Pistols and Revolvers

When Gerry James, a prominent American expert and publicist in the field of ammunition, compiled a list of the most successful small arms of the 20th century for Guns & Ammo magazine years ago, one of his acquaintances asked him: "If you could only have one weapon, what would Was it? ” Without hesitation, James replied, “ Model 1911 caliber .45 ” This view is shared by a number of other experts as well as a large group of shooters from the general public. Few valid, although the vast majority of people associate the name Colt with revolvers, the most successful short weapon of the famous armory is the Colt M 1911 and its variations. Most of all, however, is that the famous pistol celebrated its 100th birthday last year.

Because some time ago I had the opportunity to practically verify the behavior of one of the most famous pistols in the world when shooting, I decided to share this experience with you in a short report.

I started the series about famous weapons with the Desert Eagle pistol due to its media fame, and I decided to alternate pistols and revolvers regularly. So today it's the turn of the revolver, and what other weapon should we start this part of the series with than the revolver, which has been in production for almost 130 years.

Not to mention the Buntline Special model. In terms of importance, this is a completely insignificant variant, in the years 1876 - 1877 a series of only thirty revolvers was created, plus individual specimens made between 1877 - 1888 to order.

Who doesn't know Desert Eagle? There is probably no more "slick" weapon in Hollywood. This pistol has starred in almost all action movies. Desert Eagle pistols (Desert Eagle), it is not the famous weapon in the true sense of the word. Nevertheless, this weapon has gained great popularity, especially due to its respectable dimensions, remarkable design and impressive performance. But is she really that good?

In 2011, a complete frenzy broke out in the shooting world. The reason was one extraordinary anniversary. That year, 100 years have passed since the creation of the Colt M 1911, one of the most famous self-loading pistols in the world. Professional periodicals spewed articles about this weapon, armament companies threw jubilee models on the market, and some armories even began production of this type, although until then it was not in the production program at all. Of course, we at valka.cz can't just miss this anniversary, so we will remember this famous pistol on these pages as well. We seem to be coming, so to speak, "with a cross after funus", but it was not so easy with the creation of the famous pistol. The weapon was actually created in 1910 and a year later was officially accepted into the arsenal of the US Armed Forces. However, the first pistols were not shipped from Colt's factory until January 1912, a hundred years ago.

According to the second contract from March 2010, CZUB is to supply in 2010-2011 the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic also 572 fully automatic CZ SCORPION EVO 3 AI weapons for 9 x 19 mm ammunition - submachine guns (which CZUB refers to as PDW weapons) intended for the Castle Guard. 7.65mm submachine gun vz. 61 Scorpio, of course with accessories and ammunition.
The contract was awarded directly by CZUB by a government decision from autumn 2008 - surprisingly without publication.

The Parabellum P-08 handgun, also known as the "Luger", was created at the end of the 19th century. The author of the pistol is the German designer Georg Luger and its type designation P-08 is derived from the year of its introduction into the armament of the German army (1908).

The CZ 75 TS Czechmate 9 mm Luger pistol is the latest addition to the Tactical Sports pistol family.

Over the years, a long line of more or less similar pistols ( especially in the original 45 ACP caliber ) has been derived from the legendary Colt Model 1911 A1 army self-loading pistol , using Browning's ingenious shot locking system. In addition to "adult" military sizes, there were, of course, smaller versions - compact, of the Commander type - and then even smaller, almost "pocket", of the Officer's type, both designed primarily for self-defense.

With the locking of powerful pistols by rotation, mainly those interested in weapons have met only very rarely. The first swallow in this field was probably the American pistol Savage M. 1907, while the fixed locking of rotations was a specialty of the company Waffenfabrik Steyr. The closest to us were probably Czechoslovakia army pistol vz. 22 and vz. 24 Mauser / Nickel system. Then, after a long period of neglecting this system, the principle of rotation recently came back into spotlight: modern Beretta Cougar, Colt All American, Beretta Px4 Storm pistols appeared on the market - as well as the Slovak Grand Power K 100, which will be discussed later.

Army rifle ČZ 37, Accumulation rifle ČZ 148 ...

Despite the inconvenience that has hit the company recently, the name Colt still has its sound. Irreparable romantics ( like myself ) love the legendary past of this famous armory. The name Colt has become a legend and a synonym for quality. After all, even today the little boys call all revolvers Colts. What is even more surprising is that today few people know that the Colt is not just a revolver and what is really behind this brand. That's why it's time to meet her.

At the time of Colt's death, Europe had switched to Lefaucheux revolvers charged with a single metal pin cartridge. In America, Smith & Wesson began manufacturing revolvers for metal single rounds with edge fire. Mr. Horace Smith and Mr. Daniel B. Wesson managed to obtain a patent for the young inventor Rollin White.

After the turn of the century, self-loading pistols were added to the Colt production program. They were designed for her by perhaps the greatest genius in the field of firearms, John Moses Browning ( 1855-1926 ), originally from Utah, who was the first ( April 20, 1897 ) to patent a self-loading pistol of essentially modern type with a removable magazine in the handle. In the years 1900-1909, seven models of self-loading pistols were created, initially called Colt - Browning, later only Colt. At first, the inscription " Browning's patent - patented April 20, 1897 " was even embossed on the left side of the holster of these pistols.

For many readers who associate the name of Colt's armory only with revolvers, it may come as a surprise that Colt also produced machine guns. It can even be said that she had extensive experience, because since 1866 she has been producing rotary weapons for the Gatling system. Her Browning machine guns later fought in both world wars, in Korea and in Vietnam ...

The circle closes with long Colt firearms. The Colt company has been producing military rifles almost immediately since its inception, and coincidentally, the military rifle is its flagship even today.

It is remarkable how little we know about the weapons of the most famous gunslinger in the West. Did Wild Bill Hickok really use the Colty Navy Model 1851, or are the witnesses who said he used 44's right? Where are these weapons today? Did Smith & Wesson really carry him at the time of death? And what about the weapon that accompanied him from this world? Let's follow in the footsteps of probably the most famous revolvers in the West ...