The 2nd Generation Colts are the favorite of many, and for good reason. They are built as well as the 1st’s, and by the returning WWII soldiers. This one is especially attractive with the deep blue finish and gold accents.
The man was a class act, who was blessed with one hell of a voice. He was 87.
RIP & Thanks for the Memories!
Grumpy
Categories
An Early Xmas Gift for my Readers NSFW
Just Kidding with this Sign
Thanks again for all of your Support! I hope that you have a great Holidays Season!
Grumpy
Categories
WTF?
Any clues out there that you want to share?
Of course that was back when before Nixon took us off the Gold/ Silver Standard. As you could of gone to the bank and gotten US coin in either gold or silver.
Now the money is ugly and worth less & less every day. Because the Federal Government just prints or just adds some zeros to the National Debt.
Just another hidden tax that you did not know about!
Editor’s Note: The following is a post by Mark Kakkuri, a nationally published freelance writer who covers guns and gear, 2nd Amendment issues and the outdoors. His writing and photography have appeared in many firearms-related publications, including the USCCA’s Concealed Carry Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @markkakkuri.
Read Mark’s previous articles in this “Top Five” series:
- Top Five Reasons to Carry a Backup Gun
- Top Five Backup Guns
- Top Five Security Measures to Take While Traveling Unarmed
- Top Five Revolver Myths
- Top Five Types of Revolver Grips
If you’re a gun owner and haven’t been peppered by questions from others as to why you’re a gun owner, then you’re either very good at keeping your gun ownership under the radar or you live in a rural area with very few people to deal with.
We’ve all experienced our share of questions about guns — with corresponding attitudes ranging from subtle inferences about our sanity to genuine interest in learning more. I try to do my part by helping people learn and even changing antagonistic attitudes when I can. With that, here are the top five questions I get as a gun owner.
1. “Why Do You Need a Handgun/Rifle/Shotgun?”
Sometimes, rather than launching immediately into the rights recognized by the 2nd Amendment — which isn’t necessarily the point of the question, anyway — I start by reversing the question and saying something like this: “Thanks for asking! I am happy to discuss this with you but would like to ask you this: Do you own a fire extinguisher? If so, why?” That’s usually a useful enough contemplation to get them thinking in terms of having defensive tools on hand in the event of an emergency.
Eventually, I try to get the questioner to think in terms of who determines what my needs are, which, of course, is me and not the broader culture, the government, etc. Later, the conversation generally turns to the matter of individual rights, the reality of the world we live in, the inability for police to be in all places at all times and so on.
Sometimes, the question gets asked about a rifle or shotgun from a purely utilitarian perspective. Answering that I simply need the proper tool to hunt deer or waterfowl is often enough. As for the handgun, that usually gets us talking about personal defense and the associated reasons for concealed carry.
2. “So, Self-Defense… Does It Have to Be a Gun?” or “Why don’t you use a blunt force instrument such as …?”
Here, the conversation is progressing, but the questioner is showing his or her bias against guns, in particular, or perhaps his or her ignorance of self-defense techniques in general. I usually find it to be the latter.
Asking “Does it have to be a gun?” might suggest a classic “guns are evil” way of thinking. Typically, the person thinks that attackers using a weapon less than a gun deserve some kind of balanced response from you. A brief review of how weapons function and the proximity required in order for them to be effective usually serves to make the point that a gun is likely going to be the best self-defense weapon choice.
3. “Aren’t You Afraid of Someone Stealing Your Gun?”
This more practical or safety-minded question usually means the person with whom I’m talking has moved a bit toward my position and is now working through other issues related to gun safety. They might still be grasping at straws, trying to make a case against even owning a gun, but this one is easily handled.
Someone who is interested in stealing a gun realizes there is a gun to be stolen. Which means there’s an owner of the gun. Which means there’s likely a defense-minded person who knows how to use it. Which means this will not be an easy theft. Regardless, guns not in use are locked up in a gun safe and not easily stolen anyway.
You’ve seen those clever house signs that say things like, “This house guarded by shotgun three nights a week. You guess which three.” Or, “We don’t use 9-1-1, we use .357.” I don’t recommend such antagonism, but the point is clear: The owner takes his or her responsibility to defend this home very seriously. Violate the property or break-in at your own risk.
4. “Where Is It?” or “How Do You Secure Your Gun In Your Home?”
With these questions, I might be getting some buy-in to the efficacy of owning a firearm from the questioner. I don’t outright answer these questions but simply explain that guns should be safely stored and easily accessible.
There are logistical matters to address in terms of how some gun safes work, where to locate them and so forth, but the main point for the questioner to understand is that the firearm safety rules are always in effect. Often, I’ll explain to a questioner how I carry concealed, even at home, as this provides me with maximum control and accessibility to my gun.
5. “What Is It With Americans and Guns?”
Sometimes this is an antagonistic question. But, sometimes, a person realizes firearms are simply a part of the fabric of American life. With the presentation of a few simple statistics demonstrating how responsibly armed, law-abiding American citizens are not a problem but a solution to a problem, it’s just a short jump to discussing the history of the country and its Constitution.
If the questioner really wants to try to make a point about gun ownership being for the paranoid or some other abnormal worldview or way of thinking, I like to ask if the questioner knows any other gun owners and the extent of their conversations. Usually, there aren’t many — known gun owners or conversations — and the questioner sees how they’ve built a view of gun ownership based not on facts but on speculation.
So, what is it with Americans and guns? We recognize our right to self-defense, gun ownership and use, and our commitment to the 2nd Amendment as a protection for society to continue under principles of freedom.
TOP NEWS
Honolulu police tell legal marijuana users to turn in their firearms
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ASSOCIATED PRESS / 2015
In a letter to about 30 medical marijuana card holders on Oahu, the police said “you have 30 days upon receipt of this letter to voluntarily surrender your firearms.” The letter was signed by Susan Ballard, the new chief of police.
The Honolulu Police Department has told legal marijuana users who own guns that they must turn in their weapons within 30 days.
In a letter to about 30 medical marijuana card holders on Oahu, the police said “you have 30 days upon receipt of this letter to voluntarily surrender your firearms.”
Police have been sending the letters since at least January.
One letter was signed by Susan Ballard, the new chief of police, and dated Nov. 13.
“Your medical marijuana use disqualifies you from ownership of firearms and ammunition,” the letter said.
In the letter, Ballard cites Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 134-7 (a) as the reason for the move. That section reads: “No person who is a fugitive from justice or is a person prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law shall own, possess, or control any firearm or ammunition therefor.”
Categories
Colt Dragoon Revolver
Attachments area
Colt Dragoon Revolver
| Colt Dragoon Revolver | |
|---|---|
Third Model Dragoon, U.S. Cavalry issued
|
|
| Type | Revolver |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1848–60 |
| Used by | U.S. and primarily, civiliansalso produced in London Armoury circa 1851–55, Australia |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Samuel Colt |
| Designed | 1848 through 1850 |
| Manufacturer | Colt Firearms |
| Produced | c. 1848–1860 |
| No. built | about 18,500 in U.S.A. |
| Variants | Walker Transitions, First and Second Models |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4 lb 4 ounces (1.9 kg) |
| Length | 14.75 inches (375 mm) |
| Barrel length | 7.5 inches (190 mm) |
|
|
|
| Caliber | .44 ball, revolver (.454 in., dia.) |
| Action | single-action |
| Muzzle velocity | 850–1,100 feet per second depending on powder/projectile |
| Effective firing range | 80 yards |
| Feed system | six-round cylinder |
| Sights | blade front sight, hammer notch rear sight, some with sight mounted on rear of barrel for use with shoulder stock |
The Colt Model 1848 Percussion Army Revolver is a .44 caliber revolver designed by Samuel Colt for the U.S. Army’s Regiment of Mounted Rifles. The revolver was also issued to the Army’s “Dragoon” Regiments. This revolver was designed as a solution to numerous problems encountered with the Walker Colt. Although it was introduced after the Mexican-American War, it became popular among civilians during the 1850s and 1860s, and was also used during the American Civil War.
Contents
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Production[edit]
The Colt Dragoon Revolver was produced with several variations between 1848 and 1860, when the Colt Model 1860 revolver replaced it. All the improvements in design of Colt revolvers were applied to the Dragoons as well to the smaller models of Colt revolvers. Total production of Colt Dragoons including the 1,100 Walkers, from 1847 to 1860: 19,800; plus 750 Dragoons in a separate number range for the British market.[1] For collectors, there are three different types.
Whitneyville Hartford Dragoon Revolver[edit]
Between the Walker and the First model Dragoon, around 240 improved models were produced, barrel length 7 1/2 inch, cylinder 2 3/16 inch. Their general appearance was to that of the production Dragoon models. These were produced between late in 1847 and 1848, serial number range approximately 1100 (the last civilian Walker) through about 1340 (the first Dragoon First Model). These sometimes called “Transition Walker” revolvers were made in two frame variations, the earlier pattern was a Walker carry-over with a cut-out in the back to accommodate the round contour of the grips and the second was straight-backed. Another distinctive detail were the very slender “Slim Jim” grips.
First Model[edit]
The First Model Colt Dragoon Revolver has oval cylinder notches, a V-type mainspring, no wheel on the rear of the hammer, no pins between the nipples on the cylinder and a squareback trigger guard. Colt produced about 7,000 first models between 1848 and 1850.
Second Model[edit]
The Second Model has rectangular cylinder notches. Until the no. 10,000 the V-shaped mainspring was standard and then replaced with a flat leaf mainspring and a wheel on the hammer at its bearing on the mainspring. All the Second Model Dragoons have the squareback trigger guard. The company made about 2,550 Second Models in 1850 and ’51.
Third Model[edit]
The Third Model Dragoon numbers stand at ten-thousand from 1851 through 1860.[2] This design had more variations as compared to its earlier counterparts. Some of the third model Colt Dragoon Revolvers had frame cuts for detachable shoulder stocks, horizontal loading lever latches and folding leaf sights. Third Colt Dragoon Revolvers had a round trigger guard. Government records showed an order for 8,390 Dragoons.[1]
1848 Pocket Pistol[edit]
Other variants included the Colt “1848 Pocket Pistol” now known as the Baby Dragoon, marketed in California with success during the Gold Rush days. With the addition of a loading lever this evolved into the 1849 pocket revolver (see Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers).[1]
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Colt Model of 1848 Holster Pistol (First Model Dragoon), squareback trigger guard, oval-shaped Cylinder Stops] -
Colt Dragoon 1848 second model, squareback trigger guard -
Colt Dragoon 3rd Model, Colt Baby Dragoon 1848 with squareback trigger guard -
Dragoon bullets
Size[edit]
The Dragoon was produced because of the problems seen with the fielded Colt Walker revolvers, namely, the Walker’s heavy weight, four and a half pounds, making it suitable only for use as a saddle-mounted revolver, the Walker’s propensity for cylinders exploding on occasion when fired (due to the chambers being loaded with too much powder), and the Walker’s habit of dropping the loading lever upon discharge, locking up the revolver action in the middle of combat. The Colt Dragoon Revolver had a comparatively shorter cylinder (thus preventing overloading the cylinder) and held up to 50 grains of powder, whereas the Walker had used up to 60 grains of powder. The Dragoon Revolver had a shorter barrel at 7.5 inches (some later revolvers 8 inches) as compared to the 9 inches (230 mm) barrel on the Walker. A loading lever latch in front of the lever replaced the spring to keep the lever from dropping during recoil, thereby preventing jamming of the revolver. These variations made the Colt Dragoon Revolver 4 pounds two ounces. These changes also reduced the risks of the Colt Dragoon Revolver from exploding when fired, unlike the risk that had been demonstrated with the Walker revolvers.[1]
Popularity[edit]
In the troublesome events that led to the Civil War, Colt Dragoons became extremely popular. In the beginning Colt Dragoon Revolvers were issued for the U.S. Army’s Mounted Rifles. They were carried in pommel holsters on the saddle. The Colt Dragoon Revolver gained popularity among civilians in the Southwest where many had served in the Mexican-American War. The Dragoon became a master weapon for civilians who hailed it as a powerful weapon of the time.
Famous users included Joaquin Murietta, the California bandit, Charley Parkhurst, California teamster, James Douglas Byrd, Town Marshal, Watsonville, California, 1868, Tiburcio Vasquez, Californio bandit, Union general George B McClellan,[3] probably Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad, and fictionally Augustus McCrae, in the novel Lonesome Dove, Mattie Ross in the novel True Grit and in the 2010 film version (the 1969 film of that name had Mattie Ross using a Colt Walker revolver, though John Wayne‘s character Rooster referred to it as a Colt’s Dragoon[4]). Charley Parkhurst, while driving freight, was confronted by two bandits whom he dispatched with the Colt Holster Pistol. According to Harper’s Weekly, James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok arrived in Springfield, Missouri carrying a Dragoon though it is generally accepted that he used a Navy in his street duel with Davis Tutt.[5]
Present[edit]
Firing a brace of Dragoons
The Dragoon is now a collectible arm and sold for high prices.[1]
Non-firing replicas of the Colt 1848 Dragoon were manufactured at Denix in Spain. In 2005, a fire burned down the factory and destroyed the mold for the gun, which has since gone out of production. Denix has since reintroduced the non-firing model of the Colt 1848 Dragoon in Nickel.
Quality Replica Dragoons are currently produced by the Aldo Uberti Company of Brescia, Italy and distributed in the United States by Taylors, Inc.; Cimarron Firearms,and others.[6] They are quite accurate and potentially more powerful than the belt sized revolvers of the same bore diameter. Velocities with .451-457-inch round balls of approximately 141 grains over the full 50 grains of powder frequently show chronographed readings in the 1,000 to 1,100 foot per second range depending upon the powder used.[5]
A cartridge-converted Colt Walker instead of the Colt Dragoon in the book was used in the 1969 film True Grit, as the weapon carried by 14-year-old Mattie, possibly due to the Walker’s larger size. The Dragoon was used in the 2010 Coen Bros. movie as in the original book.
See also[edit]
- Colt Paterson
- Colt’s Manufacturing Company
- Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers
- Colt Walker
- Colt 1851 Navy Revolver
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Rick Sapp (2007). Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms. F+W Media, Inc. pp. 35–40. ISBN 978-0-89689-534-8.
- Jump up^ Wilson, R.L. “Colt, An American Legend.” New York-London:Artabras, A division of Abbeville Publishing Group 1985
- Jump up^ McClellan’s Colt Dragoon at the Smithsonian
- Jump up^ “True Grit (1969)”. Internet Movie Firearms Database. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Bates, Johnny, Cumpston, Mike (2005)Percussion Pistols and Revolvers, History, Performance and Practical use,Lincoln Nebraska, New York, London:iUniverse Publishers
- Jump up^ Dan Shideler (2010). Guns Illustrated: The Latest Guns, Specs & Prices. F+W Media, Inc,. p. 276. ISBN 978-1-4402-1392-2.
4. Flack, Jeremy Rifles and Pistols Florida:Sunburst Books, 1995.
- A History of the Colt Revolver from 1836 to 194