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This article never says "hangun" (as compared to a shoulder-held firearm such as a rifle). Are there non-handgun revolvers? Even if so, "revolver" is almost always used in the sense of a handgun, a fact that should be put into this article - but by someone with more certainty and knowledge than me. DavidWBrooks 16:16, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)
I would also like to comment about the revolver having "one barrel" as stated in the article. There was a revolver that had a cylinder that revolved around another barrel. This was a shot barrel. Therefore one had 2 barrels. That appears to be the picture of the fire-arm in the photo for this article. I believe it was a William Tranter patent. --Pistol Paul
Can someone please confirm the date of the patent on Colt's revolver ? It says February 24th in the article right now. User:68.225.74.155 wrote on Talk:February 24 that "Samuel Colt received his patent for the "revolver" on Feb. 25, 1836 by almost every other source I checked. You might want to revisit this article. " Is it February 24th or February 25th ? Thanks. -- PFHLai 01:25, 2005 Feb 16 (UTC)
I'm going to yank Walther and FN/Browinng from the list of well known makers. I've never heard of any of the three marketing a revolver, nor does my copy of Fjestad's "Blue Book of Gun Values" list a revolver by any of them. scot 15:07, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)
In fact FN did distribute FN BARRACUDA-revolver with .357 Magnum / 9x19mm Parabellum drums between 197?-198?, thou it was possible manufactured by spanish Astra. http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/1400/1496.htm -- 81.197.218.62 02:20, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
I just want to bring to your attention that in Europe, Smith and Wesson revolvers are marketed under the Walther name. --
Mfree 02:11, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
The weapon used primarily at the time was a single shot rifle. A revolver could shooter 6 bullets before being reloaded. Sure there were issues of range, but at least they could have carried both (considering how small a revolver was). So why not?
there is a point in the article which references that most revolvers only lock at one point, at the rear of the cylinder. This is true for such arms as Colt, Ruger, and Charter Arms; but one of the hallmarks of the modern S&W revolver design is that there is a secondary lock found at the nose of the ejector rod, which is disengaged by an internal piston pushing the locking bolt out of the hollow rod when the cylinder release is pressed. This design is also in use by Taurus, who take things one step further in some of their large caliber revolvers by integrating a third lock at the top of the crane. Furthermore, S&W was at one time producing a triple-lock revolver with those three locking points, and it is a common modofication to at a spring-loaded ball to the top surface of the crane of a S&W revolver for additional locking surface and to aid in crane alignment. Do bear in mind that the purpose of the clause in the article, that "snapping" a cylinder open and closed by a flick of the wrist will bend the crane and do irreparable harm to the revolver (and perhaps the shooter, if done just right) is still an accurate assertion. -- Mfree 02:11, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
The stuff about the automatic revolver and silencers needs sources. (section 1.4)
Most modern automatic pistols will work perfectly fine with "silencers". Otherwise, the military and spec ops would not use suppressed automatic pistols. The US Spec Ops troops did make use of special auto-pistols that used a slide-lock mechanism, preventing the slide from moving after firing, but this was to make them quieter. I believe the modified pistols were Smith and Wesson automatics, in either 9mm or .45 caliber.
The Nagant revolver is an antique, and not practical for modern combat/service.
--Your comparison between a Mossberg 500 and Winchester M1897 is a gross generalization. Until you provide sources for your claims, I will continue to correct section 1.4. Your info about the recoil-operated auto pistols and silencers was interesting, but not particularly relevent to the discussion. There are a plethora of silencers for recoil operated pistols.
--I heard somewhere that some very well-designed, well-made and well-maintained fixed barrel and top-break revolvers can be silenced, because the cylinder is fitted against the barrel snugly enough to prevent gases from escaping. Confirm or deny? User:Kalaong 17:32, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
I have had to delink the Astra listing in revolver manufacturers as there is no relevant listing in the disambig page it went to. I know that they made revolvers since my brother owned one (9shot .22 target revolver), and I believe they were manufactured in Spain. If the firearms company was anything to do with the fireworks company (both involved with powder explosives) then I believe they went bust in the 1980's. Perhaps someone with more knowledge can check this out? LessHeard vanU 21:27, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
Does anyone else think that this article needs more information on revolving rifles? I have a picture of one which could be used in the article, but I've never been very good with the whole copyright business. Here's the picture, by the way: [9] (Taken from here). Also, does the DAO-12 deserve a mention, specifically as an example of a revolving shotgun using double action operating principles? The Jackhammer got a mention as an example of an autorevolver shotgun, so should the DAO-12 be given a mention in the Double-Action category? CeeWhy2 11:40, 25 October 2006 (UTC)
I was just thinking, how about including a diagram? I have many, of revolvers and practically any handgun ever made, and I believe it'll add incredible enciclopedyc value, since none of the gun articles I've seen sport diagrams of any sort. Let me know what you think. Vicius 07:15, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
We should probably make mention of flintlock revolvers. AllStarZ 01:31, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I edited the sidebar about the LeMat Revolver to reflect the fact that it holds 9 rounds plus the center shotgun round, not 9 total.
I was a little surprised that there is no mention of reliability in this (informative) article. I expected some form of review regarding the reliability of the revolver, for example, relative to the automatic. I am not sure if this is an urban legend but I have heard that many of the British Royalty Protection Department of the Met. Police carry or carried revolvers after Princess Anne's bodyguard had an automatic jam during an attempted kidnapping. Might be a myth but I've heard it several times and thought it relevant. 130.237.175.198 08:52, 8 November 2007 (UTC)
A museum called Maihaugen in Norway has a revolver made by Hans Stopler in Nürnberg in 1597. It was owned by Georg Reichwein who had his name engraved on it in 1663. In the article printed in Vi Menn the museum gun expert explicitly states it is older than the revolver kept in the Tower of London. Inge 20:29, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
In computer games, revolvers are normally touted as being a more powerful, slower version of the "regular" pistol. Does the increased power have any basis in reality? me_and ( talk) 11:08, 15 February 2008 (UTC)
There is no picture of a revolver at the top of the picture. I just added this one, showing off the cylinder that distinguishes revolvers from other pistols. - M.Nelson ( talk) 05:25, 24 October 2008 (UTC)
This photo is used twice in the article, along with the caption "Example of a swing out cylinder on a revolver". I think the first instance is less relevant to the adjacent text, and should be removed or replaced with a different image. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.190.152.7 ( talk) 23:18, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
This edit, since reverted, was not wrong; but neither is the idea, currently in the article, that DAs can be fired either SA or DA. They are both right; and the term "double action" refers to what 64.245.88.146 said, rather than to the dual SA/DA capability. So what I am saying is that the spirit of that edit should be worked into the article, even if the letter is not; the whole section should be reworked to first explain the term "DA" and *then* mention the dual SA/DA capability. I would take a shot at it, but I have too much other ground to cover. Hope someone can give it some time. Cheers, — ¾-10 01:58, 11 December 2009 (UTC)
The 'Design' heading contains quite a bit of extraneous material, and much that really doesn't fit under design. I just completed a very basic edit removing one paragraph, but much more of it needs to be reworked. For example, two long paragraphs are devoted to Double and Single action types, all of which is later repeated in 'Actions.' Subjects in this section do not seem to be arranged in any particular order. There is two places where revolvers are compared to auto-loading handguns, separated by two and one-half paragraphs. Language needs to be rewritten, such as "such guns" in the third paragraph. Finally, the discussions on how auto-loaders are replacing revolvers and on revolver technology in other military applications do not seem to fit into the theme of "Design." 70.188.34.103 ( talk) 14:11, 25 February 2010 (UTC)
The section on swing-out cylinders says "The cylinder is mounted on a pivot that is coaxial with the chamber..." Shouldn't that say "a pivot that is parallel to the axis of the chamber"? "Coaxial" means that the two axes lie along the same line. For example, in coax cable the center wire runs down the center axis of the round outer (usually braided) conductor. if the pivot and cylinder were coaxial, the cylinder would not be able to swing out. MikeCiaraldi ( talk) 19:07, 25 January 2015 (UTC)
Hi, IMHO for an article as long (and important) as this, citations are very few and apart. Will tag appropriately. Regards, DPdH ( talk) 14:15, 25 February 2010 (UTC)
I took out one "citation needed" after "A revolver can be kept loaded and ready to fire without compressing any springs (which weaken over time with continual load)" -- I don't believe general knowledge physics needs a citation. Just a heads up, though it likely wont be missed (also, first Wikipedia edit, and though I read up, hopefully I didn't break anything). Jdan318 ( talk) 08:08, 26 November 2010 (UTC)
I don't know if it's real, but there have been scenes in movies with revolvers where the firing is done purely by the shooter using their flat open second hand to whack the hammer back, causing the hammer to slam back and fire the next bullet. Is this a special gun? Is there a name for this practice? Does it work with single or double action or both? - 174.46.204.210 ( talk) 20:58, 20 May 2011 (UTC)
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Mention in article ?, see http://collectorebooks.com/gregg01/pinfire/Lot-2166.htm — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.182.44.4 ( talk) 08:35, 27 October 2011 (UTC)
From pistol article:
Before handguns could evolve from rotating-barrel designs to the semi-automatic, revolvers dominated. Originally, most revolvers had five or six round capacities. These are the types of handguns featured in most 'Western' movies, the most famous of which is the Colt Single Action Army.
A type of revolver requiring the hammer to be drawn back manually to rotate the cylinder and bring a fresh cartridge into battery for each shot.
A type of revolver that can be used as a single action, but also one in which the pulling of the trigger cocks the hammer, rotates the cylinder, and releases the hammer to strike the cartridge directly in older designs; or to impact a striker which fires the cartridge in newer designs. Examples of the system include the Colt Model of 1917 Substitute Standard Revolver, the Smith & Wesson Model 10 (aka the S&W Military & Police Pistol), and the Smith & Wesson Model 29 made famous by the Dirty Harry films.
A type of revolver in which the pulling of the trigger cocks the hammer, rotates the cylinder to bring a new round into battery, and releases the hammer to strike the cartridge directly (in older designs), or to impact a striker which fires the cartridge (in newer designs). In many cases, such as the Smith & Wesson Ladysmith j frame revolver, the hammer is completely contained within a shroud and cannot be accessed by the shooter. The advantages to this system are the speed of cycling and simplicity of use, as there is no safety to disengage. The disadvantage of shooting double-action-only is the much heavier trigger pull required to cycle the action, which can result in decreased accuracy on the part of the shooter.
Has anyone ever designed a revolver to include a rounded prominence that would hide the forward-facing apertures of the cylinder from your opponent's view, thereby preventing him from knowing the level of ammo remaining? Since it seems to me that most revolvers permit the opponent to see four cylinders, including the cylinder that will be the next to rotate under the hammer for the next shot, if that chamber and the one beneath it appear empty, and the hammer is not already cocked (in which case it might be believed that you had a live round ready to fire), then your opponent knows that you are out of ammo under normal circumstances. Conceivably, under very strange circumstances, and with the hammer uncocked, there could be two bullets hidden at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, but, with the 12 rotating harmlessly away from the firing pin with the next actuation of the mechanism, opponents will know you are two pulls of the trigger away from the 6 o'clock hidden round, which will not be hidden after the first pull, as would also be the case for the 12. With an automatic you can at least present a weapon that an opponent will have to assume is loaded.
It seems such an easy modification, I feel that perhaps there is a technical reason that it has never (?????) been done before. Any thoughts?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jackronner ( talk • contribs) 07:24, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
The section on swing-out cylinders makes reference to swinging the cylinder closed with a flick of the wrist being a Really Bad Idea™. I'm curious as to whether this is the same case for a top-break revolver, but there's no mention of it here or anywhere else on the Internet that I can find. Woodrow Buzard ( talk) 20:20, 13 January 2013 (UTC)
This is a list of links to revolvers made before Colt.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=P1wWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA289&dq=Abridgments+Firearms+1858&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2hpuZk9jOAhXESRoKHfSPDecQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=Abridgments%20Firearms%201858&f=false Interesting list of patents.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2mUFrAt0x54C&pg=PA212&lpg=PA212&dq=John+Dafte+Revolver&source=bl&ots=e4KX8JJ2cK&sig=QACPsnGfzmozauhXNdhDL87PjG0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC0Q6AEwBWoVChMIxp_kuZz7xwIVS1cUCh2k9w1H#v=onepage&q=John%20Dafte%20Revolver&f=false John Dafte revolver. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SQMeaner ( talk • contribs) 09:21, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
https://www.metmuseum.org/pubs/journals/1/pdf/1512825.pdf.bannered.pdf
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/64602424400/17th-century-six-shot-wheel-lock-revolver
Francis, Peter (2014). A History of Guns. Absolute Crime. p. 34. GGKEY:WUY0PFZU907.
americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/B024_Bedford.pdf
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/112271227992/the-annely-flintlock-revolver-invented-by-a
http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/weapons/index.php/tour-by-region/oceania/europe/firearm-386/index.html
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/7137767_a-very-rare-revolving-flintlock-blunderbuss
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/61066596637/rare-3-shot-flintlock-revolving-blunderbuss-late
http://russianrevolvers.com/rp3a.html
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/92008073881/a-flintlock-revolver-crafted-by-ivan-polin
a b Pauly, Roger A.; Pauly, Roger (2004). Firearms: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-313-32796-4.
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/60239418821/an-outstanding-percussion-revolving-rifle-crafted Revolving rifle by Le Lyon using percussion ignition.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TO2mx314ST0C&pg=PA815&dq=Revolver+History&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBGoVChMIh5uGgdnIxwIVDBjbCh0JGgAq#v=onepage&q=Revolver%20History&f=false - Samuel J. Pauly invents a breech-loading revolver in 1812.
http://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/B004_Gerber.pdf Contains details of a hand-rotated flintlock revolver by James Gorgo.
— Preceding unsigned comment added by SQMeaner ( talk • contribs) 07:08, 27 August 2015 (UTC)
I'm surprised that the mention of pepperbox guns does not currently link to the page for those guns. I'm also surprised at how difficult it now is to make edits or even comments on this Wikipedia page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sah2000 ( talk • contribs) 19:21, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
I was very surprised to be educated in reading this article that Colt Manufacturing both invented the very first revolver, and went on to single handedly invent the "revolutionary" modern SAA and the first modern swing-out cylinder revolver. For some reason, I had this funny idea in my head that there was some little company called "Smith & Wesson" which invented the modern revolver, with bored-through, rear-loading metallic cartridge cylinders, and that they enjoyed exclusive production for years while Colt was left behind, until the patent expired. But that can't be true, because if it was, I'm sure I would have found the term "Smith & Wesson" somewhere in the "history" section, and I didn't. That is a huge piece of information to totally leave out of an article like this. It reads as if Colt both invented and developed the early, middle, and modern revolvers, and everyone else is just copying Colt. That is ridiculous. Colt and S&W have been neck and neck in revolver design since the late 19th century, each one-upping the other. The "classic" modern revolver, a .38 snub or .44 Magnum is generally a Smith & Wesson, not a Colt. This reads like it was written by a Colt fanboy who can't stand the idea of giving anyone else any credit.
Also, what about European revolver development? It mentions the Lefechaux, and that's it. Yet Europe was building double-actions long before the US was. They were selling DA percussion revolvers to US troops in the Civil War. Does that not merit mention? There were modern DA revolvers being made by European makers and sold on both sides of the ocean while Colt was selling SAA's in the US. When Colt finally made a DA, the M1877, it was an abysmal attempt, still legendary for having just about the worst trigger design ever. It doesn't say anything about that at all. One gets the impression that not only did Colt lead the way in every step of revolver development, but that all revolver development happened in the US, except for one single guy in France who got lucky once. Ridiculous. European arms-makers were in hot competition with Colt and S&W from the beginning.
Additionally, the SAA is NOT "revolutionary". What features about the SAA were "revolutionary", exactly? Nothing. It was not the first revolver, it was not the first metallic-cartridge revolver, nor the first rear-loading revolver. It didn't have the first swing-out cylinder, nor was it the first double action. It was the final perfecting of features that had already appeared in other weapons before it. That is not "revolutionary", it is evolutionary.
There were probably 100 SAA's sold to storekeepers, teamsters, travellers, farmers, and typical criminal types, for every one that was sold to a "rancher, lawman or outlaw" (not to mention the 1,000's bought by the US govn't). Not every criminal in the West was an "outlaw". That has a very specific definition. There were only a handful of US Marshals and other law officers in the West at any given point, and there were plenty of SAAs sold on the East coast as well. Real life wasn't like you see in Westerns or on TV. There were plenty of inhabitants besides cowboys, gunslingers and gunfighters, and those inhabitants are the ones who bought the most guns, because of the sheer numbers of them, if nothing else.
Anyway, I'm going to try and dig up some references; I got books all over the damn place. It's going to take some looking to find them. .45Colt 01:33, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
The Article “Revolver” is not an article about wealthy or poor men, social problems, but one describing history, development and technique of firearms. -- hmaag ( talk) 13:52, 23 December 2015 (UTC)
Is there a typical direction for the cylinder to turn? -- Badger151 ( talk) 16:16, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
The cylinder of a revolver is not the barrel, and the revolvers are not loaded by pouring powder and ball down the muzzle of the barrel. These are not "muzzle loading". They're just revolvers whose cylinders have to be loaded with loose powder, ball and cap. I.e., "front-loading" cylinders or just "cap and ball" revolvers. Even if it's colloquial, I don't think the term "muzzle loading" should be used as a synonym for a revolver using a front-loaded cylinder. The revolvers are still technically breech-loading (rounds are loaded from behind the barrel—no matter how impractical it would be to reload the weapon in the middle of an engagement). 100.40.6.156 ( talk) 08:10, 6 January 2018 (UTC)
Wow! This is such an old article to have such persistent, technical errors... Here's an egregious one:
The article says, "Revolvers are a subset of handguns, distinct from pistols, which are defined as handguns with an integral chamber-barrel assembly."
That definition is incorrect. The term "pistol" dates from the mid 16th century. It was a term used primarily to cover the category of firearm for which we now use the term "handgun." While the word "handgun" is etymologically older, its usage did not become common until the mid 20th century. "Pistol" most definitely covered "handguns" that utilized revolving cylinders (as opposed to shoulder-fired weapons such rifles or shotguns that used revolving cylinders). This is further evidenced by the fact that people who made their living by carrying "handguns" such as Colonel Colt's Revolver professionally were often known as "Pistoleros."
I am aware that the ATF has promoted a definition similar to the one listed above; unfortunately, the ATF has brought the same level of expertise to their technical definitions that they bring to their overall rulemaking. They felt they needed a term to cover handguns other than revolvers, so they hijacked "pistol" and bent it to their needs. While a number of online "dictionary" sources have altered their definitions to be congruent with the ATF version, a quick check of vintage Meriam Webster ("Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged" / Second Edition / 1973 / Page 1368) shows the following definition,"Pistol, n. a small firearm made to be held and fired with one hand; most pistols are now either revolvers or magazine-fed automatics." (emphasis added)
If you want easily available (id est: online) evidence, check out: https://ctstatelibrary.org/RG103.html There you will find commentary on "U.S. Patent No. 138 in 1836 for the first revolving cylinder pistol" -- indicating that "revolvers designed to be fired from one hand" were considered to be, and called, "pistols" right from the first! 199.127.114.221 ( talk) 14:46, 1 March 2019 (UTC)
Please justify the use of "achieved" in this string of words: "The hammer cocking in nearly all revolvers are manually driven, and can be achieved . . ." Thanks. This may need re-writing. The above is what I thought, but after looking at it again, I think that achieved should be changed to cocked and took the liberty of changing the word. ( TerryKave ( talk) 23:53, 22 December 2023 (UTC))
This piece says: "This was similar to loading a traditional single-shot muzzle-loading pistol, except that the powder and shot could be loaded directly into the front of the cylinder rather than having to be loaded down the whole length of the barrel. Importantly, this allowed . . . ." Since it may be difficult to know what the antecedents are of these 2 pronouns (this . . . this), it is suggested that this section be re-written using some clearly structure or "this X". ( TerryKave ( talk) 00:04, 23 December 2023 (UTC))
This piece contrasts revolvers with semi-automatics. But IMHO revolvers are semi-automatics. There should be a word for non-revolver handguns, but I can't think of one, except that commonly (if erroneously) it seems that the word pistol is used that way. I suppose that one could call most of the non-wheel-gun handguns, spring-loaded magazine guns, but that is awkward. And I think that an editor will not want to designate them as SLMs, pronounced slums. ( TerryKave ( talk) 00:17, 23 December 2023 (UTC))
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![]() | A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day section on February 25, 2005, February 25, 2006, February 25, 2007, February 25, 2008, February 25, 2009, February 25, 2010, and February 25, 2015. |
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Reporting errors |
This article never says "hangun" (as compared to a shoulder-held firearm such as a rifle). Are there non-handgun revolvers? Even if so, "revolver" is almost always used in the sense of a handgun, a fact that should be put into this article - but by someone with more certainty and knowledge than me. DavidWBrooks 16:16, 1 Mar 2004 (UTC)
I would also like to comment about the revolver having "one barrel" as stated in the article. There was a revolver that had a cylinder that revolved around another barrel. This was a shot barrel. Therefore one had 2 barrels. That appears to be the picture of the fire-arm in the photo for this article. I believe it was a William Tranter patent. --Pistol Paul
Can someone please confirm the date of the patent on Colt's revolver ? It says February 24th in the article right now. User:68.225.74.155 wrote on Talk:February 24 that "Samuel Colt received his patent for the "revolver" on Feb. 25, 1836 by almost every other source I checked. You might want to revisit this article. " Is it February 24th or February 25th ? Thanks. -- PFHLai 01:25, 2005 Feb 16 (UTC)
I'm going to yank Walther and FN/Browinng from the list of well known makers. I've never heard of any of the three marketing a revolver, nor does my copy of Fjestad's "Blue Book of Gun Values" list a revolver by any of them. scot 15:07, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)
In fact FN did distribute FN BARRACUDA-revolver with .357 Magnum / 9x19mm Parabellum drums between 197?-198?, thou it was possible manufactured by spanish Astra. http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/1400/1496.htm -- 81.197.218.62 02:20, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
I just want to bring to your attention that in Europe, Smith and Wesson revolvers are marketed under the Walther name. --
Mfree 02:11, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
The weapon used primarily at the time was a single shot rifle. A revolver could shooter 6 bullets before being reloaded. Sure there were issues of range, but at least they could have carried both (considering how small a revolver was). So why not?
there is a point in the article which references that most revolvers only lock at one point, at the rear of the cylinder. This is true for such arms as Colt, Ruger, and Charter Arms; but one of the hallmarks of the modern S&W revolver design is that there is a secondary lock found at the nose of the ejector rod, which is disengaged by an internal piston pushing the locking bolt out of the hollow rod when the cylinder release is pressed. This design is also in use by Taurus, who take things one step further in some of their large caliber revolvers by integrating a third lock at the top of the crane. Furthermore, S&W was at one time producing a triple-lock revolver with those three locking points, and it is a common modofication to at a spring-loaded ball to the top surface of the crane of a S&W revolver for additional locking surface and to aid in crane alignment. Do bear in mind that the purpose of the clause in the article, that "snapping" a cylinder open and closed by a flick of the wrist will bend the crane and do irreparable harm to the revolver (and perhaps the shooter, if done just right) is still an accurate assertion. -- Mfree 02:11, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
The stuff about the automatic revolver and silencers needs sources. (section 1.4)
Most modern automatic pistols will work perfectly fine with "silencers". Otherwise, the military and spec ops would not use suppressed automatic pistols. The US Spec Ops troops did make use of special auto-pistols that used a slide-lock mechanism, preventing the slide from moving after firing, but this was to make them quieter. I believe the modified pistols were Smith and Wesson automatics, in either 9mm or .45 caliber.
The Nagant revolver is an antique, and not practical for modern combat/service.
--Your comparison between a Mossberg 500 and Winchester M1897 is a gross generalization. Until you provide sources for your claims, I will continue to correct section 1.4. Your info about the recoil-operated auto pistols and silencers was interesting, but not particularly relevent to the discussion. There are a plethora of silencers for recoil operated pistols.
--I heard somewhere that some very well-designed, well-made and well-maintained fixed barrel and top-break revolvers can be silenced, because the cylinder is fitted against the barrel snugly enough to prevent gases from escaping. Confirm or deny? User:Kalaong 17:32, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
I have had to delink the Astra listing in revolver manufacturers as there is no relevant listing in the disambig page it went to. I know that they made revolvers since my brother owned one (9shot .22 target revolver), and I believe they were manufactured in Spain. If the firearms company was anything to do with the fireworks company (both involved with powder explosives) then I believe they went bust in the 1980's. Perhaps someone with more knowledge can check this out? LessHeard vanU 21:27, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
Does anyone else think that this article needs more information on revolving rifles? I have a picture of one which could be used in the article, but I've never been very good with the whole copyright business. Here's the picture, by the way: [9] (Taken from here). Also, does the DAO-12 deserve a mention, specifically as an example of a revolving shotgun using double action operating principles? The Jackhammer got a mention as an example of an autorevolver shotgun, so should the DAO-12 be given a mention in the Double-Action category? CeeWhy2 11:40, 25 October 2006 (UTC)
I was just thinking, how about including a diagram? I have many, of revolvers and practically any handgun ever made, and I believe it'll add incredible enciclopedyc value, since none of the gun articles I've seen sport diagrams of any sort. Let me know what you think. Vicius 07:15, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
We should probably make mention of flintlock revolvers. AllStarZ 01:31, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
I edited the sidebar about the LeMat Revolver to reflect the fact that it holds 9 rounds plus the center shotgun round, not 9 total.
I was a little surprised that there is no mention of reliability in this (informative) article. I expected some form of review regarding the reliability of the revolver, for example, relative to the automatic. I am not sure if this is an urban legend but I have heard that many of the British Royalty Protection Department of the Met. Police carry or carried revolvers after Princess Anne's bodyguard had an automatic jam during an attempted kidnapping. Might be a myth but I've heard it several times and thought it relevant. 130.237.175.198 08:52, 8 November 2007 (UTC)
A museum called Maihaugen in Norway has a revolver made by Hans Stopler in Nürnberg in 1597. It was owned by Georg Reichwein who had his name engraved on it in 1663. In the article printed in Vi Menn the museum gun expert explicitly states it is older than the revolver kept in the Tower of London. Inge 20:29, 14 November 2007 (UTC)
In computer games, revolvers are normally touted as being a more powerful, slower version of the "regular" pistol. Does the increased power have any basis in reality? me_and ( talk) 11:08, 15 February 2008 (UTC)
There is no picture of a revolver at the top of the picture. I just added this one, showing off the cylinder that distinguishes revolvers from other pistols. - M.Nelson ( talk) 05:25, 24 October 2008 (UTC)
This photo is used twice in the article, along with the caption "Example of a swing out cylinder on a revolver". I think the first instance is less relevant to the adjacent text, and should be removed or replaced with a different image. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.190.152.7 ( talk) 23:18, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
This edit, since reverted, was not wrong; but neither is the idea, currently in the article, that DAs can be fired either SA or DA. They are both right; and the term "double action" refers to what 64.245.88.146 said, rather than to the dual SA/DA capability. So what I am saying is that the spirit of that edit should be worked into the article, even if the letter is not; the whole section should be reworked to first explain the term "DA" and *then* mention the dual SA/DA capability. I would take a shot at it, but I have too much other ground to cover. Hope someone can give it some time. Cheers, — ¾-10 01:58, 11 December 2009 (UTC)
The 'Design' heading contains quite a bit of extraneous material, and much that really doesn't fit under design. I just completed a very basic edit removing one paragraph, but much more of it needs to be reworked. For example, two long paragraphs are devoted to Double and Single action types, all of which is later repeated in 'Actions.' Subjects in this section do not seem to be arranged in any particular order. There is two places where revolvers are compared to auto-loading handguns, separated by two and one-half paragraphs. Language needs to be rewritten, such as "such guns" in the third paragraph. Finally, the discussions on how auto-loaders are replacing revolvers and on revolver technology in other military applications do not seem to fit into the theme of "Design." 70.188.34.103 ( talk) 14:11, 25 February 2010 (UTC)
The section on swing-out cylinders says "The cylinder is mounted on a pivot that is coaxial with the chamber..." Shouldn't that say "a pivot that is parallel to the axis of the chamber"? "Coaxial" means that the two axes lie along the same line. For example, in coax cable the center wire runs down the center axis of the round outer (usually braided) conductor. if the pivot and cylinder were coaxial, the cylinder would not be able to swing out. MikeCiaraldi ( talk) 19:07, 25 January 2015 (UTC)
Hi, IMHO for an article as long (and important) as this, citations are very few and apart. Will tag appropriately. Regards, DPdH ( talk) 14:15, 25 February 2010 (UTC)
I took out one "citation needed" after "A revolver can be kept loaded and ready to fire without compressing any springs (which weaken over time with continual load)" -- I don't believe general knowledge physics needs a citation. Just a heads up, though it likely wont be missed (also, first Wikipedia edit, and though I read up, hopefully I didn't break anything). Jdan318 ( talk) 08:08, 26 November 2010 (UTC)
I don't know if it's real, but there have been scenes in movies with revolvers where the firing is done purely by the shooter using their flat open second hand to whack the hammer back, causing the hammer to slam back and fire the next bullet. Is this a special gun? Is there a name for this practice? Does it work with single or double action or both? - 174.46.204.210 ( talk) 20:58, 20 May 2011 (UTC)
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Mention in article ?, see http://collectorebooks.com/gregg01/pinfire/Lot-2166.htm — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.182.44.4 ( talk) 08:35, 27 October 2011 (UTC)
From pistol article:
Before handguns could evolve from rotating-barrel designs to the semi-automatic, revolvers dominated. Originally, most revolvers had five or six round capacities. These are the types of handguns featured in most 'Western' movies, the most famous of which is the Colt Single Action Army.
A type of revolver requiring the hammer to be drawn back manually to rotate the cylinder and bring a fresh cartridge into battery for each shot.
A type of revolver that can be used as a single action, but also one in which the pulling of the trigger cocks the hammer, rotates the cylinder, and releases the hammer to strike the cartridge directly in older designs; or to impact a striker which fires the cartridge in newer designs. Examples of the system include the Colt Model of 1917 Substitute Standard Revolver, the Smith & Wesson Model 10 (aka the S&W Military & Police Pistol), and the Smith & Wesson Model 29 made famous by the Dirty Harry films.
A type of revolver in which the pulling of the trigger cocks the hammer, rotates the cylinder to bring a new round into battery, and releases the hammer to strike the cartridge directly (in older designs), or to impact a striker which fires the cartridge (in newer designs). In many cases, such as the Smith & Wesson Ladysmith j frame revolver, the hammer is completely contained within a shroud and cannot be accessed by the shooter. The advantages to this system are the speed of cycling and simplicity of use, as there is no safety to disengage. The disadvantage of shooting double-action-only is the much heavier trigger pull required to cycle the action, which can result in decreased accuracy on the part of the shooter.
Has anyone ever designed a revolver to include a rounded prominence that would hide the forward-facing apertures of the cylinder from your opponent's view, thereby preventing him from knowing the level of ammo remaining? Since it seems to me that most revolvers permit the opponent to see four cylinders, including the cylinder that will be the next to rotate under the hammer for the next shot, if that chamber and the one beneath it appear empty, and the hammer is not already cocked (in which case it might be believed that you had a live round ready to fire), then your opponent knows that you are out of ammo under normal circumstances. Conceivably, under very strange circumstances, and with the hammer uncocked, there could be two bullets hidden at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, but, with the 12 rotating harmlessly away from the firing pin with the next actuation of the mechanism, opponents will know you are two pulls of the trigger away from the 6 o'clock hidden round, which will not be hidden after the first pull, as would also be the case for the 12. With an automatic you can at least present a weapon that an opponent will have to assume is loaded.
It seems such an easy modification, I feel that perhaps there is a technical reason that it has never (?????) been done before. Any thoughts?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jackronner ( talk • contribs) 07:24, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
The section on swing-out cylinders makes reference to swinging the cylinder closed with a flick of the wrist being a Really Bad Idea™. I'm curious as to whether this is the same case for a top-break revolver, but there's no mention of it here or anywhere else on the Internet that I can find. Woodrow Buzard ( talk) 20:20, 13 January 2013 (UTC)
This is a list of links to revolvers made before Colt.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=P1wWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA289&dq=Abridgments+Firearms+1858&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2hpuZk9jOAhXESRoKHfSPDecQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=Abridgments%20Firearms%201858&f=false Interesting list of patents.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2mUFrAt0x54C&pg=PA212&lpg=PA212&dq=John+Dafte+Revolver&source=bl&ots=e4KX8JJ2cK&sig=QACPsnGfzmozauhXNdhDL87PjG0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC0Q6AEwBWoVChMIxp_kuZz7xwIVS1cUCh2k9w1H#v=onepage&q=John%20Dafte%20Revolver&f=false John Dafte revolver. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SQMeaner ( talk • contribs) 09:21, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
https://www.metmuseum.org/pubs/journals/1/pdf/1512825.pdf.bannered.pdf
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/64602424400/17th-century-six-shot-wheel-lock-revolver
Francis, Peter (2014). A History of Guns. Absolute Crime. p. 34. GGKEY:WUY0PFZU907.
americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/B024_Bedford.pdf
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/112271227992/the-annely-flintlock-revolver-invented-by-a
http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/weapons/index.php/tour-by-region/oceania/europe/firearm-386/index.html
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/7137767_a-very-rare-revolving-flintlock-blunderbuss
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/61066596637/rare-3-shot-flintlock-revolving-blunderbuss-late
http://russianrevolvers.com/rp3a.html
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/92008073881/a-flintlock-revolver-crafted-by-ivan-polin
a b Pauly, Roger A.; Pauly, Roger (2004). Firearms: The Life Story of a Technology. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-313-32796-4.
http://www.peashooter85.com/post/60239418821/an-outstanding-percussion-revolving-rifle-crafted Revolving rifle by Le Lyon using percussion ignition.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TO2mx314ST0C&pg=PA815&dq=Revolver+History&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBGoVChMIh5uGgdnIxwIVDBjbCh0JGgAq#v=onepage&q=Revolver%20History&f=false - Samuel J. Pauly invents a breech-loading revolver in 1812.
http://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/B004_Gerber.pdf Contains details of a hand-rotated flintlock revolver by James Gorgo.
— Preceding unsigned comment added by SQMeaner ( talk • contribs) 07:08, 27 August 2015 (UTC)
I'm surprised that the mention of pepperbox guns does not currently link to the page for those guns. I'm also surprised at how difficult it now is to make edits or even comments on this Wikipedia page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sah2000 ( talk • contribs) 19:21, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
I was very surprised to be educated in reading this article that Colt Manufacturing both invented the very first revolver, and went on to single handedly invent the "revolutionary" modern SAA and the first modern swing-out cylinder revolver. For some reason, I had this funny idea in my head that there was some little company called "Smith & Wesson" which invented the modern revolver, with bored-through, rear-loading metallic cartridge cylinders, and that they enjoyed exclusive production for years while Colt was left behind, until the patent expired. But that can't be true, because if it was, I'm sure I would have found the term "Smith & Wesson" somewhere in the "history" section, and I didn't. That is a huge piece of information to totally leave out of an article like this. It reads as if Colt both invented and developed the early, middle, and modern revolvers, and everyone else is just copying Colt. That is ridiculous. Colt and S&W have been neck and neck in revolver design since the late 19th century, each one-upping the other. The "classic" modern revolver, a .38 snub or .44 Magnum is generally a Smith & Wesson, not a Colt. This reads like it was written by a Colt fanboy who can't stand the idea of giving anyone else any credit.
Also, what about European revolver development? It mentions the Lefechaux, and that's it. Yet Europe was building double-actions long before the US was. They were selling DA percussion revolvers to US troops in the Civil War. Does that not merit mention? There were modern DA revolvers being made by European makers and sold on both sides of the ocean while Colt was selling SAA's in the US. When Colt finally made a DA, the M1877, it was an abysmal attempt, still legendary for having just about the worst trigger design ever. It doesn't say anything about that at all. One gets the impression that not only did Colt lead the way in every step of revolver development, but that all revolver development happened in the US, except for one single guy in France who got lucky once. Ridiculous. European arms-makers were in hot competition with Colt and S&W from the beginning.
Additionally, the SAA is NOT "revolutionary". What features about the SAA were "revolutionary", exactly? Nothing. It was not the first revolver, it was not the first metallic-cartridge revolver, nor the first rear-loading revolver. It didn't have the first swing-out cylinder, nor was it the first double action. It was the final perfecting of features that had already appeared in other weapons before it. That is not "revolutionary", it is evolutionary.
There were probably 100 SAA's sold to storekeepers, teamsters, travellers, farmers, and typical criminal types, for every one that was sold to a "rancher, lawman or outlaw" (not to mention the 1,000's bought by the US govn't). Not every criminal in the West was an "outlaw". That has a very specific definition. There were only a handful of US Marshals and other law officers in the West at any given point, and there were plenty of SAAs sold on the East coast as well. Real life wasn't like you see in Westerns or on TV. There were plenty of inhabitants besides cowboys, gunslingers and gunfighters, and those inhabitants are the ones who bought the most guns, because of the sheer numbers of them, if nothing else.
Anyway, I'm going to try and dig up some references; I got books all over the damn place. It's going to take some looking to find them. .45Colt 01:33, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
The Article “Revolver” is not an article about wealthy or poor men, social problems, but one describing history, development and technique of firearms. -- hmaag ( talk) 13:52, 23 December 2015 (UTC)
Is there a typical direction for the cylinder to turn? -- Badger151 ( talk) 16:16, 15 February 2016 (UTC)
The cylinder of a revolver is not the barrel, and the revolvers are not loaded by pouring powder and ball down the muzzle of the barrel. These are not "muzzle loading". They're just revolvers whose cylinders have to be loaded with loose powder, ball and cap. I.e., "front-loading" cylinders or just "cap and ball" revolvers. Even if it's colloquial, I don't think the term "muzzle loading" should be used as a synonym for a revolver using a front-loaded cylinder. The revolvers are still technically breech-loading (rounds are loaded from behind the barrel—no matter how impractical it would be to reload the weapon in the middle of an engagement). 100.40.6.156 ( talk) 08:10, 6 January 2018 (UTC)
Wow! This is such an old article to have such persistent, technical errors... Here's an egregious one:
The article says, "Revolvers are a subset of handguns, distinct from pistols, which are defined as handguns with an integral chamber-barrel assembly."
That definition is incorrect. The term "pistol" dates from the mid 16th century. It was a term used primarily to cover the category of firearm for which we now use the term "handgun." While the word "handgun" is etymologically older, its usage did not become common until the mid 20th century. "Pistol" most definitely covered "handguns" that utilized revolving cylinders (as opposed to shoulder-fired weapons such rifles or shotguns that used revolving cylinders). This is further evidenced by the fact that people who made their living by carrying "handguns" such as Colonel Colt's Revolver professionally were often known as "Pistoleros."
I am aware that the ATF has promoted a definition similar to the one listed above; unfortunately, the ATF has brought the same level of expertise to their technical definitions that they bring to their overall rulemaking. They felt they needed a term to cover handguns other than revolvers, so they hijacked "pistol" and bent it to their needs. While a number of online "dictionary" sources have altered their definitions to be congruent with the ATF version, a quick check of vintage Meriam Webster ("Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged" / Second Edition / 1973 / Page 1368) shows the following definition,"Pistol, n. a small firearm made to be held and fired with one hand; most pistols are now either revolvers or magazine-fed automatics." (emphasis added)
If you want easily available (id est: online) evidence, check out: https://ctstatelibrary.org/RG103.html There you will find commentary on "U.S. Patent No. 138 in 1836 for the first revolving cylinder pistol" -- indicating that "revolvers designed to be fired from one hand" were considered to be, and called, "pistols" right from the first! 199.127.114.221 ( talk) 14:46, 1 March 2019 (UTC)
Please justify the use of "achieved" in this string of words: "The hammer cocking in nearly all revolvers are manually driven, and can be achieved . . ." Thanks. This may need re-writing. The above is what I thought, but after looking at it again, I think that achieved should be changed to cocked and took the liberty of changing the word. ( TerryKave ( talk) 23:53, 22 December 2023 (UTC))
This piece says: "This was similar to loading a traditional single-shot muzzle-loading pistol, except that the powder and shot could be loaded directly into the front of the cylinder rather than having to be loaded down the whole length of the barrel. Importantly, this allowed . . . ." Since it may be difficult to know what the antecedents are of these 2 pronouns (this . . . this), it is suggested that this section be re-written using some clearly structure or "this X". ( TerryKave ( talk) 00:04, 23 December 2023 (UTC))
This piece contrasts revolvers with semi-automatics. But IMHO revolvers are semi-automatics. There should be a word for non-revolver handguns, but I can't think of one, except that commonly (if erroneously) it seems that the word pistol is used that way. I suppose that one could call most of the non-wheel-gun handguns, spring-loaded magazine guns, but that is awkward. And I think that an editor will not want to designate them as SLMs, pronounced slums. ( TerryKave ( talk) 00:17, 23 December 2023 (UTC))