Colt Model 1855 Sidehammer Pocket Revolver

• Name — Colt Model 1855 Sidehammer • Origin — United States • Type — Revolver • Used By — United States • Wars — American Civil War • Is Ranged — yes • Designer — Elisha K. Root and Samuel Colt • Design Date — 1855 • Manufacturer — Colt Firearms • Production Date — c. 1855–1870 • Number —.28 caliber = 30,000.31 caliber = 14,000 • Weight — 17-ounces (3.5-inches octagon barrel) • Length — 8-inches (with 3.5-inch barrel) • Part Length — 3.5- or 4.5-inches • Caliber —.31 ball/conical bullet,.28 ball/conical bullet • Action — Single-action • Velocity — 7-800 feet per second • Range — 25 yards (accurate defense) • Feed — 5-round cylinder • Sights — Post front sight, topstrap notch rear sight

In the revolver configuration of the patented revolving mechanism, only one model of the revolver was produced. Two calibers for the revolver were:.28 and.31. The production of the revolver started in 1855 and lasted until 1870. In spite of the complexity and ambition of its patented design, the Sidehammer revolver never became a popular gun.

Production began in 1855 with the Model 1 followed by the Model 1A and then the Model 2 beginning with serial number "1" and ending in 1860 at about "25,000". These models had a roller-die engraved scene referred to as the "Cabin and Indian" scene. Production continued with the Model 3 which has a fluted cylinder

• Illustration — Colt Root 1855 Revolver, Model 7, cal.31 • Illustration — USMA Cadet George Armstrong Custer with Colt Sidehammer pistol about 1859 The standard barrel length was 3-1/2 inches (4-1/2 inches for the Model 5A, 6A, and 7A). Calibers were.28 (Model 1 - 3)..31 (Models 3A, 4, 5, 6, 7). Octagon barrels (Model 1 - 4). Round barrels (Model 5 - 7). The cylinder scene engraved on the first 25,000 pistols was created by banknote engraver Waterman Ormsby. The image was his fourth and last to be featured on Colt revolvers. The overall scene is 1-1/16 inch wide by 3-1/4 inch long. At one end of the scene is the text, "COLT'S PATENT No. [serial number]". The image contains a pioneer defending himself against an attack by six Indians in Seminole-style attire using a pair of revolver pistols while (presumably) his wife and child are escaping. Along the top of the scene (the edge of the cylinder which is closest to the pistol barrel) is a "finely detailed wavy line and dot border". Models 3, 4, and 5 had a fluted cylinder (with indentations between the loading chambers), preventing the application of a continuously engraved scene. Some cylinders were decoratively hand-engraved. Models 6 and 7 had a round cylinder, with the rolled-on "Stagecoach Holdup" scene by W. L. Ormsby.