How were Colt 1860-61 revolver barrels contoured?

[bullshot]

I how often wonder how the contoured barrels of Colt revolvers were made back in the early 1860's. Not on a lathe it seems evident. Perhaps a "shaper" of some sort. Maybe a grinder. It always seemed to me rather "modern" technology.

 

[45D]

I how often wonder how the contoured barrels of Colt revolvers were made back in the early 1860's. Not on a lathe it seems evident. Perhaps a "shaper" of some sort. Maybe a grinder. It always seemed to me rather "modern" technology.

Definitely more work than making a screw-in barrel . . . which is why the top strap is with us today.

Mike

 

[44-henry]

I would imagine a combination of forgings followed by various, drilling, boring, rifling, milling, shaping, and grinding/filing/polishing processes. I am guessing many specilized machines and jigs and fixtures were employed the same as is done today.Lot's of machine tools were used back than, it was just driven by steam or water power. Also, labor was cheaper so you there was much more hand labor employed than what we see today.

 

[bullshot]

I would imagine a combination of forgings followed by various, drilling, boring, rifling, milling, shaping, and grinding/filing/polishing processes. I am guessing many specilized machines and jigs and fixtures were employed the same as is done today.Lot's of machine tools were used back than, it was just driven by steam or water power. Also, labor was cheaper so you there was much more hand labor employed than what we see today.

I had not thought of foraging.

 

[smoothshooter]

I how often wonder how the contoured barrels of Colt revolvers were made back in the early 1860's. Not on a lathe it seems evident. Perhaps a "shaper" of some sort. Maybe a grinder. It always seemed to me rather "modern" technology.

Mere speculation here, but there would have to have been a lot of grinding while being held in workmen’s hands. Very experienced contour / shapers with a practiced eye would have been necessary for that work.
The consistency and uniformity of the shaping from one gun to the next is amazing; at least on the examples I have looked at.
Collector’s: is the work as consistent as it appears to me?
It looks like it would have beee. MUCH cheaper to have stayed with octagon barrels.

 

[44-henry]

You have to remember that by the Industrial Revolution there was a lot of sophisticated machinery being used. It is easy to believe that they worked under primitive conditions, but that simply wasn't true. Machine tool processes coupled with lots of relatively inexpensive hand work created guns that are difficult to recreate today to a level of fit and finish that most can afford.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Machinery back then was not so much in the dark ages as one would think...

 

[Colonial Boy]

I Googled “1860 Lathe” and got a lot of hits but not what I hoped for.
Seems that 1860 as a number is popular with modern manufacturers.

 

[Colonial Boy]

From Wikipedia, [I changed the terms of reference a bit]
“Turret lathes became indispensable to the production of interchangeable parts and for mass production.

The first turret lathe was built by Stephen Fitch in 1845 to manufacture screws for pistol percussion parts.[2] In the mid-nineteenth century, the need for interchangeable parts for Colt revolvers enhanced the role of turret lathes in achieving this goal as part of the "American system" of manufacturing arms. Clock-making and bicycle manufacturing had similar requirements.[3] Christopher Spencer invented the first fully automated turret lathe in 1873, which led to designs using cam action or hydraulic mechanisms.[2]‘

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turret_lathe

 

[bullshot]

Thanks all for the insight. I once had a book about the development of metal working machines. Recall nothing from it unfortunately. I recall reading decades ago the Colt (the company) invented some machine tools. Of course Elie Whitney likely play a role in some on that. Regardless I marvel at the early Colt revolver especially the 1851 Navy, the Dragoon models and 1860 Army. The Third Model Dragoon gets first place with me.

 

[bullshot]

I Googled “1860 Lathe” and got a lot of hits but not what I hoped for.
Seems that 1860 as a number is popular with modern manufacturers.
View attachment 342349

That's a keeper!

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Look up Harpers Ferry.

 

[Colonial Boy]

Here’s another link, full of information,
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Early_Lathes#Vaucanson.27s_Lathe

 

[Colonial Boy]

That's a keeper!

I wish

 

[Smokerr]

Any time they get a snap shot of past history on a find of any kind, its, oh, wow, these people were sophisticated.

They recovered some kind of celestial computer form the Med a while back, super intricate that modern machinery would have been challenged by.

roughly.,y WWI on they had machine computers (gears) for ranging guns that reach out to 15 miles.

By WWII they were ranging out to 20 miles (at which point radar contr4ol took over but they kept the mechanical computers as backup, the New Jersey battleships still used them in the 80s as backup.

They figure out how to do it and they did it amazingly accurately no matter what era.

 

[Mikekj]

Well the lathe was already 100 years old and Eli Whitney came up with or improved the milling machine around 1818.
The shaper goes back to the late 1700’s as well.
Most of todays machinist could most likely walk into the old Colt factory and go right to work.

 

[45D]

Well the lathe was already 100 years old and Eli Whitney came up with or improved the milling machine around 1818.
The shaper goes back to the late 1700’s as well.
Most of todays machinist could most likely walk into the old Colt factory and go right to work.

What? With no buttons to push?
Are you kidding ?!!!

Mike

 

[Mikekj]

What? With no buttons to push?
Are you kidding ?!!!

Mike

No no. Not cnc “operators”.
Real machinists.

 

[TrophyGuy]

To my mind the most impressive bit of manufacturing is the frame. My conjecture is the barrels were forged in near final shape then polished. Bores were drilled and rifled. By using the same forging die they were able to get consistent external shape across thousands of pieces. They focused effort on getting the dies right. Same with the frame. How else would the beautiful convex contours of the recoil shield be duplicated on thousands of revolvers so uniformly. We know how important fitters are to making any firearm, but the tool and diemakers don't get enough credit.

 

[Tyler L]

Well the lathe was already 100 years old and Eli Whitney came up with or improved the milling machine around 1818.
The shaper goes back to the late 1700’s as well.
Most of todays machinist could most likely walk into the old Colt factory and go right to work.

I suspect they'd be very annoyed at not having DROs anymore though. And no indicators until the late 1880's.