I Have This Old Gun: Colt Model 1855 Revolving Carbine

** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
revcarv.jpg

Although we think of Colt percussion revolvers as being an open-top design, there was one exception with a topstrap—the Colt 1855 Sidehammer Pocket Revolver. Also known as the Colt Root Revolver, after Elisha King Root, who developed the gun with Samuel Colt, the small, graceful 1855 Sidehammer was offered in .28 and .31 calibers. And true to its name, the 1855 featured a side-mounted hammer, much in the style of percussion rifles. This feature, plus a ratchet-style, Root-patented loading rammer (later incorporated into the Model 1860 Army) and a cylinder base pin that screwed into the frame from the rear, evolved into Colt’s Model 1855 Revolving Rifle.

The initial version, the “First Model” Sporting Rifle, was introduced in 1856 and featured a walnut stock, color-casehardened hammer and loading rammer, and barrels of varying calibers and lengths. Available with six-shot unfluted cylinders in .36 and .40 calibers (both rare) as well as in .44 caliber, it was also produced in more readily encountered .50- and .56-cal. versions with five-shot cylinders. A very few .64-cal. rifles are also known to exist, along with 20- and 10-ga. shotgun variants.


The outbreak of the Civil War spurred production of Model 1855 longarms, with barrel lengths from 21" to 37". Revolving Carbines, which normally did not feature wooden fore-ends and sometimes sported saddle rings, were chambered in .44 and .56 calibers, and they had barrel lengths from 15" to 24".

While the multi-shot capabilities of Model 1855 Revolving Rifles and Carbines were a battlefield “plus,” they were offset by the frequency of multiple discharges, which could severely injure a shooter’s supporting hand unless it was positioned underneath the trigger guard, away from the cylinder. Approximately 18,300 Colt Revolving Rifles of all types were produced between 1856 and 1864, when production stopped.

At first glance, this 21"-barreled Model 1855 Carbine, with its two-banded wooden fore-end, could be mistaken for a Sporting Rifle. However, the saber bayonet lug on the barrel, the sling swivels, the three-leaf sight graduated for 100, 300 and 500 yds. and the “U.S.” tang stamping identify it as a rare government-purchased military carbine. It could also be one of the even scarcer artillery models ordered by the Army in 1859, although those came standard with 24" barrels. Unfortunately, records are incomplete. Nonetheless, as discovered on the used gun rack of American Gun Works in Glendale, Calif. (americangunworks.net), this carbine is easily worth between $9,500 and $12,000.

Gun: Colt Model 1855 Revolving Carbine
Caliber: .56
Manufactured: 1856-59
Serial Number: 1079*
Condition: 60 percent—NRA Very Good (Antique Gun Standards)
Value: $9,500-$12,000

*Guns were numbered according to caliber and model, and accurate records are scarce; but this gun does not have the locking screw on the upper left-hand portion of the receiver, as seen on later models, confirming its early manufacture date.

Latest

Hopkins & Allen Gunmaker
Hopkins & Allen Gunmaker

Hopkins & Allen: The Armsmaking Giant That Didn't Survive

Founded in 1868 in the northeast U.S., Hopkins & Allen grew from a friendly business venture into a prolific maker of affordable guns for brand names such as Merwin & Hulbert and Forehand & Wadsworth.

Burris Optics Celebrates 50 Years Of Fullfield Riflescopes

Firearms and ammunition ballistics have changed greatly over the last half-century, but one of the biggest leaps in performance hit the scene five decades ago, when Burris Optics introduced its Fullfield line of riflesopes.

I Have This Old Gun: Heckler & Koch P7

In the mid-1970s, the German federal police sought a replacement for its existing World War II-era sidearms and put out stringent guidelines for what it wanted in a handgun. The result was the Heckler & Koch P7.

New For 2025: Smith & Wesson Shield X

Smith & Wesson's new Shield X micro-compact handgun combines elements from the company's M&P Shield Plus with some cues from its smaller Bodyguard 2.0 design.

Review: Tisas PX-5.7 FO

The idea that a faster-moving, lightweight projectile can do the same work as a heavier, slower-moving slug has been around for ages, and the math clearly supports it, even if some in the general public don’t.

NRA Awards Grand Scholarships To 2024 Y.E.S. Students

The Y.E.S. program—which launched in 1996—is held each summer in Washington, D.C., and brings together high-achieving high school students from across the country for a week of immersive learning focused on the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and American government.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.