orShortcartridge.It wasthelastpocket
pistolintheColtcatalogwithanopen-top
frameanda removablebarrel.Despiteits
obsoletestyling,itwasadequatelystrong
fo r its caliber,lightat 8 ouncesandonly 6
to6.5incheslong.Easytoconceal,itwas
a popularseller,and114,000weremadein
thesevenyearsitwasinproduction.
Asit wasbringingoutitsfirstmetallic-
ca rtridgerevolver,Coltalsogotintothe
single-shotderringerbusinessforthe
firsttime.ItpurchasedtheNational
ArmsCompanyandbeganproducingthe
4.5-inch-long,all-metal,.41rimfireColt’s
No. 1 Derringerin1870.The companythen
enlargedthegripframe,addedwoodenpan-
els,lengthenedthepistolto5.5inchesand
nameditColt’sNo.2 Derringer.Theselittle
hideoutgunsstayedinproductionuntil
1890.About15,000weremade.
In1875,Coltdesigneditsown7-ounce,
single-shot,4.5-inch-long,automatic-
ejecting,.41rimfirederringer.Thisslim,
swing-barrelpistol,Colt’sNo.3 Derringer,
wasmadeuntil1912.Easilyslippedinto
a bootorvestpocket,itwasColt’smost
popular,andabout45,000weremade.
ew Line Series
The era of metallic cartridges usheredin
several completely new products at Colt.
In 1871, the company introduced a larger
pocket-sized single-action revolver witha
so lid brass frame marketed as Colt’sHouse
Pistol.Itwasa four-shot.41rimfirewitha
uniquecloverleafcylinderandwasquickly
nicknamedtheColtCloverleaf.Thecyl-
inderhadsafetynotchesforthehammer
betweeneachchamber,
andsoaligned,
the pistol lay quite flat in the pocket. With
the 3-inch barrel, it was 7 inches long and
weighed 14 ounces. Many had removable
ejector rods to push out spent cases if they
became stuck from blackpowder fouling.
Production ended in 1875 with 9,950 made.
From 1872 to 1875, Colt began produc-
ing its compact and graceful solid-framed
New Line series of five pocket revolvers,
which continued into the 1890s. They were
chamberedprimarilyforproprietyrimfire
andcenterfirecartridgesin.22,.30,.32,
.38and.41caliber.Ofidenticalform,they
increasedinsizeastheyincreasedincali-
ber.Theywereall solid-frame,single-action
gunswithbird’s-headgripframes,wooden
grippanels,spurtriggersandnoejector.
Thecylinderpinwasalsodesignedtopush
out emptycases.The .22-calibermodelheld
sevenroundsandhada bronze
frame.Alltheothercaliberswere
five-shotgunswithsteelframes.
COLT AFTER COLT
70 GUNS OF THE OLD WEST FALL 2019
1
2
3
4
- Colt 1871 “Old Line” Pocket
2. Colt 1874 New House Pistol
3. Colt 1873 New Line
- Colt 1871 House Pistol
Colt unveiled its .41-caliber No. 3
Derringer in 1875. The barrel swung to
the side for loading and unloading, and it
automatically ejected spent casings.
