book on making early Colt revolvers

Anyone interested in the history of the manufacture of early Colt revolvers will enjoy this little book describing it by Sam Colt. There is a fascinating description of the factory and its functioning written by Charles Dickens in an appendix, page 29. The book is:

"On the application of machinery to the manufacture of rotating chambered-breech Fire-arms", Samuel Colt, 1855
https://books.google.com/books?id=QnkDAAAAYAAJ&q=1955#v=onepage&q&f=false

Spence

Here's a question I like to ask from time to time that has never failed to stump the panel:

What packaging did Colt ship their civilian-purchase pistols in?

I have even asked several very serious Colt collectors at gun shows this auestion and almost invariably their mouths drop open as they realize they have never given it a thought until I asked them.
I have never even seen an old photograph of a percussion Colt box, outside of special wooden cased ones. I have no reason to believe they were all shipped in wooden presentation cases.

Mind blown!

I have no doubts the commercial versions of Colt's pistols were shipped in wooden boxes with thin separators between the compartments. The separators look a lot like flocked, very heavy poster board material.

The compartments did not have lids on them and served to keep the gun with its various accouterments from bumping into each other.

The corner joints on these boxes were simple butted joints or miters. None appear to have been dovetailed although dovetails and finger joints were commonly used on wooden boxes at the time.

Containers like this with the pistol, a small bullet-mold, a powder flask and other items like bullets, caps, nipple wrenches are shown in books like, "*C*O*L*T*, AN AMERICAN LEGEND", by R.L.Wilson, and "COLONEL COLT LONDON", by Joseph G. Rosa © 1976.

Most if not all of these containers were made from walnut and had a hinged lid and either a COLT instruction sheet or the label of the gun store which sold the pistol on the inside of the lid.

These boxes are not the fancy "cases" Colt also shipped his guns in. Many of the presentation cases had several compartments with lids and the separators look like they are made of much thicker material. These cases often had fine material linings in them.

This isn't surprising to me because the Colt pistol was considered by Colt to be the best revolver in the world so it should rightfully be sold in a fine box.
I don't think Colts ego would have allowed him to do less.

One should also remember, even cigars and other low cost items were often sold in wooden boxes.
I even remember my mom buying salted cod fish in wooden boxes so, why shouldn't an expensive Colt pistol come in a fine walnut box?

But have you actually SEEN ONE?
I could be mistaken, but I did not think every Colt percussion revolver left the factory with a set of accessories.

I wonder if any ads from the time exist that might mention such. I always figured most civilian pistols were shipped in bulk to a store that sold firearms. A box crate with sawdust- etc. Guns in a bag nested in the sawdust.

I have seen what is said to be an ordnance Dept box that shipping 10 Colt Army Revolvers. It checks all the boxes, but I have only found one view. I assume it had dividers like the musket crates, appears to be about the size of ammunition boxes, and shares a lot of the same construction details.

Here is a link to the photo I am referring to: http://www.mcpheetersantiquemilitaria.com/10_field_equip/10images/0803coltcrate_1.JPG

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_416836

Most (all?) Colts were not this elaborate, but they were still an expensive item and people needed the things to maintain and operate them. I will eat my boots if anybody can provide evidence that a wooden box with accessories was not the norm.

I have no doubts that the military received their shipments of Colt revolvers packed in bulk containers. That is why I was very specific in saying, "commercial versions of Colt's pistols" in my post, above.

As I mentioned, even things like salted cod fish were packed in wooden boxes back in the 19th century and thru at least the first half of the 20th century.

Based on this and the numerous photos I've seen of Colt pistols, each in their own, not very fancy wooden box I believe all of the commercial revolvers were shipped in wooden boxes.

But have you ever SEEN ONE?
Or a picture of one?

Zonie said:

I have no doubts that the military received their shipments of Colt revolvers packed in bulk containers.

Click to expand...

From the link above:

"For there is a new government order for the Baltic ; and as fast as they are finished the pistols are sent away, packed in deep cases that look very large indeed, considering that they are only for five-and-twenty single pistols each. But the conical balls and bullet-moulds, powder flasks and percussion caps take up more room than the pistols themselves."

Spence

smoothshooter said:

But have you ever SEEN ONE?
Or a picture of one?

Click to expand...

As I said earlier in this topic,

"...The compartments did not have lids on them and served to keep the gun with its various accouterments from bumping into each other.

The corner joints on these boxes were simple butted joints or miters. None appear to have been dovetailed although dovetails and finger joints were commonly used on wooden boxes at the time.

Containers like this with the pistol, a small bullet-mold, a powder flask and other items like bullets, caps, nipple wrenches are shown in books like, "*C*O*L*T*, AN AMERICAN LEGEND", by R.L.Wilson, and "COLONEL COLT LONDON", by Joseph G. Rosa © 1976..."

Click to expand...

When I said "the compartments did not have lids on them..." I am trying to describe a wooden box with several thin separators forming compartments for the pistol and the other accessories that came with it, and yes, there are many photos of these in those books.

As I also said, these boxes were not the fancy kind that the high dollar, engraved pistols were in.
The only thing that could be remotely thought of as being special about them is they usually had a inexpensive lock on the hinged lid on the side opposite the hinges.