How did the 1855 Root fit into Colt's product line?

[JRD]

Ephraim,
That’s a great rely. The book sounds very interesting. Please do share if it covers the motivations behind the Root.

The Colts which went to Florida must have been the ring trigger rifles and early revolvers. Colt’s products evolved quite a bit before the Navy, Army, and SAA’s that everyone associates with the brand.
Even early SAA’s had cylinder blow up problems which I’ll speculate is from the primitive metallurgy of the time. They certainly didn’t have the technology to test the raw steel (or iron) for material defects like modern gun manufacturers do.

Samuel Colt was quite the promoter and built his successful business out of previous failures. I never heard of his brother before. A quick internet search says John Colt was convicted of a hatchet murder and was sentenced to be executed but killed himself before he could be executed in 1842. So John was out of the picture before Samuel’s success with the Walker.
Wow. There is lots of new stuff to learn in the gun world every day.

 

[expat_alaska]

The Root was the only percussion Colt made in more than one caliber- both .28 and .31.

Not exactly true. The 1848/1849 Pocket were .31 caliber. The 1862 Pocket Police and Pocket Navy were .36 caliber. All were based upon the Pocket frame, internals, and gripframe.

Regards,

Jim

 

[kBob]

Some have suggested the Sam Walker first used a Colt ( Ring Carbine) in the Seminole War in Florida where he was serving as a scout rather than first using a revolving pistol in the Texas Rangers.

-kBob

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

Samuel Colt was quite the promoter

I am learning all kinds of stuff about Sam Colt that I never knew!
He made the money to start his Patent Arms Co. in Paterson by touring the country as "Dr. Coult" (the ancestral spelling of his name.) He gave lectures and demonstrations of the effects of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas.)

I just got to the part where John (an accountant) chops up a creditor and stuffs his body in a crate bound for New Orleans.

 

[indy1919a4]

mistaken entry

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

The book was great but it stopped after the Whitneyville Walkers as Colt is starting his second military contract for the Walker, builds his Hartford factory and hires an old friend, Elisha Root, as manager. So close!