Colt Model 1862 Pocket Navy

Colt's Manufacturing Company · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1862

Also known as: Colt 1862 Pocket Model of Navy Caliber, Pocket Navy

Overview

The Colt Model 1862 Pocket Navy was a compact .36-caliber, five-shot single-action percussion revolver, essentially a reduced-size Model 1851 Navy built on the small 1849 Pocket frame. It featured an octagonal barrel with a hinged loading lever and a rebated round cylinder roll-engraved with a stagecoach holdup scene. Barrels were offered in 4.5, 5.5 or 6.5 inches to customer preference.

Specifications

Weight (empty)680 g (24.0 oz)
Overall Length279 mm (10.98")
Barrel Length139 mm (5.47")
Height114 mm (4.49")
Width38 mm (1.50")
Action TypeSingle Action
Firing MechanismSingle Action
Trigger TypeSingle Stage
Magazine Capacity5 rounds
Magazine TypeRotary
Muzzle Velocity229 m/s (751 fps)
Effective Range50 m (55 yd)
Rate of Fire5 rpm
Barrel RiflingRight Hand
Number of Grooves7
Frame MaterialSteel
Barrel MaterialSteel
Stock MaterialWood
FinishBlued

Calibers

Features

Service history

Operators

Conflicts

Production

Estimated total produced: 19,000 · Production years: 1862-1873

Limited production run by Colt Patent Firearms Company, Hartford, Connecticut

Origin

Country of origin: United States

Designer: Samuel Colt

Discontinued: 1873

Notes

Roughly 19,000 were produced by Colt of Hartford, Connecticut in a relatively short run, making surviving examples fairly scarce. It saw use by both sides during the American Civil War. The companion Model 1862 Police used a half-fluted cylinder while the Pocket Navy retained a rebated round cylinder.

Background

Built on the tiny 1849 Pocket frame but chambered for the heftier .36 'Navy' ball, the Pocket Navy packed Navy-caliber stopping power into a coat-pocket package, a favourite concealable sidearm of Civil War officers and civilians alike.