The Art of Being Different
The Colt Paterson was different in that it featured a revolving cylinder that could hold 5 pieces of .25 ammo. Because of the relatively new design, production encountered some hurdles. Since he was a solo venture, Colt was unable to adequately finance output with adequate machinery to allow interchangeable parts to be made. As such, many guns were made with different qualities. This means that while some models worked perfectly, some of them were prone to malfunction.
The .36 caliber Belt New Police Colt percussion revolver, carried by law enforcement officers during the American Civil War. (Photo by Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images)
Over time, he was able to streamline production and made modifications that made reloading a breeze. He was able to successfully integrate a reloading lever and capping window which meant that one didn’t have to necessarily disassemble a gun into two before loading bullets.