Colt Revolving Rifle proves its worth!

leftyhunter

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
los angeles ca
Between April 20 to the 23rd 1862 the superior fire power of the Colt revolving rifle enables the 146 men of the 1st Mo Cavalry USV to keep hundred of CSA irregulars at bay and capture 30 of them. The 1st Mo Cav also used artilery in a later action one of the few examples of Union forces using cannon against guerrillas. perhaps if the Union had equipped the MSM and USV cavalry with repeating rifles the Union could have quelled the insurgency in Mo faster with less loss of men,
Per page 80 and 81 "Guerrilla Warfare in Missouri 1862" by Bruce Nichols McFarland
Leftyhunter
 
Yeah, you got 6 shots, but took forever to reload.
True but it was a dam sight better then what the MSM was issued which was often the Lorenz. I have to conclude that the MSM was considered something of a bastard step child to the Union Army. The MSM had to fights hardened bushwacker in an often no prisoner conflict and they really could of used the superior Henry or Spencer rifles but no such luck and that go's for the regular cavalry units that rotated into Mo and Northern Ar.

A real tough bunch of hard core guerrilla hunters was the 1st Ia cavalry they actually killed bushwackers with just revolvers and swords. You could not pay me enough to go back in a time machine and be one of them.
Leftyhunter
 
The MSM per Wiki and "Guerrilla Hunters of the Civil War" plus Nickols book where armed with all kinds of weapons often one regiment carried at leas two or more kinds of rifles and shotguns. It was truely a logistical nightmare. At least for thre most part the USV cavalry units tended to carry just one kind of breach loading carbine and one kind of revolver so ammo logistics where simplified. Some troopers in MSM units where issued Colt revolving rifles but not all troopers in a particular unit where issued them.
Guerrillas preferred to carry has many revolvers has they could and many carried carbines or shotguns has well. Guerrillas almost always fought on horseback vs one MSM regiment was light infantry and sometimes USV infantry units where used in Mo to fight the bushwackers. Mo civilian militia ( the MSM was federally funded and entitled to pensions vs the Enrolled Militia of Mo which was not) often fought on foot with their personal firearms.
Leftyhunter
 
Yeah, you got 6 shots, but took forever to reload.
Not really, faster than a revolver and not much slower than a rifle musket. There is no need to run a ramrod down the barrel and there was no tearing of the cartidge w/ your teeth. The whole cartridge was placed ni the cylinder then rammed home w/ one quick action, rotate the cylinder and repeat. Capping was not much more difficult.
 
Chain fires were much more of an issue on the rifle than on the revolver due to the hand out front steadying the rifle.
 
Chain fires were much more of an issue on the rifle than on the revolver due to the hand out front steadying the rifle.
They were said to be an issue, I've never once found an individual listed as injured in such. If you have a name I'd love to see it.

The Colt Revolving rifle gets a lot of flak, lot of it came from Berdans men who had been promised new M1859 Sharps Rifles and they didn't come about as promised instead being issued Colts. While Berdan's men hated them when the same exact arms were reissued to the 21st Ohio they were loved. The Revolving rifle had a good reputation pre and even post war w/ many being used as shotguns to good effect.

I've had the opportunity to handle several over the years and wouldn't mind being able to afford one. I've spoken to several who own and fire them, one who continues to regularly bring down deer w/ his (an 1860 manufactured) and he swears by it.
 
Between April 20 to the 23rd 1862 the superior fire power of the Colt revolving rifle enables the 146 men of the 1st Mo Cavalry USV to keep hundred of CSA irregulars at bay and capture 30 of them. The 1st Mo Cav also used artilery in a later action one of the few examples of Union forces using cannon against guerrillas. perhaps if the Union had equipped the MSM and USV cavalry with repeating rifles the Union could have quelled the insurgency in Mo faster with less loss of men,
Per page 80 and 81 "Guerrilla Warfare in Missouri 1862" by Bruce Nichols McFarland
Leftyhunter
@major bill
These guys liked tho Colt Revolving Rifle. No doubt the latter Spencer and Henry rifles were superior and came out just a few years later then the Colt. By 1860 it could be argued that the Colt Revolving Rifle was obsolete but better then a breach loader.
Leftyhunter
 
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