Whitney, that is.
Like a lot of manufacturers Whitney was interested in getting in on the Colt patent expiration, but unlike most of the others did not copy the appearance of the Colt revolvers. A solid frame revolver with a unique combination rammer/cylinder pin, the Whitney found a good market and continued to make the guns like the Navy model 36 pictured here during the civil war. A designer for Whitney, Fordyce Beals, took the idea to Remington, which was used in their model 1858. He had come up with the rammer, cylinder pin held in by the adjustable latch instead of a wedge like the Colt. Remington sells a great many of these guns during the civil war and on into the Indian conflicts afterwards in both 44 and 36 caliber. They go on to cartridge conversions as well. A Confederate firm Spiller and Burr also copy the Whitney during the war.
I picked this revolver up from a lot being sold out of a museum in Texas, it was rusty, missing parts and covered in conservation varnish. I don't know who Hans Coker was but his name was prominently carved into the grips. It's always fun rebuilding something like this, and parts were easier to find than I had thought. There are repros of the Spiller and Burr and with a little work the hand for an 1858 replaced the missing one on my gun. Cleaning was time consuming and you often wonder how much is patina that you want to keep and how much is corrosion that has to go.
Reassembled and retimed I loaded it with 20 grains of FFFG black powder, wad and a 36 caliber soft cast ball. I'm always a little nervous at first shooting something like this for the first time, so grant me the flyer to the right, it was the first shot. The 25 foot grouping gets better as I continued to shoot off hand.
Mr. Coker's revolver, who ever he was is back to spitting again after a very long time .
Like a lot of manufacturers Whitney was interested in getting in on the Colt patent expiration, but unlike most of the others did not copy the appearance of the Colt revolvers. A solid frame revolver with a unique combination rammer/cylinder pin, the Whitney found a good market and continued to make the guns like the Navy model 36 pictured here during the civil war. A designer for Whitney, Fordyce Beals, took the idea to Remington, which was used in their model 1858. He had come up with the rammer, cylinder pin held in by the adjustable latch instead of a wedge like the Colt. Remington sells a great many of these guns during the civil war and on into the Indian conflicts afterwards in both 44 and 36 caliber. They go on to cartridge conversions as well. A Confederate firm Spiller and Burr also copy the Whitney during the war.
I picked this revolver up from a lot being sold out of a museum in Texas, it was rusty, missing parts and covered in conservation varnish. I don't know who Hans Coker was but his name was prominently carved into the grips. It's always fun rebuilding something like this, and parts were easier to find than I had thought. There are repros of the Spiller and Burr and with a little work the hand for an 1858 replaced the missing one on my gun. Cleaning was time consuming and you often wonder how much is patina that you want to keep and how much is corrosion that has to go.
Reassembled and retimed I loaded it with 20 grains of FFFG black powder, wad and a 36 caliber soft cast ball. I'm always a little nervous at first shooting something like this for the first time, so grant me the flyer to the right, it was the first shot. The 25 foot grouping gets better as I continued to shoot off hand.
Mr. Coker's revolver, who ever he was is back to spitting again after a very long time .