Thank You, Dog Soldier.
Unfortunately that article makes it seem the 1855 series was Colt's first go at carbines and rifles using his revolver designs. Actually some of his earlist guns in the 1830s where stocked carbines. Some where used in the Seminole War where they were seen by a certain Army Officer and soon to be Texas Ranger named Walker. He was impressed. He used colt's belt revolvers in Texas and when the fracus with Mexico got started.....well you know that story.
The 1855 was a Root design and not from the Patterson.
I never understood why some sort of shield much like on the Taurus designed revolving rifles and shotguns today could not have been added to the 1855. Certainly having such on the left side of the cylinder window would not have prevented normal loading and would have protected the right handed shooter from most of the danger of chain fires. I would thing a small wedge like guard forward of the loading window might well have sent any balls and flame from the right side away from the right handed firers supporting hand as well.
People are also usually un aware that Savage made a rifle version of their (sort of) DA revolver that was in carbine form as well. This had the sealing cylinder that the pistols had and was later adopted in the Nagant Revolvers.
No idea why none of them did not sell well.....unless it was price.
If I hade one of the Pietta Brass frame Remngton NMA (1858) "Buffalo" with a foot of barrel and adjustable sights I would start working on a stock for it in a heart beat. Just think it would be neat.
I have seen images of a "Brevet" Colt, one of the liscense built guns from Belgium that appeared to be an 1851 navy that had been permanently stocked and given a 10 or 12 inch barrel. The stock was a pistol grip type like the "C" stock on an 03-A3 spring field and looked very nice.
I ran into a non firing model of an 1855 rifle in a photo shop down by the bay in SF California once and that is the only one I have seen. The shop folks seemed to think it was Japanese made and of zinc.
-kBob