Revolvers Are Repeating Firearms

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Revolvers are repeating firearms that consist of a cylinder containing multiple chambers, with at least one barrel for firing. The name "revolver" comes from the short-form of its original name, "revolving gun". As its name suggests, the revolver is uniquely designed such that the chambers of a revolver "revolve" around an axis.

As one of the top 10 most significant handguns in the past century, the revolver embodies precision and smoothness. (American Rifleman , 2009 ) Revolvers are relatively dependable and user-friendly. They almost never jam, and if they do you simply pull the trigger again. There is a wide variety of calibres (the bullet’s approximate diameter) of revolvers to choose from, and is the gun to go to for simple and reliable use. (Kozak, 2010)

2. The Invention of the Revolver

The original inventor of the revolver was Elisha Haydon Collier. Collier invented the flintlock revolver, which was a single-action, self-priming weapon with automatic release of gunpowder into the pan when the gun hammer was cocked. Patented in 1818, the flintlock revolver’s single barrel allowed greater accuracy and faster reloading time (Shaver, 2004 ).

Today, the revolvers that we are familiar with are an adaptation of Collier’s revolver. One of the most significant pioneers in revolver technology was Samuel Colt. There are many variations as to how Colt first came up with the idea for his revolver, ranging from an eureka moment while shooting whales, to stealing Collier’s idea in India (Hosley, 1996 ). Colt patented the percussion cap revolver in December 1835, which enabled muzzle-loading firearms to fire reliably regardless of weather. This was an improvement from Collier’s flintlock revolver, which was prone to misfire in wet weather. The shooter would load the chambers of the cylinder with gunpowder and a projectile, and put in place several percussion caps. While this loading procedure might be tedious, it allowed the shooter to have rounds fully prepared ahead of time (Harris, 2011 ).

Bullet cartridges were soon introduced in revolvers in the 1870s, replacing gunpowder and caps. The cartridges are a combination of a projectile (the bullet), a propellant (gunpowder) and a primer (the explosive cap), all contained within a metal casing.

3. Analysis of Revolvers

3.1 Type of innovation

3.1.1 Product Innovation

The first revolvers invented by Collier were a product innovation. The patent was bought by John Evans and Son of London. It manufactured about 10,000 revolvers to sell mainly to the British forces in India and they are embodied as the company’s outputs (Flemming, 2012).

3.1.2 Incremental Innovation

Before the revolvers were invented, other types of handguns such as the single shot and multi barreled pistols existed. Revolvers improved on these handguns and hence were an incremental innovation.

Firstly in the past, guns were mostly limited to a single shot except the pepper box however it was heavy and difficult to load since it had multiple barrels for each bullet. The revolver has the capability to deliver multiple loads to a single handgun barrel in quick succession (Delman ,2010).

Revolvers are also different in terms of having lower chances of malfunction and thus provide greater reliability. Rounds which fail to fire can usually be cleared by merely pulling the trigger which will cycle the cylinder and place the next available round in a firing position (Riverwalker, 2009). Several malfunctions are however common in pistols that require more complex methods to clear them.

Revolvers also have a sturdier design due partly to their heavier construction which allows them to shoot more powerful rounds (Riverwalker, 2009).

3.1.3 Component Innovation

The revolver is a component innovation since its major change in handgun design is in creating a rotating cylinder which would come into alignment with a single barrel to fire successive bullets (Harris,2010). Collier combined this with a flintlock mechanism to create the first revolver.

3.1.3 Competence Enhancing vs Competence Destroying

Originally, Collier’s flintlock revolver was competence enhancing for John Evans and Son of London. However the revolver had several problems and by the 1840s, Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company had adapted the revolvers based on the percussion cap system and mass produced them. This was competence destroying for Collier’s company while competence enhancing for Colt’s (Delman, 2010).

3.2 Mechanics of the Revolver

Over the years, the revolver has been constantly evolving and many different variations of the revolver have been invented. Despite this, the fundamental design of the revolver still remains the same, with several firing chambers arranged in a circle in a cylindrical block. This differs from other repeating firearms that use a single firing chamber with a different mechanism to load and extract cartridges.

In modern revolvers, there is a spring-loaded hammer located at one end of the cylinder, in line with the barrel (Fig. 1). By cocking the hammer back, a new cartridge is lined up between the hammer and the barrel. To release the bullet, a pull of the trigger would result in the spring throwing the hammer forward so it hits the primer at the back of the bullet. The primer explodes, igniting the propellant and driving the bullet down the barrel.

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Figure 1

The inside of the barrel is lined with spiralling grooves, which increases the stability of the bullet by spinning it. A longer barrel not only improves stability, but also increases the speed of the bullet.

3.2.1 Actions (Mechanism)

Single-Action Mechanism

"Single-action" revolvers are revolvers that require the user to cock the weapon manually. The act of pulling back the cock rotates the cylinder and the user can then pull the trigger to fire it. Colt’s original revolver design involved a ratchet and pawl mechanism to hold the cylinders in place.

Double-Action Mechanism

Most revolvers today are "double-action" revolvers that perform two functions: cocking, and then firing the gun. Robert Adams, a British gunsmith, invented "double-action" revolvers in 1851. In this mechanism, pulling the trigger halfway automatically rotates the cylinder and releases the cocked hammer. Pulling back the trigger even more releases the cocked hammer. This would allow the user to fire the "double-action" revolver in one trigger pull.

3.3 How it has evolved

4. Uses & Applications

4.1 Self Defence

In the US where private gun ownership is legalized, a third of all gun sales can be attributed to handguns, including revolvers (Harris, 2013). Many Americans choose the revolver as a self-defense weapon due to its ease of use, maintenance and general reliability. To fire a revolver, a novice gun owner merely needs to aim and pull the trigger for double action revolvers or cock the hammer and then pull the trigger for single action revolvers. Their simplicity in design allows an average person to shoot safely and competently without much training. They are also relatively more affordable and sustainable due to the ability to withstand neglect (Riverwalker, 2009).

4.2 Combat & Military

The revolver was first adopted in combat by the Texas Rangers against the hostile native Indians who outnumbered them in Texas (Brown, 2013). Later on it was introduced into the U.S army in 1846 when the Mexican War began as Capt. Samuel H. Walker collaborated with Colt to design a novel and more powerful revolver (Colt Defense LLC, 2013). Throughout US military history up till 1985, revolvers had been the standard firearm, to arm the soldiers on battlefields such as during the Civil War, World War I and II. Although later on they were replaced by higher ammunition and faster reloading semi-automatic pistols, today they continued to be employed largely by guards, Navy Shore Patrol, and intelligence and counterintelligence operatives (Olive-Drab, 2013).

4.3 Sporting & Hunting

Handgun hunting has become a popular sport and most hunters use revolvers since they provide the reliability needed to hunt all types of big game (Hampton, 2013). Hunting with revolvers is more challenging and hones a hunter’s skills since the guns have comparatively shorter sight radius and less powerful ammunition. Hunters must also stalk closer to the prey to kill it humanely and this gives it greater chance of escaping from the hunters. A significant amount of practice is required to develop accuracy and marksmanship in revolver hunting (Wilson, 2010).

4.4 Law Enforcement

Since the 1870s American police forces have relied on revolvers to arrest criminals and protect civilians. The most popular revolver used in law enforcement history was the Colt Official Police invented in 1927 which sold up to 400,000 units by 1970 (Scarlata, 2011). It was the top choice across numerous American police departments for one third of a century. Although production of this model has ceased today, other types of revolvers still play a significant role as back up and off duty firearms among American police officers.

5. Impacts of the Revolver

5.1 Military

As an important tool for the military, the revolver has transformed major warfare in history and especially assisted in westward expansion.

In the American Civil War in 1860, revolvers were one of the new and powerful weapons that forced armies to change their battle techniques. The Lemat and Colt revolvers were the most common firearms used. For example, Samuel Colt alone produced 200,000 of his guns for the Union and Confederate troops (Elbehri, 2010). These guns were more accurate and required less time to reload since they could fire multiple shots at one time. Combat at the time occurred at short distances and cavalrymen had to charge into formations of the enemy and use firearms and sabers to disrupt them and spread panic. At close ranges, revolvers were very powerful and handy especially while the cavalrymen were in saddles. This allowed armies to attack enemies more easily and aggressively.

After the war, the US military adopted the Single Action Army revolver as the standard firearm and they aided the front troops to fight in the Indian war, Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War (military factory, 2011). In World War I, although the Americans had started switching to semi-automatic pistols, the M1917 revolvers continued to play a key role in filling the urgent need for guns. The British-made Webley revolvers also served as the standard sidearm for British soldiers in the war (Lewis, 2012). This sudden popularity in the armies was due to the revolvers’ small size which allowed airmen and tank operators to be armed under their space constrained environments (Duffey, 2009). Additionally, given its sturdy design and dependability, it was ideally suited to muddy and adverse conditions of trench warfare (Lewis, 2012).

In World War II, the British and American troops continued using .38 calibre revolvers until finally afterwards, semi-automatic pistols replaced the revolvers in most militaries worldwide.

5.2 Societal Impacts

Due to the strong gun culture that exists in U.S., this report will only be studying the societal impacts that revolvers have caused in U.S.

Among the developed countries in the world today, U.S. has the highest number of gun owners. About 9 in 10 Americans own more than 270 million guns (Alpers, Philip and Wilson, 2013). That is 5% of the world’s population owning 35-50% of the world’s civilian-owned firearms, of which around 30% are revolvers (Stray, 2013). Sadly, the U.S. is also well known for clinching the highest number of gun homicides. The points below illustrated how the gun industry has severely impacted the society.

Homicides

Gun-rights advocates might be right when they argue that there might not be a connection between level gun ownership and homicide. However, numerous surveys and studies have concluded that there is an association between the number of homicides and gun ownership in developed countries. A study by Hemenway found that U.S. firearm homicide rates were 19.5 times higher than other developed countries (Kenny, 2013).

Accidental Deaths

Furthermore, accidental deaths caused by unintentional gun shooting were five times higher in the U.S. than other countries. A study for firearm deaths in developed nations in 23 countries showed that U.S. accounted for 80% of the deaths. Furthermore, the study also showed that among child casualties, 87% were American. Research has shown that homes with firearms available are 12 times more likely to suffer deaths or injuries of their closed ones rather than injuring an intruder (Kenny, 2013).

Self Defense and Reassurance of Safety

However, the revolvers also act as brilliant self defense and safety reassurance. The National Crime Victimization Survey estimated that there are 60 000 to 120 000 cases of guns being used as self defense every year. Due to lack of comprehensive records of incidents where firearms are used in self-defense, data may only be gathered through surveys. However, this number is credible as several other surveys have confirmed this estimate (Stray, 2013).

Facilitating Crimes

The biggest bane of revolvers, however, is that it facilitates crimes, from small, individual offenses such as assault to mafia and drug trafficking. Each year, about a million violent crimes involve guns. This meant that revolvers are ten times more often used to facilitate crimes rather for self-defenses.

5.3 Government

Laws & Policy – Making

The Federal legislation enacted the Gun Control Act in 1968 that defines who was not allowed to possess a gun and barred anyone under 21 years old from buying handgun. However, they guarantee the right to gun ownership by law. There are restrictions though. The National Firearms Act of 1934 restricts civilians from owning automatic weapons, short-barrelled shotguns, hand grenades, and other powerful arms without appropriate registration. People are free to carry guns both openly or hidden, outside, with the exception of federal facilities where guns are prohibited. The buyer of firearm is not obliged to allow official background checks before taking possession of guns. However, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 entails licensed gun dealers to execute background checks. Each state may have different jurisdiction, but overall, in the United States, if you do not have a criminal record and have not been adjudicated as mentally incompetent, you can buy guns.

5.4 Economic Impacts

The gun industry has a significant economic impact in the U.S. economy. The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimated that the gun industry will be contributing as much as $31.8 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2013(Devaney 2013). The number is equivalent to the amount of money Americans spend on the arts.

The sale of revolvers has seen monumental growth ever since America’s first black president, President Obama, was elected. The total economic impact of the gun industry, including jobs, taxes and sales, has jumped from $19 billion in 2009 to $31 billion in 2011. Jobs in the firearms industry rose to 30% from 2008 to 2011 while the total amount of taxes collected increased by 66%.(Devaney 2013). Due to public insecurities of having the first black president, coupled with the Great Recession that was rampant at that time, people were driven to equip themselves with firearms to ease their concerns. This has unintentionally provided an extra boost to the ailing economy, provided jobs and increased the amount of federal taxes the government in U.S. received.

However, on the other hand, the U.S. gun industry has been profiting by illegally trafficking firearms into Mexico over the years. However, these firearms were used to arm drug cartels and thus, caused the deaths of thousands of civilians and severe economic loss. Nearly 90% of weapons seized in Mexico are trafficked from the U.S. The market is extremely strong, especially because of the high demand and lack of strict control in the sale of weapons in U.S. Furthermore, in 2005, the Congress permitted gun dealers the immunity from prosecution with regards to the civil damages resulting from the misuse of their products. Thus, the problem of gun trafficking persists on (Kenny, 2013).

6. Future Developments

6.1 Areas of Improvement

The progression from the flintlock revolver to the bullet cartridge revolver has seen the weapon become a competent, convenient and capable firearm that functions well for the user. Other than the increasing compactness of the ammunition, the revolver has been improved to contain more rounds with the use of smaller rounds such that they can contain more than six rounds.

Though these have been significant improvements to the designs and functionality of the revolver, there are several aspects that can be looked into. One aspect is the recoil of the revolver. The recoil is a kickback action that is imposed on the user upon firing the weapon. As the recoil is dependent on the pressure of the expanding gases in the barrel, the higher calibre revolvers tend to have larger recoils, as more pressure is required to propel the round out of the barrel. The inherent problem lies with the compromise on accuracy as a result of the blowback action, hindering the user from achieving perfect accuracy in his shot.

Another aspect that can be looked into is the lethality of the weapon. Although the revolver stores ammunition capable of killing or maiming people, in the case of enforcement and self-protection purposes, the weapon serves for the purpose of protection instead of injuring people. The weapon can be improved such that non-lethal means can be incorporated into the weapon, offering both lethal and non-lethal means to the user.

Furthermore, the revolver can be a societal hazard if it falls in the hands of evildoers. The increasing use of guns in crime over the past decade (Slack, 2009) is a pertinent issue, as it becomes a societal risk when such miscreants get their hands on such potent firearms. Consistent, similar operating methods of the revolver also mean that a person familiar with one variant is able to operate other versions of the revolver, which poses safety risks to society.

6.2 Possible developments

To tackle the issues of recoil, lethality and revolvers that are accessible to any users, developments in the aspect of incorporating non-lethal means into the conventional revolver as well as employing biometric technology can be looked into. We will be discussing on future possibilities of incorporating electroshock, active denial technology as well as biometrics in revolvers, which will shape it for the better for usage.

6.2.1 Electroshock Mechanisms

When it comes to non-lethal means, the incorporation of electroshock mechanisms similar to those in Taser guns can offer an alternative to prevent injuring the target. In a Taser gun, charge electrodes contained within sharp projection hooks allows the firer to utilize a trigger to control gas cartridges, which releases expanding gases and builds up pressure behind the electrodes upon ignition. This results in the hooks propelling forward and hooking onto the target’s garments, sending him electrical impulses capable of causing involuntary muscle control in the target, restraining the target’s movement. (Harris, 2001)

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As the revolver utilizes the same concept of expansion of gases to drive the round out of the barrel, the incorporation of electroshock mechanism is a feasible development for a revolver. A double barrel revolver will allow the weapon to utilize pressure buildup to propel the ammunition round or the electrodes out of the revolver, such that the intended outcome can be met with. This ensure dual functionality of the weapon, as well as providing the user with an option to employ the most suitable form of response in the midst of the situation.

6.2.2 Active-Denial Technology

Another form of non-lethal technology that can be employed is the active-denial technology. This technology was first developed by the United States, where radio waves at high frequencies of 95 gigahertz are being transmitted at light speed towards the target causing unbearable pain on the surface of the skin. (U.S. Department of Defense Non-Lethal Weapons Program, 2011) Although this technology is relatively new and is mainly used in U.S specially equipped vehicles, the possible developments to minimise the size of these ray beam panels as well as improving the range of the ray beams will allow the weapon to be better suited for non-lethal combat. In modern models with laser capabilities, the use of such technology allows higher accuracy to be achieved when targeting the subject. The use of such technology prevents accidental firing from causing permanent impacts on unintended targets. Also, the temporary and short-lived effects on the subject allow the user to complete the intended tasks without injuring and killing the subject.

6.2.3 Biometric Handgrips

To ensure that revolvers are personalised to prevent unauthorised usage of the weapon, biometric handgrips can be designed to replace traditional handgrips in revolvers. Biometrics in the form of fingerprinting authentication will be utilised to allow specific users to activate the trigger of the weapon. As for traditional handgrips, the materials used are often wood, pearl and ivory. What biometric handgrips can possibly do is to utilise rubber as the material for the grips as it has a tacky contact surface, which can be capitalised to capture the biometric details of the user for authentication purposes. This will prevent accidental possession of the revolver, which may pose as a safety risk. In addition, the use of fingerprinting authentication allows the weapon to be traced such that the police can identify crimes associated with the revolver. The use of rubber grips also allows recoil to be absorbed such that there will be no compromise on accuracy of the revolver due to the high recoil generated by higher calibre rounds.

6.3 Limitations to proposed developments

There are limitations to the proposed developments, mainly on the aspect of practicality and feasibility of such innovations. The use of electroshock mechanism, active denial technology and biometrics in a weapon ensures the centuries old weapon evolve to cope with the needs in modern society. Incorporating electrode probes present in Taser guns, ray beams into revolvers allows non-lethal means to be employed. However, in our modern society where pistols are gradually preferred over revolvers due to its semi-auto properties, the costs of developing such innovations may not be justified. Ray beams, being a relatively new technology would require a large investment in research and development to develop the required technology specific to revolvers. Current Taser gun cartridges contain electrode probes meant for single usage only; to develop the technology for reusable cartridges may incur research costs as well. Incorporating biometrics into the weapon will incur time and high costs due to the complexity of the technology. The high costs will translate to higher pricing of the revolvers, which will then be out of reach for mass-market audiences.