Description

The Colt Paterson Revolver was produced in pre-Civil War America from 1836-1847 by the “Patent Arms Company of Paterson New Jersey” (ancestor of the modern-day “Colt’s Manufacturing Company”). The Paterson Revolver is celebrated as one of the key breakthroughs throughout the history of firearm development.

Samuel Colt is credited with fabricating this revolutionary revolver, which offered an unprecedented multi-shot system; meaning a user can fire several rounds without needing to reload until the entire cylinder of rounds was spent. Such firepower gave the user a tremendous advantage over counterparts who were required to reload after each fired shot. This advancement significantly transformed the Western frontier, especially when in the hands of Texas Rangers; the reason the revolver is sometimes referred to as the “Texas Paterson”.

The Paterson was a single-action revolver boasting a cylinder capacitated for five-.36 caliber rounds, fixed sights, and a unique drop-down trigger design. Since the trigger rested in a groove in the belly of the gun until the hammer was cocked back, it did not need a trigger guard – which adds to the revolver’s unusual look.

In conjunction with critiques from field-experience and technological advancements made, the Paterson Revolver was the platform from which future Colt revolvers, such as the Walkers, Dragoons and 1851 Navy models were fashioned.