The 1860 Colt Army

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Stepped Cylinder, 1860 Army

Colt’s 1860 Army was the last percussion variant before the 1873 “Peacemaker” made its debut. At the time, Colt only had its Dragoon model revolvers in .44 caliber. It was logical to expand the market to include a the larger caliber revolver  in a more compact package. Colt introduced a stepped cylinder to increase the diameter to accommodate the larger .44 caliber ball, and milled out a matching recess in the frame to accommodate the larger cylinder. 

By doing this, the weight was reduced from the Dragoon’s 66 ounces to a mere 43 ounces, making it a practical belt pistol. Next, the classic octagonal barrel configuration was replaced with a more streamlined rounded barrel contour.

 It seems to be a very logical progression, since only minor modifications were needed to the popular 1851 Navy. 

Loading Lever: The one major improvement is not visible from the outside, but is immediately apparent when the revolver is loaded. This was Colt’s “Patent Creeping Lever Ramrod”. Here, the loading lever does not pivot on a screw in the barrel, but instead uses a gear-like assembly with teeth engaging holes drilled in the loading lever recess of the barrel.

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Examine this photograph of the 1860 loading lever, and the single hole for the plunger (the part that seats the ball during the loading process) and its relationship to the tooth-like cogs. The distance remains constant during the ramming process, allowing the force of the plunger to stay in perfect alignment with the ball. Load an older 1851 Navy and an 1860 Army and you can feel that the pressure is smoother and more consistent with this improved lever design.

The 1860 Army was probably the apex of Colt percussion revolver development. The smooth contours of the 1860 barrel would be applied to the .36 caliber 1861 Navy model. The improved metallurgy, coupled with the rebated cylinder, would be applied to the last percussion revolvers, a reimagination of the 1848 Pocket Model introduced with a five-shot .36 caliber cylinder.

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