Starr Model 1858 Navy
Starr Arms Company · Revolver · Out Of Production · 1858
Also known as: Starr Navy Model 1858, Starr 1858 Double Action Navy, Starr DA Navy
Overview
The Starr Model 1858 Navy is a six-shot, .36 caliber cap-and-ball percussion revolver designed by Ebenezer Townsend Starr and built by the Starr Arms Company of New York. It is the scarce smaller-bore sibling of the better-known .44 Army model, sharing the same double-action lockwork in which a long pull on the large outer trigger cocks the hammer and rotates the cylinder while a small inner trigger trips the sear. Built on a two-piece hinged frame that swung open for rapid cylinder removal, only about 3,000 were made, and roughly 2,000 were purchased by the U.S. government, seeing service mainly in the western campaigns of the American Civil War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1300 g (45.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 320 mm (12.60") |
| Barrel Length | 152 mm (5.98") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Percussion |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Muzzle Velocity | 229 m/s (751 fps) |
| Effective Range | 45 m (49 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 15 rpm |
| 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 Cylinder
- Features: Cap And Ball Percussion, Loading Lever, Two Piece Hinged Frame, Double Action Lockwork
Service history
Operators
- United States Navy · adopted 1858
- Union Army · adopted 1861
Conflicts
- American Civil War (1861-1865)
Production
Estimated total produced: 3,000 · Production years: 1858-1860
About 3,000 .36 caliber Model 1858 Navy double-action revolvers produced, of which roughly 2,000 were purchased by the U.S. government; far scarcer than the .44 Army model.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Ebenezer Townsend Starr
Discontinued: 1860
Notes
Fires a loose .36-bore lead ball seated over a black-powder charge and ignited by a No. 11 percussion cap, so it is not a fixed-cartridge arm and cartridge case dimensions are left null. Carries a 6-inch round barrel with a one-piece oil-finished walnut grip, a dovetailed iron half-moon front sight, and a rear sight formed by a groove in the hammer nose. The Navy variant is far rarer than the .44 Army, of which about 23,000 were produced.
Background
The .36 Navy was Starr's attempt to offer its advanced double-action lockwork in a lighter naval-pattern revolver, but it never matched the success of the .44 Army. Government buyers favored the larger-bore Army gun, and the costly, intricate self-cocking mechanism kept Navy numbers small, leaving surviving martially-marked examples among the rarest of Civil War-era U.S. martial revolvers.