Colt 1861 Navy (foreground) and 1860 Army (background) "File:Coltnewmodles.jpg" by Michael E. Cumpston is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Few firearms have shaped American history like the Colt 1851 Navy and the Colt 1860 Army revolvers. Designed by Samuel Colt, these two cap-and-ball revolvers were not only some of the most widely used handguns of the mid-19th century...
Category: Black Powder
The .50-70 Government Cartridge: Black Powder Big Bad Boy
The .50-70 Government cartridge holds a unique place in firearms history, marking the transition from muzzleloading muskets to modern breech-loading rifles. Developed by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department in 1866, this centerfire black powder cartridge replaced the aging .58 caliber rifled muskets of the Civil War era. It provided faster reloading, greater reliability, and superior...
The Maynard Carbine: An Early American Breech-Loading Firearm
The Maynard Carbine: A Pioneering American Breechloader The Maynard Carbine stands as a significant milestone in the evolution of American firearms, renowned for its innovative design, exceptional accuracy, and widespread use during the American Civil War. Developed by Dr. Edward Maynard, a dentist with an extraordinary talent for firearm engineering, the Maynard introduced advanced breech-loading...
The Model 1848 Belgian Carbine: A Forgotten Pioneer of Firearms Technology
The mid-19th century was a time of extraordinary innovation in firearms design, marked by the shift from flintlock to percussion ignition, the emergence of rifling in military arms, and the widespread adoption of more efficient and reliable weaponry. While many firearms of this period gained historical recognition, the so-called Model 1848 Belgian Carbine remains an...