** 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. **
Gallery
1 of 1
Clock-Type Spring
Patented during the Civil War, the Mershon & Hollingsworth mechanism involved a clock-type spring wound with a fold-out handle.
1 of 1
Normal Fire
The button on the winding plate is a lock-out latch that allowed "normal" revolver operation.
1 of 1
Hammer Block
A manual hammer-block latch prevented the hammer from cocking while the spring was being wound.
1 of 1
Assembly Button
A small tab on the latch engaged a step on the hammer. Note the hand-checkering on the latch assembly button.
Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.
In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.
The cycle of operation is the mechanical sequence of events that it takes to fire one shot out of a firearm. If one of those steps fails to take place as designed, there is an interruption in the cycle of operation and the gun stops firing.
The Colt Model 1911 pistol and its derivatives are among the most iconic military handguns ever made. But in 2026, does the M1911 still hold up as a quality defensive arm?