colt paterson

1836

Having been designed by Samuel Colt and produced by his newly founded Patent Arms Company in Paterson,

New Jersey, it’s easy to see where this ground-breaking gun gets its name from. But the same can’t be said for Colt’s inspiration. Early literature suggested he noted the way ship steering wheels worked; others claim he caught view of Elisha Collier’s 1814 flintlock revolver. Either way, the Colt Paterson was not only accurate thanks to its single rifled barrel, but also efficient since it had a revolving cylinder with five chambers. Still, users had to take it apart to load and it cost $50. Around 2,800 were built.

A .28 caliber gun was originally produced, followed by a .36 caliber model