Raphael Revolver
Pidault & Cordier · Revolver · Discontinued · 1860
Also known as: Pidault-Cordier Model 1860, Pidault & Cordier Revolver
Overview
The Raphael Revolver is a French 11mm centerfire, six-shot double-action revolver designed by Martial Pidault and Charles Cordier and patented in 1860. Imported into the United States by George Raphael & Company, from whom it takes its common name, it was one of the earliest centerfire revolvers and was purchased in small numbers for the Union Army during the American Civil War. It featured a side-loading gate, an independently rotating cylinder with a blind safety hole, and a butt-mounted drift for cartridge extraction.
Specifications
| Overall Length | 273 mm (10.75") |
| Barrel Length | 146 mm (5.75") |
| Action Type | Double Action Revolver |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Cylinder |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 8 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 11mm Centerfire · primary — also known as 11mm Raphael, 11mm Pidault-Cordier
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Blind Safety Chamber
- Features: Centerfire, Side Loading Gate, Double Action, Early Centerfire Revolver
Variants
- Raphael Pocket Revolver 8mm — Pocket Model
Service history
Operators
- Union Army · adopted 1861
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Production years: 1860s
About 1,000 reportedly purchased by the US Federal Government in 1861; total production unknown.
Origin
Country of origin: France
Designer: Martial Pidault and Charles Cordier
Notes
Officially the Model 1860 Pidault-Cordier revolver. A smaller 8mm pocket model was also made. Caliber is occasionally cited as 12mm by collectors, but 11mm is the standard model.
Background
As one of the first true centerfire revolvers, the Raphael was technically ahead of most American sidearms of the Civil War, which were still percussion cap-and-ball designs.