Exact caliber of .22 Colt New Line

[.333 Nitro Express]

All,

Does anyone know which of the .22 rimfire cartridges the Colt New Line pocket revolver took? It can't be the .22LR, since this was introduced several years after this revolver had been in production.

.22 long? .22 short?

I appreciate the help.

 

[MedWheeler]

From antiquearmsinc.com

The short timeframe in which the New Line was manufactured was an interesting period. Back in the early 1870's, S&W owned the cartridge revolver business while American manufacturers anxiously awaited the expiration of the Rollin White Patent held by Smith and Wesson since 1855. The patent was for a simple bored-through cylinder. When the idea popped up in the 1850's, it was inconceivable that what went into this little chamber was anything worthwhile or significant. It fired a little lead pill packed into a copper case with powder and fulminate for priming on the rim of the base. This was America's first self-contained cartridge and it took the form of something that is almost identical to what we today know as the .22 short rimfire..

I believe it was then simply called .22RF. There were no "short" or "long" designations because there was not yet anything to be "shorter" or "longer" than..

 

[.333 Nitro Express]

Thanks for the reply, Med. Technically, though, there were by the introduction of the Colt New Line (1873) two .22 calibers--the .22 Short and the .22 Long (not to be confused with the .22 LR). The latter was introduced in 1871, while the former had been around for a decade already.

I can't find any references as to which of the two was used in the New Line.

 

[MedWheeler]

^^ Copy that, then. The reference I mentioned describes the cartridge more than the gun, I guess.

Like you, I can't find any other references that actually get into the specifics of the firearm.

 

[BobWright]

The cartridge for the originals were the equivalent of today's .22 Short. But those cylinders were not "chambered" but were bored through, so any .22 R.F. the same diameter of the .22 Short/Long would work. Unfortunately, some shooters/collectors have discovered that the .modern .22 L.R. will fire in these old guns, much to their dismay. Yes. a modern .22 cartridge can blow the cylinder of the old guns.

Bob Wright