Savage 1861 Navy
Savage Revolving Firearms Company · Pistol · Discontinued · 1861
Also known as: Savage Navy Revolver, Savage Navy Model, Savage-North Navy
Overview
The Savage 1861 Navy is a six-shot .36 caliber cap-and-ball percussion revolver produced by the Savage Revolving Firearms Company of Middletown, Connecticut. Its defining feature is an unusual two-trigger mechanism: a large lower ring trigger that the shooter pulls with the middle finger to rotate the cylinder and cock the hammer, and a conventional upper trigger that fires the weapon. This arrangement gave positive cylinder indexing and a strong cylinder lock-up. Roughly 20,000 were made during 1861 and 1862, with the Union Army purchasing nearly 12,000 and the U.S. Navy around 800 for Civil War service.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1530 g (54.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 356 mm (14.02") |
| Barrel Length | 178 mm (7.01") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 229 m/s (751 fps) |
| Effective Range | 45 m (49 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| 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 Revolver Cylinder
- Features: Ring Trigger Actuation, Octagonal Barrel, Fixed Sights, Cap And Ball Ignition, Positive Cylinder Indexing
Service history
Operators
- Union Army · adopted 1861
- United States Navy · adopted 1861
- Confederate States Army
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 20,000 · Production years: 1861-1862
About 20,000 produced; the Union Army bought roughly 12,000 and the U.S. Navy approximately 800.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Edward Savage and Henry S. North
Discontinued: 1862
Notes
Evolved from the earlier Savage & North 'Figure 8' percussion revolver of 1856. The ring-trigger action was covered by Edward Savage's U.S. Patent No. 23,581 (1859). Considered heavy and awkward in the hand, but mechanically robust.
Background
The Savage Navy descended from the collector-nicknamed 'Figure 8' revolver patented by Henry S. North in 1856, named for the distinctive figure-eight shape of its trigger and ring. Edward Savage refined the design into the dual-trigger Navy model, one of the more mechanically inventive American sidearms of the Civil War era.