Before Samuel Colt popularized the mechanical connection between the revolver hammer and cylinder, the revolvers being made were manually operated. This example is a copy of a third type Collier (that is to say, a gun made originally for percussion caps). After firing, one pulls the cylinder back against a spring and rotates to the next chamber. A shield at the front of the cylinder protects the chambers, and the cylinder mouth is chamfered to seal into the barrel, preventing most of the gas leakage at the cylinder gap. This beautiful ornate example was made by Salvatore Mazza of Naples (the official armorer of the Prince of Sicily, he would like you to know!), most likely in the 1820s.
Bolt Action Rifles
Vintage Saturday: Colonial
Italy issued a small number of M95 carbine (still in 8x50R) after WWI. Note the Fiat-Revelli M1914 water-cooled machine gun behind him…
Submachine Guns
Berettas With Bayonets: The Very Early Model 38A SMG
The initial model of the Beretta 38A had a number of features that were dropped rather quickly once wartime production became a priority. Specifically, they included a lockout safety switch for just the rear full-auto […]
Uncategorized
Gordon Ingram’s Westarm .308 Battle Rifle
In the late 1970s and early 80s, Gordon Ingram came close to producing a military rifle in one of the most convoluted international arrangements I’ve yet heard of. Prototypes were made in Italy using British […]
The ramrod seems just a little shorter than I would expect for seating the bullet within the chamber.
I thought the same thing. It appears the rod would only get the ball down to the end of the barrel. That would be a good reason for the enhanced chamber seal if the cylinders only hold the powder charge.
Ironically, this allows a higher hold relative to the bore axis than the “advanced” MTR-8.
Ian said in his earlier Collier video, “The hammer is cocked which means I can pull the cylinder back and rotate it.”
Strongarm added, “Falling hammer should activate a block for the cylinder not to move backward during firing.”
“Certainly he [Collier] was aware of the problem with the barrel-to-cylinder gap, because he engineered a system that reminds us of the later Nagant revolver. He managed to seal off the rear end of the barrel where it joined the cylinder and therefore didn’t have that ring of fire when he capped one off.” Collier & Colt: The Origins of the Revolver, by Wiley Clapp, 9/26/20 American Rifleman.
Maybe the stiff cocking force is because there is a cylinder locking mechanism that engages as the hammer drops.
Korean subtitles???
That plate in front of the cylinder is likely to keep the firing cylinder from flashing over to the others.