Metropolitan Navy Model 1864
Metropolitan Arms Company · Pistol · Discontinued · 1864
Also known as: Metropolitan Navy Revolver, Metropolitan Arms Navy
Overview
The Metropolitan Navy Model 1864 is a .36 caliber, six-shot cap-and-ball percussion revolver produced by the Metropolitan Arms Company of New York as a close copy of Colt's 1851 Navy. Production began after a February 1864 fire disrupted Colt's Hartford armory, creating demand the newcomer sought to fill. It features a single-action mechanism, a 7.5-inch octagonal barrel, a loading lever beneath the barrel, and a roll-engraved cylinder, and was considered mechanically the equal of the Colt design it imitated.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1180 g (41.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 355 mm (13.98") |
| Barrel Length | 190 mm (7.48") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Muzzle Velocity | 229 m/s (751 fps) |
| Effective Range | 55 m (60 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 6 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 7 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .36 Caliber Percussion (Cap and Ball) · primary — also known as .36 cal, .36 percussion, 9.1mm
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Percussion Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Hammer Safety Notches
- Features: Octagonal Barrel, Loading Lever, Case Hardened Frame, Roll Engraved Cylinder
Service history
Operators
- Union Army
- Confederate States Army
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 6,000 · Production years: 1864-1866
Roughly 6,000 Navy-pattern revolvers made; total Metropolitan Arms output across Navy and Police models is estimated at about 8,900
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1866
Notes
Metropolitan Arms Company operated only briefly, from about 1864 to 1866, capitalizing on the Civil War arms shortage caused by the Colt factory fire. The company also produced a .36 caliber Police model based on Colt's 1862 Police revolver.
Background
Metropolitan Arms Company was a wartime opportunist: when fire gutted the Colt works in early 1864, the New York firm stepped in to build near-identical copies of the coveted 1851 Navy, and its revolvers were reputed to be every bit as good as the originals they imitated.