each pull of the trigger so that they were fixed exactly against the bolt. This was the first step towards a single-barreled multi-shot revolver.
After returning to the US, Colt returns to work at his father's factory, but this time he is already doing his favorite thing - designing weapons. However, the easy life did not last long, soon the father ran out of money that he could invest in the production of his son, and he had to start earning on his own.
To do this, Colt chooses a very unusual way - he creates a mobile laboratory for the synthesis of laughing gas, with which he travels around America. But the inventor remains true to his dream and, after some time, having collected a small accumulated money, he decides to invest them in the production of the first revolver.
By this time, Colt had already abandoned the idea of ​​​​multi-barreled weapons in favor of a single barrel and a rotating drum. Borrowing another $300 from a friend of his father, Samuel hires a gunsmith to create the first copy of his revolver. This process took several years, and on February 25, 1836, Colt finally patented his invention in the United States under the name Colt Patterson, in honor of the city where the production of the revolver was located. In addition, he also receives a similar patent in the UK.

The next model, the Colt Dragoon, was designed to be fired from a horse. It was lighter than its predecessor, the design solved some of the problems faced by the owners of the Walker.

Next was a Colt Wells Fargo revolver, designed, apparently, for the Wells Fargo company, which was engaged in transportation. Oddly enough, but despite the coincidence of names, there is no evidence that the revolver really has anything to do with the transport company.

This model became especially popular among security guards, detectives and gold miners, who at that time were more than enough - the Gold Rush was in full swing. This revolver was distinguished by its small weight and size, which made it easy to hide it under clothing.
During the Civil War, one of the most popular types of small arms was the Colt Army revolver. It was the last model produced during the lifetime of Samuel Colt, who died in 1863.

The official cause of death was gout, although there were persistent rumors of poisoning. The fact is that during the Civil War, Colt, being a resident of the northern state, shamelessly sold 2,000 brand new revolvers to the Confederate army, which, of course, many did not like.
To justify Samuel, we can say that he did not fundamentally distinguish between buyers and always tried to sell his weapons to both sides of any conflict. For example, during his visit to Turkey, he assured Sultan Abdulmejid I that the Russians had been buying his revolvers for a long time, which persuaded him to a large-scale order. Colt's words were true, only he kept silent about the fact that he had previously said the same thing to the Russians about the Turks.

July 19, 1814 in the town of Hartford (Connecticut), was born a famous American engineer, gunsmith, inventor and industrialist, American legend, Samuel Colt ( Samuel Colt). He is best known as a reformer of revolving weapons: in 1835 he invented a capsule revolver, which quickly replaced other systems and gave impetus to the creation of revolvers for a unitary metal cartridge.

His father, Christopher Colt, who owned a fabric factory, was rich, but raised his heir in a Spartan way - Samuel worked at the family business from the age of 9. It was there that he created his first pistol - a four-barreled one that fired four bullets at the same time. His first creation was very heavy, and the recoil is so strong that it could cripple the shooter.

At the age of 15, Samuel enters Amher University, but he did not study for long. For a fire in the university building, Colt was expelled. He fled from his father's house to India. The future creator of the legendary revolver is hired as a sailor on the brig " Corvo", a merchant ship making voyages to India. Watching the device of the ship's steering wheel, an inquisitive young man decided to use a similar mechanism to create a multiply charged pistol and, on the way, made a wooden model of what later became known as a revolver. According to another version, the idea to replace the gun lock with a rotating drum came Sam was in the head when he watched the operation of the capstan - a mechanism for choosing anchor or mooring lines.Anyway, the author of this revolutionary engineering solution was Samuel Colt.

When he returned, he took a course in chemistry, lectured on it in the United States and Canada. It was not easy for a new invention to make its way. But the inventor was persistent. In 1835, Sam traveled to Europe and received English and French patents for his invention - a drum for revolver charges. Upon his return to the United States, he filed a patent application for a "drum pistol" (" revolving gun”), which he received on February 25, 1836 (subsequently received the number 9430X). This patent, as well as patent number 1304 of August 29, 1836, protected the basic principles of a weapon with a rotating breech, in combination with a firing mechanism, which became famous under the name "Colt Paterson".

A year earlier, with the help of an uncle who is a businessman, he opens a company for the production of revolvers " Patent Arms Manufacturing Co."and an arms factory in Paterson (New Jersey). That's why they called the first model of a revolver -" Colt-Paterson". But he soon acquired the nickname "Texas" for his popularity among the inhabitants of this state. Start of production in 1836. The five-shot, trigger mechanism of this model had a simple (single) action: the arrow before each shot had to be pulled back with a finger This is the first more or less reliable small arms repeating weapon.

Components of the Colt "Paterson":
Action cover - protective cover
Arbor-axle
Bolt - king pin
Bolt spring - kingpin spring
Breach - breech
Breach Screw - Trigger Assembly
Cylinder - drum
Frame - frame
Hammer - trigger
Hand - lever
Hand spring - lever spring
Main spring - main spring
Sear - whispered
Trigger - trigger
Trigger spring - trigger spring
Wedge - barrel lock
Inset: the position of the springs in the body of the assembled revolver

Combined tool for "Paterson": a ramrod lever, a key for removing brand pipes, a needle for cleaning the brand pipes from powder deposits, a screwdriver.

However, the Colt product was sold in very small quantities, rarely exceeding 100 pieces. The fact is that the American army refused to buy revolvers, declaring them "yesterday". Five years later the factory was closed and in 1842 " Patent Arms Manufacturing Co." turned out to be on the verge of bankruptcy. For 5 years in a row, revolvers were not produced and became a rarity.
Trying to find funds to restart the production of revolvers, Colt began experimenting with the creation of an underwater mine and soon developed a mine with an electric fuse, together with Samuel Morse, they launched the production of underwater telephone cables.

But in 1844, 2 years after the closure of the factory, an incident occurred that changed the attitude towards revolvers and apparently influenced the fate of Colt and his offspring. 15 Texas Rangers under the command of John Coffey Hayes faced the superior forces of the Comanche detachment (about 80 Indians). Armed with Colt Patersons, the Texans shot down half of the attackers, and the rest fled. So the revolvers demonstrated their advantage - with a single-shot weapon, this would not have been possible.

John Coffee Hays

Storm of Chapultepec. Lithograph A. Zh.-B. Baio after a drawing by C. Nebel, 1851

In 1846, the Mexican-American War began, and Hayes' colleague, Ranger Sam Walker, wished to equip his men with Colt revolvers, and went to New York in search of the inventor.

Samuel Hamilton Walker

Colt's weapons factory reopened only in 1847, when the American army was preparing for war with Mexico, the government urgently ordered Colt a thousand new, modified revolvers. as it turned out that it was impossible to find a copy previously produced by the company anywhere. This order was the beginning of Colt's well-being.

Under this government order, Colt and his companion Captain Walker are creating a new model of a revolver " Colt Walker". After the brand new revolvers entered service with the army, the name of Colt became known throughout America.

In 1852 he received a large government order for revolvers for naval officers.

Colt Navy (1851)

A small workshop in Whitneyvilles was replaced by a large one in Hartford. In the same year, Colt bought "South Meadows" - a wasteland near Hartford, and in 1855 built his own arms factory, equipped with the latest science and technology. Hence, huge volumes of revolvers were also annually sent to Russia and England.
He paid the workers well, set up a library for them and even an amateur theater in which he himself played.

Colt's company, which changed its name to "Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company", glorified Hartford, since all of America was armed with its products (already in the first year the plant produced up to 150 "trunks" per day). And its head, who received the rank of colonel from the governor of Connecticut (for his support in the elections), soon became one of the ten most successful industrialists in America.

Colt Army (1860)

In 1861, the Civil War broke out between North and South. The time of Colt, who supplied both his "native" Yankees and the Confederates with the same zeal. If the United States used 1,000 revolvers in the conflict with Mexico, now the bill went to tens of thousands of barrels. However, the man who gave the conflicting parties excellent weapons did not live to see the end of the war.

He died suddenly in his native Hartford, as the then newspapers wrote, "of natural causes" at the age of 47. The funeral was arranged at public expense. He left behind a fortune estimated at $15 million, which is about $300 million in today's money. His business was inherited by his widow, Elizabeth Hart Jarvis, and her family. Colt's company was taken over by a group of investors in 1901.

Today the company Colt remains one of the leading manufacturers of firearms. Among the hits of the brand are the army "long-liver", the Colt 1911 pistol of 45 caliber and the famous M16 assault rifle. Samuel Colt is a legend and symbol of the United States, and the word "colt" has become one of the synonyms for a revolver.

There is a well-known expression that reflects the significance of Samuel Colt's invention for the development of democracy in the United States: “God created people strong and weak. Samuel Colt made them equal." One of the variants of this phrase: "Abraham Lincoln gave people freedom, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances."

Colt Paterson (1836)

The first model of the Colt revolver. The five-shot, trigger mechanism of this model had a simple (single) action with a primer ignition system: the arrow before each shot had to be pulled back with a finger. This is the first more or less reliable small arms multi-shot weapon.

The frame of the revolver is open, single-action trigger mechanism. The trigger guard is missing, the trigger is hidden. When cocking the trigger, the trigger comes out of the frame groove. Sights are a front sight on the barrel and a rear sight made in the form of a slot on the trigger.

Colt Walker (1847)

Colt Walker 1847
It was named after the customer of a large batch of a thousand Colts of an improved design by Texas Ranger Captain S. Walker. Start of production in 1847, the first batch was made by order of the US Army, which then participated in the US-Mexican War. The Colt Walker is a six-shot .44 caliber revolver with an overall length of 390 mm, a barrel length of 230 mm and an improved trigger mechanism and trigger guard. It was the first Colt to be made from standard interchangeable parts. Clint Eastwood's favorite revolver.

Colt Model 1848 Percussion Army Revolver- revolver. 44 caliber, developed by Samuel Colt for mounted shooters of the American army ( U.S. Army's Mounted Rifles), also known as dragoons ( dragons). This revolver was developed as a solution to numerous problems encountered in the model walker. Although the revolver was introduced after the Mexican–American War, it became popular with civilians during the 1850s and 60s, and was also used during the American Civil War.

In the same year, Colt released the Navy Colt 1848 (the more popular was the 1851 model), in fact, a slightly reduced and slightly modernized copy of the Dragoon Colt. The barrel of a naval colt is usually slightly longer and octagonal in shape, while that of a dragoon barrel is round and shorter; The Navy Colt is slightly lighter than the Dragoon Colt; the dragoon has a slightly more massive rear part of the ramrod, unlike the naval one. And the differences from the previous Colt Walker were only that the Dragoon is lighter and it has a ramrod lock.

Colt Navy (1851)

Colt Navy 1851
The model was supposed to arm the officers of the Navy of the North American United States. It was essentially a smaller version of the "Dragoon Colt". On such revolvers one could find engraving in the marine theme. Interestingly, the naval colt did not have a front sight, they say there is no need to aim at the sea and on the ship. The Navy Colt is relatively lighter and smaller, although it still had a significant size. It is difficult to visually distinguish a naval colt from a dragoon one. Shot with .44 caliber bullets. The weapon was of considerable size. One of the most popular Colt revolvers in the 50s.
The revolver was very popular not only among military personnel at sea, but also among civilians on land. Wild Bill Hickok was armed with two of these 36 caliber revolvers.

Colt Army (1860)

1860 Colt Army
It was perhaps the most popular weapon in the Civil War. This revolver was loaded from the front of the drum with a ramrod, so that the shooters had to carry paper cartridges with them. In order to avoid a spontaneous shot, it was recommended to keep the drum chamber opposite the barrel empty. Reloading was carried out due to the sequential laying of charges, as, indeed, any other capsule weapon. The revolver replaced the third "Dragoon" Colt (Colt Dragoon). Its cost was about 13 dollars, which is more expensive than other revolvers of that time. Usually made single action, although there were alterations of this revolver into a "self-cocking".

Colt Model 1873, U.S. Artillery Model

Colt Single Action Army (Peacemaker) (1873)
The legendary revolver of the Wild West. The appearance has remained unchanged since 1873. Colt stopped its production twice, but resumed due to high demand and still produces. A six-shot Colt with a manual cocking, single-action trigger mechanism, although it could be fired quite quickly by cocking the hammer with the left hand. Despite the presence of six chambers, the pistol was usually loaded with five rounds - the chamber opposite the barrel was left empty to prevent involuntary firing of the weapon. It was chambered for more than 30 calibers, from 0.22 to 0.45, with various barrel lengths. Equipped with side rod ejector. It also has 2 other names: Colt single action army(abbreviated Colt SA) or Colt 1873. "Peacemaker" is just a "nickname for a revolver", because where it was used, peace quickly arose. It is considered one of the symbols of the "Wild West", as it was used by almost everyone, as well as the legendary man Wyatt Earp.

Wyatt Earp

Double action revolvers
Colt Detective Special (1927)
Full-frame carbon steel short-barreled six-shot revolver with a double-action trigger mechanism. As the name implies, weapons of this class are focused on concealed carrying and use mainly by police officers dressed in civilian clothes - detectives and intelligence officers. First introduced in 1927, the revolver was not like other types of concealed-carry small arms on the market at that time, which had a breaking frame and could fire low-power cartridges or were larger revolvers with a shortened barrel and handle.

Colt Cobra (1950)

Colt Cobra .38 Special first issue series

Start of production 1950. The design of the Colt Cobra revolver is based on the D-frame, the basis for the entire Detective Spec. family, but is made of a lighter aluminum alloy. The revolver, like the main Detective Spec., was made to fire a cartridge of .32 Colt NP, .38 Colt NP and .38 Spl., as well as .22LR. The .38Spl version was made in 2, 3, and 4-inch barrels, while the .22LR version only had a 3-inch barrel.
Since 1973 (the beginning of the production of the second Cobra series is associated with it), revolvers were produced only under the 38Spl cartridge, and an extractor rod case was added to the lower part of the revolver barrel. Production ceased in 1981.

Colt Python (1955)

A six-shot double-action revolver chambered in .357 Magnum, the Colt Python is one of the most beautiful and charismatic of American revolvers and handguns in general, as well as one of the most famous revolvers ever produced by Colt's manufacturing company. Reloading is carried out by tilting the drum to the left (the latch is located at the back of the frame). Sights consist of a front sight with a plastic insert of a bright color and a rear sight equipped with interchangeable plates with various slots. The rear sight can be adjusted in two planes with screws. The revolver is equipped with an automatic safety that will not allow the hammer to prick the firing pin until the trigger is fully pulled. Also, the features of this series of revolvers can be considered a "ventilated bar" above the barrel and an elongated casing of the extractor rod, which goes under the barrel to the very muzzle. Usually performed with wooden handle cheeks, with metal parts finished in the form of bluing or polishing for models of the standard range, "elite" models are chrome-plated and have cheeks made of fine wood.
Colt "Python" was the personal weapon of General Patton.

Colt Mk. III Trooper Lawman (1969)

Revolvers of the American company Colt mk. III was first produced in 1969, and represented a significant improvement over the earlier revolvers of this company, which have not changed much in design since the early 1900s. All revolvers of the mk. III had a double-action trigger mechanism and a 6-round drum reclining to the left.

Colt Anaconda (1990)

Revolver chambered for .44 Magnum or .45 Colt. with double action trigger mechanism. It was mass-produced in 1990-1999, to order until 2001. Mainly used for hunting and sport shooting.

Pistols
Colt M1900

Colt's first self-loading pistol. Like most of the company's other pistols, it was created by designer John Moses Browning. Caliber 9 mm (.38 ACP), development began in 1895, in production from 1900 until the beginning of 1903, a total of 4,274 units were made. It was tested in the US Army: in 1898 (even before the start of mass production), and in 1900. In both competitions, Colt's competitors were German Mauser C-96 and the Austrian Steyr-Mannlicher M1894, in comparison with which the M1900 showed slightly better results.
Used during the Philippine-American War.

Colt M1902 (1902)
Based on the results of tests and combat use, the M1900 was slightly modified: the magazine capacity increased by one round (from 7 to 8), and a slide lag appeared. The resulting model went into production from 1902, production ended in 1928, about 18,068 units were produced. There was also a sports version, the Model 1902 Sporting, which had a magazine capacity of the M1900 (7 rounds), and instead of a vertical notch at the rear of the bolt, there was a cross notch at the front. The M1902 Sporting was produced from 1902 to 1907, with a total of about 6,927 units.

Colt M1903 Pocket Hammer (1903)

M1903 appeared after the M1902 model, but was based on the M1900 design, differing from it only in a shorter length. Like the M1900, it had a 7-round magazine, and there was no slide delay. In order not to confuse it with another Colt model, which also had the M1903 index, it received the prefix “Pocket Hammer” (“pocket trigger”) in the name. The M1903 far outlived its "big brother" M1900, being in production until 1927.

Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless (1903)

This model is fully consistent with the one produced in Belgium Browning M1903, but differed from it in caliber and smaller dimensions. The cartridges used were 7.65 mm (.32 ACP) and 9 mm (.380 ACP). In production from 1903 to 1945, about 570,000 pieces in five slightly different variants. To distinguish it from the M1903 caliber .38 ACP, it had the prefix "Pocket Hammerless" ("pocket hammerless").

M1903 Pocket Hammerless was popular with US Army generals. In particular, they were owned by George Smith Patton, Dwight David Eisenhower, George Marshall and Omar Bradley.

Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket (1908)

Pocket pistol for self-defense, American equivalent of the Belgian Browning M1906. Produced from 1908 to 1948, only 420,705 units.

Colt M1911 (1909)

The 1911 Colt was designed by John Browning in 1909. During the First World War, he proved to be a reliable weapon of the officers of the American army. Soon the original version was revised and in 1926 the Colt M1911A1 appeared. This version turned out to be more reliable, and served in the US Army until Operation Desert Storm.

Colt Double Eagle (1990)

Colt Double Eagle It has a double action trigger mechanism. Produced since 1990. The design of this gun was entirely made of stainless steel. The pistol was produced in two versions: Commander (with a shortened barrel and bolt) and Officers Model (with a shortened barrel and bolt, and a reduced grip). Compared to its contemporaries, the Double Eagle was too heavy. Perhaps that is why it was not very popular, as a result of which its release was completely discontinued in 1997.

Before Colt

The design of drum-loading small arms has been around long before the Colt, at least since the 17th century. But its first samples were not widely used due to the complexity of production and high cost. Reliability also left much to be desired. The revolution in the production of rapid-fire weapons became possible only with the spread of primer lock and machine production. In 1836, Samuel Colt proposed his model.

Texas Choice

Colt received a U.S. patent on February 25, 1836, and set up production in Paterson, New Jersey, where he created his first masterpiece, the Colt Paterson revolver, also known as the Texas Colt, due to its popularity among the rangers of the Wild West. The first revolvers, as well as rifles and carbines of a similar design, were acquired by the armies of the United States and the Republic of Texas. The standardization of parts made this weapon affordable and could be purchased for $20. But he still had flaws, in particular, army customers complained about "too much ammunition consumption" - a consequence of the high rate of fire. The number of buyers decreased every year and in 1842 the company went bankrupt. The production of Colt revolvers resumed only in 1847. By this time, competitors had already appeared on the market for Samuel, with whom Colt entered into a difficult struggle for a buyer.

Caliber and marketing

Even before the bankruptcy, in 1842, a group of Russian officers visited the Paterson enterprise and got acquainted with the sensational weapon. So the first official acquaintance of Russians with Colt products took place. Already by 1854, small-scale production of Colt revolvers was launched in Russia at three state-owned factories: in Tula, Izhevsk and Helsingfors. The following models dominated: "saddle pistol" (Dragoon), "belt pistol" (Navi), "five-shot pocket pistol with a 6-inch barrel" (Pocket). They were recognized by the military department as fit and useful. Contrary to popular belief, in the Russian Empire they were already used during the Crimean War, but not everywhere, except perhaps the guards naval crew and officers of the rifle regiment of the imperial family. Colts were not issued to ordinary soldiers, believing that they could not cope. But, as you know, the results of the Crimean War showed that the modernization of the army is necessary. So, starting from the 1850s and until the first half of the 20th century, when the Smith-Wesson and Nagant revolver came into fashion, Colts were used everywhere.

Legendary "Peacemaker"

The symbol of the Wild West, the Colt Peacemaker revolver is still produced in small batches. The model was created in 1873 specifically for the American cavalry and was called the "Colt single action army" (Single Action Revolver). The weapon acquired the famous nickname later, thanks to the availability and ease of use of the revolver, even for untrained shooters. Together with the famous "Winchester", the "Peacemaker", which fired similar cartridges, is one of the attributes of the "typical" cowboy, whose image has come down to us in numerous "westerns". By the way, despite the fact that the revolver was six-shot, they preferred to load it with only five cartridges - the design did not provide for a fuse, so the cartridge in the drum opposite the barrel could already be fatal for the owner.

most famous phrase

"God made people different, but Colonel Colt made them equal." According to legend, this inscription is carved on the tombstone of the famous gunsmith. In fact, there is nothing on it except the name and dates of life. The witty phrase appeared during the American Civil War and sounded like: "Abraham Lincoln gave people freedom, and Colonel Colt equalized their chances." True, Colt did not serve in the US Army and was not a colonel. He died in 1862 at the age of 47, one of the richest and most famous people in the United States. His fortune was estimated at 15 million dollars, which corresponds to half a billion in modern money. During the Civil War, his firm was the exclusive supplier of the US Army, which did not prevent it from selling weapons to the Confederate troops.

Present day

In 1848, near his birthplace in Hartford, Colt built a gun factory that is still in operation today, one of the largest in the industry. And the restored enterprise in Paterson switched to the production of small-scale, personalized and piece models. Dozens of revolvers and pistols were produced under the Colt brand, including such famous models as the Colt 1911 pistol, which was in service with the US Army of the 20th century, and the Colt Detective Special compact revolver, the "star" of detectives and films of the genre " Noir". In 2006, Samuel Colt was inducted into the US Inventors Hall of Fame.

Samuel Colt made a huge contribution to world history and the history of firearms. Being, he achieved everything absolutely on his own, except for the intellect and entrepreneurial streak that he inherited genetically. For 47 years of his life, Colt managed a lot, went through a lot and left a lot behind. There is a well-known expression that characterizes his invention in the best possible way: "God created people different, strong and weak, and Samuel Colt made them equal."

The birth of passion

Colt Samuel was born in 1814 Hartford, in a quite prosperous aristocratic family, his father was a successful owner of a textile factory. For the fourth anniversary, the future "great equalizer" received a bronze toy pistol as a gift. This gift became fatal, awakening in the kid an unshakable love for weapons. The next day the boy had already obtained some gunpowder somewhere. And by a small explosion, the parents understood: this is forever, the passion for mechanisms and firearms cannot be suppressed in their child by anything.

Samuel Colt gushed not only with the desire to deal with weapons, but also with new ideas. So, at the age of 14, he had already designed a four-barreled pistol and made it at his father's factory. Tests of this model did not bring the expected results to the young gunsmith, but he did not stop there, continuing his path to creating the perfect weapon. As a result of one of the experiments, Colt met the mechanic Elisha Ruth, later this meeting will play an important role in his biography.

The formation of character

S. Colt, at the request of his father, was sent to study at a university in another city. Maybe this desire was due to fear for his factory (after all, Samuel constantly broke something and blew up), or maybe the man wanted the best for his son, so that he would get a good education. Be that as it may, he did not work out with his studies, since, having gained access to the university laboratory, he, of course, blew something up there.

Samuel spends the next stage of his life as a sailor on a merchant ship. There he did not just enjoy the delights of freedom and the sea wind in his face, but studied ship mechanisms. They inspired Colt to create the first locking drum, the basis of any revolver in existence today. S. Colt's innovation was also cylindrical bullets. He, despite the fact that his friends did not believe in the invention, patented it, insisting on his own.

First patent and firm

Samuel Colt invented the revolver and patented it in 1836 in America and in 1835 in France. A very important quality of this person was the ability to continue to go towards his dream under any circumstances. Only those who believed in themselves and their invention could achieve a patent. Thus, the belief in what he does has become the most important distinguishing quality of S. Colt, which has allowed his biography to now look like this and not otherwise.

A little later, Colt founded his arms company called Patent Arms Manufacturing in Paterson. Here appeared the Colt Paterson - the first revolver that was tested in combat. The company continued to exist until it went bankrupt.

Fateful meeting

Sometimes, in order for fate to show us a sharp turn, perseverance and diligence in work alone is not enough, and a meeting with a certain person is needed. That person in Colt's life was Samuel Walker, an officer in the Texas Ranger Corps. He tried it in a fight with the Indians and ordered a batch of a thousand pieces for the government. In 1846, Colt and Walker became colleagues, jointly releasing the latest model of the Colt-Walker revolver. It was at this time that the production of weapons under the leadership of Colt acquires an industrial scale.

Expenses

The newly established business required investments. Samuel Colt understood the urgent need to expand. And in 1852, he buys land in the outskirts of Hartford, spending a huge amount on it. But it was still necessary to build an arms factory on this land that would meet all the requirements for the production of ideal revolvers.

It took three years to build an ultra-modern, state-of-the-art plant, and the Colt company is still there today. Colt Samuel (inventor) made this investment of time and money, and for good reason. Subsequently, they all paid off. This speaks of his gift not only as an inventor, but also as a businessman and entrepreneur. Over 150 years, this factory has produced more than 30 million revolvers proudly bearing the Colt engraving.

Marked as "spam"

It would seem that the concept of spam appeared only after the advent of the Internet. In fact, Samuel Colt had already started doing something similar - sending out samples of his revolvers. He did good advertising for himself on tours with a popular science show with "laughing gas", he also traded in various inventions. Colt did not shun gifts: he personally presented beautifully and richly decorated copies of his revolvers to the heads of state, which caused grandiose bursts of orders. Samuel Colt, whose biography is rich and interesting, also paid people to write stories about his weapons.

Already at that time, he understood that the business needed to be moved, not only by making a quality product, but also by constantly telling people about it. And even if you pass for a spammer, they will find out about you and, perhaps, will be interested.

I will build my factory...

Colt's factory was strict. Although he himself didn't mind a drink or two, the workers had to be like glass. For being late, they were suspended from work, and the day at the plant began at 7 in the morning. In production, Colt was guided by some innovative principles.

Firstly, this is the principle of specialization: on one machine, the worker performed one operation, for example, cutting or drilling.

Secondly, the principle of interchangeability: to speed up production, weapon parts must be as versatile as possible. This made it possible to assemble a sample very quickly from any parts.

Thirdly, it is machine production. Of course, human resources were used (for example, Colt invited the same E. Ruth, who was then considered one of the best mechanics in the country, to work as a manager), but the main role in production was assigned to automatic machines.

All these principles were a big novelty at that time, so guests and journalists often came to the plant just to admire the “giant iron monsters”.

Elizabeth - beloved wife of the inventor

Samuel's wife Elizabeth was the daughter of a priest, born in Connecticut in October 1826. They met Samuel Colt in 1851 in Rhode Island and married 5 years later. They had four children, but all died, some earlier, some later. When Samuel died, the plant was inherited by Elizabeth. She managed not only not to ruin her husband's enterprise, but also to achieve his successful work.

The company exists to this day, continuing to produce a wide range of high-end firearms. Thus, Colt was destined to become successful only in work, leaving no heir, except for the Colt revolver.

Gone but not forgotten

Samuel Colt died from complications related to gout. He became, without exaggeration, a legend: myths and fables are composed about him, he is remembered, and his compatriots are proud of him. This man holds the rank of colonel, although he did not serve a day in the army, he got it for his services and help to the state. They escorted Samuel Colt on his last journey with the whole city, along with the governor, the mayor and the 12th Infantry Regiment. They saw off according to his life lived - with a grandiose volley from the guns he made.

• Samuel Colt, whose photo, or rather a portrait, you see in the article, visited Russia three times and even presented a beautiful revolver to Nicholas I.
• He was expelled from school for trying to show his friends fireworks.
• His name sounds in one of the episodes of the series "Supernatural".
• In 2006 he was inducted into the US Inventors Hall of Fame.
• S. Colt was self-taught.