Leech & Rigdon Revolver (CSA)
Leech & Rigdon · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1862
Also known as: Leech and Rigdon Revolver, Leech & Rigdon Confederate Navy, Rigdon Ansley (successor firm)
Overview
The Leech & Rigdon revolver is a .36 caliber percussion (cap-and-ball) single-action, six-shot revolver produced for the Confederate States of America between 1862 and 1863. A close copy of the Colt Model 1851 Navy, it differs from the original chiefly in its round barrel (carried on an octagonal barrel lug) rather than Colt's fully octagonal barrel, and - unlike the more numerous brass-framed Griswold & Gunnison - it uses an iron frame, with a brass backstrap and trigger guard and a brass cone front sight. Each chamber is charged from the front with loose powder and a .375-inch lead ball seated by the under-barrel loading lever and capped at the nipple, the gun being manually cocked for each shot. The firm began as Leech & Rigdon, a partnership of Memphis cotton trader and cutler Thomas Leech and scale-maker Charles H. Rigdon; after the partnership dissolved in late 1863 the work continued under the successor firm Rigdon, Ansley & Co. Widely regarded as one of the best-made Confederate revolvers, it was genuinely competitive in quality with the Colt Navy it imitated.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1180 g (41.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 330 mm (12.99") |
| Barrel Length | 191 mm (7.52") |
| Action Type | Single Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Single Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 210 m/s (689 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 115 J (85 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 45 m (49 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .36 Percussion (cap-and-ball) · primary — also known as .36 Navy, .36 Cap and Ball, .36 Ball
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Cylinder Safety Pins
- Features: Iron Frame, Round Barrel With Octagonal Lug, Colt 1851 Navy Copy, Brass Backstrap And Trigger Guard, Brass Cone Front Sight, Open Top Frame, Six Shot Cylinder, Loading Lever, Single Action Percussion
Variants
- Rigdon, Ansley & Co. Revolver — Successor
Service history
Operators
- Confederate States Army · adopted 1862
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,500 · Production years: 1862-1863
Leech & Rigdon held a 1,500-revolver CSA contract; about 1,000 were completed before the firm dissolved in December 1863. The successor Rigdon, Ansley & Co. added roughly 900-1,000 more (about 2,400 combined), making Rigdon the Confederacy's second-largest revolver maker.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Charles H. Rigdon
Discontinued: 1863
Notes
Leech & Rigdon held a Confederate contract for 1,500 revolvers; roughly 1,000 were actually completed before the partnership dissolved in December 1863. The successor firm Rigdon, Ansley & Co. produced perhaps another 900-1,000, making Rigdon the Confederacy's second-largest revolver maker with roughly 2,400 combined. The first 1,500-pattern guns used a six-stop cylinder with safety pins; later Rigdon, Ansley production switched to a twelve-stop cylinder and a cap-release groove and deleted the safety pins. Early guns (below serial ~60) carry no maker's name, with 'LEECH & RIGDON' stamping beginning around serial 60 and CSA markings added later. Muzzle velocity and energy figures are modern chronograph-derived estimates for .36 cap-and-ball loads; empty weight is approximate. Seven-groove right-hand rifling (with a modest gain twist at the muzzle) is explicitly documented for this maker.
Background
Leech & Rigdon was a factory perpetually on the run from the Union advance: it opened in Columbus, Mississippi, fled to Greensboro, Georgia in December 1862, and then - reborn as Rigdon, Ansley & Co. - moved again to Augusta. Its earliest revolvers left the shop unmarked, with the 'LEECH & RIGDON' stamp only appearing around serial number 60, and the guns are reckoned among the finest Confederate-made handguns of the war.