Colt Model 1849 Pocket
Colt's Manufacturing Company · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1850
Also known as: Colt 1849 Pocket Model, Pocket Model of 1849, Wells Fargo (no-lever variant)
Overview
The Colt Model 1849 Pocket was a compact .31-caliber single-action percussion revolver and the most-produced of all Colt's percussion handguns. Built on a small pocket-sized frame, it typically carried a five-shot cylinder (six-shot after roughly serial 187000) with barrels from 3 to 6 inches, the 4-inch being most common. Its small size and reliability made it an enormously popular personal-defense revolver in the mid-19th century.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 737 g (26.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 222 mm (8.74") |
| Barrel Length | 102 mm (4.02") |
| Action Type | Single Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .31 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .31 cal, .31 percussion, 7.9mm
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Hammer Safety Pins Between Nipples
- Features: Revolving Cylinder, Compact Pocket Frame, Single Action Only, Percussion Cap Ignition, Roll Engraved Cylinder
Variants
- Colt Model 1849 Pocket (London) — London Production
Service history
Operators
- Civilian market · adopted 1850
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 336,000 · Production years: 1850-1873
~325,000 US-made plus ~11,000 London-made; the most-produced Colt percussion revolver
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Samuel Colt
Discontinued: 1873
Notes
More than 325,000 were made in the United States between 1850 and 1873, plus around 11,000 from Colt's short-lived London factory, making it the best-selling Colt percussion revolver. Cylinders were roll-engraved with a stagecoach holdup scene.
Background
With well over 300,000 made, the diminutive .31 Pocket outsold every other Colt cap-and-ball revolver, becoming the discreet 'gentleman's' sidearm tucked into coat pockets across the American frontier and the Civil War.