Adams Navy Revolver
Massachusetts Arms Company · Revolver · Discontinued · 1857
Also known as: Massachusetts Arms .36 Adams Revolver, Adams .36 Navy Revolver, Mass Arms Adams Navy
Overview
The Adams Navy Revolver is a British-designed, American-made double-action percussion revolver chambered in .36 caliber, the Navy-bore version of Robert Adams's solid-frame self-cocking design. Built under license by the Massachusetts Arms Company of Chicopee Falls, it combined Adams's one-piece frame and rapid trigger-cocking action with the same .36 belt-pistol caliber as the Colt M1851 Navy. The US Ordnance Department took delivery of roughly 500 examples in 1857-1858, and a number saw service with Union forces in the opening years of the American Civil War, prized for the speed of fire that double action gave over single-action Colts.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1020 g (36.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 292 mm (11.50") |
| Barrel Length | 152 mm (5.98") |
| Action Type | Double Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 229 m/s (751 fps) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .36 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .36 cal, .36 percussion, 9.1mm
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Five Shot Percussion Cylinder
- Features: Solid Frame, Self Cocking Action, Percussion Cap Ignition, Muzzle Loading Chambers, Five Shot Cylinder, Octagonal Barrel
Service history
Operators
- United States Army · adopted 1858
- Union Army · adopted 1861
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,500 · Production years: 1857-1861
Manufactured by the Massachusetts Arms Company under Adams license; about 500 delivered to the US Ordnance Department in 1857-1858, with total output estimated at 1,000-1,500.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Robert Adams
Discontinued: 1861
Notes
The .36 'Navy' caliber Adams was produced in the United States by the Massachusetts Arms Company under license from Robert Adams, distinct from the larger British .442 (54-bore) and .500 (38-bore) service models made by Deane, Adams & Deane. It featured a 6-inch octagonal barrel and a five-shot cylinder. Total US production is estimated at around 1,000-1,500 revolvers.
Background
When the US Army trialed revolvers in the late 1850s, the .36 Adams from Massachusetts Arms offered something Colt could not: a true double-action trigger that fired as fast as a man could pull, a feature that would not become standard on American service revolvers for decades.