Colt revolver how does it work

See more gun pictures. Cite This! Print Citation. Try Our Crossword Puzzle! What Is the Missing Number? Try Our Sudoku Puzzles! Everything fits together so well that the guns very rarely jam. And since they are made with a relatively small number of parts, they are relatively inexpensive to manufacture. For the home defender and criminals alike, it is an ideal, affordable weapon. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close.

Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev NEXT. The trigger lever pushes the hammer backward. As it moves backward, the hammer compresses a metal spring in the gun stock the handle. The diagram above shows a coiled spring; uncoiled tension springs are also used in revolvers.

At the same time, a pawl attached to the trigger pushes on a ratchet to rotate the cylinder. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Getty Images. The Predecessors To trace the story of the Colt 45, you have to go back 45 years before the O. Must Read. George S. Patton with a trusty Colt at his side in National Archives and Records Administration. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

NERF amazon. Nerf N-Strike Elite Retaliator. NERF Elite 2. Stick 'Em Up! John Wayne holding a Colt in Born to the West, Guns Through the Years.

Matthew Moss Matthew Moss is a British historian and writer specializing in small arms development, military history and current defence matters. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. More From Pop Mech Pro. At the end of the travel, the hammer is latched by the trigger sear and held ready for firing.

When the trigger is fully depressed, the hammer unlatches from the trigger sear and is propelled forward by the hammer spring. This energy is transmitted to the firing pin, which strikes the primer of the cartridge, firing the weapon. This sequence of firing is called single action.

With the advent of the double action design, a connection bar was used to allow the trigger to rotate the cylinder, cock the hammer, and complete the firing in one motion. This design promoted an increase in rate of firepower and simplified the draw and fire situation. Most modern revolvers are of the double action design.

After firing, the shooter releases the trigger. The trigger spring then returns the trigger to the forward position and forces the hand and latch to retract within the frame in preparation for the next shot. Once the cartridges have been fired, the cylinder latch on the side of the frame is pressed, disengaging the cylinder pin from the frame.

This allows the entire assembly to swing out of the frame on the crane for reloading. The extractor shaft is pressed, lifting the cartridge cases out of their chambers, after which the cylinder spring returns the extractor to the cylinder.

Live cartridges are again loaded and the cylinder is then simply pushed back into the frame, where the cylinder pin spring latches it back into place. With the exception of the grips, which may be wood or plastic, nearly all components of the revolver are metal.

Steel was the primary metal until changes in its availability and advances in other metals rendered them more desirable. For example, during the s, the disruption in the steel supply caused by the Civil War led to the use of brass for revolver frames.

During World War II, the need for a lightweight weapon for use by aircraft crews brought about the use of a aluminum alloy frame. The stainless steel frame and barrel soon followed, improving corrosion resistance and reducing maintenance. After assembly and fine tuning, the weapon is dry fired without ammunition and checked for function before being sent to the firing line for proof firing. The first phase of the proof firing process entails inspecting and recording the gun's trigger weighting, sights, and cylinder spacing.

Next, the gun is loaded with special ammunition and fired. Industry standards dictate the types and relative power of the proofing cartridges. They are typically heavier charged than the service cartridge, assuring that any weakness in the gun will be detected before it is placed into service. The gun is then packaged and shipped to law enforcement agencies, military contractors, and federally licensed weapons dealers. From the manufacturing standpoint, the handgun is still making use of new materials and processes, even though the design is quite mature.

With the advent of investment castings, net shape forgings, and lightweight alloys, revisions to the standard design will continue. From a social perspective, the handgun has been the center of increasing debate since the s.